At this year’s CityFest in Prague, we managed to make two full-fledged interviews. First, we bring you an interview with Evgeny Smirnov, aka Omnia. We will be honest, Omnia has been one of the coolest DJ we have ever talked with (and we’ve talked with a lot of DJs already :). He did not pretend anything, he has been very honest and open minded.
Peter: You have a very specific sound. If a person listens to your set and sets of the other DJs, he immediately knows that you are behind the decks …
Omnia: Yeah, it’s so. I play and produce tracks that I love, that resonates with me from the inside. I was preparing sets based on which tracks were popular about 5 years ago. I wanted to do everything I could – my best. But then I realized that it is enough to be open to an audience.
Greni: I know exactly what you’re talking about. I have a midi controller at home and I was also preparing what I am gonna play. Over time, however, I found it is best to start playing, and then just go through the library and look for tracks that I immediately know will fit in the set.
Omnia: Yeeeeah! Exactly. There are so many DJs who are interested in their equipment (mini controllers …) and all those things, but first, you have to think about your library. Because people go to events to enjoy music. They do not really care about your equipment. They are mainly interested in what tracks you play. It is better to focus on your own musical style.
Peter: You obviously found your own – for example, your track The Fusion was a huge success. How did it affect your career?
Omnia: It was great. It was not a minute action that I would have just released one track and became a star of me. I released more tracks before The Fusion. In 2008, my goal was to find my own sound. I spent with that about 5 years. I think The Fusion was the first track ever where everything felt just right. I thought: “This is really something special.”
When you put something unique, you create your own handwriting, and that’s exactly the case with The Fusion. I was lucky because people liked it. Sometimes you do something original, but people say: “WTF?”
You never know how it turns out. If you are a producer or a composer, try to find your own way. You probably make a lot of mistakes, but in the end, you can come up with something that’s going to be a something big and it will belong to you only.
Peter: I have a little controversial question for you. What do you think about drugs on the EDM scene?
Omnia: You know, I’m 31 and I’m not thinking about drugs at all. When I was a teenager, I tried some drugs with my friends. I understand people around 20 that they try it. We can not do much about it … It’s about being able to get in the state when the music fills you. Personally, I don’t need drugs or a lot of alcohol to enjoy the action. Of course, I like beer or wine, but I say NO to drugs.
Peter: Let’s move from the past to the future. What can we expect from you? Are you planning a studio album or some collaboration?
Omnia: I recently released a new track called Cyberpunk. It’s a little The Fusion track. Next year, I plan to make some singles (vocal, instrumental) and collaboration with Ben Gold.
I’m trying to work with different artists to create a whole new mix of our sounds. These collaborations make me fun.
Peter: That sounds so cool! We wish you good luck and thank you very much for the interview.
Omnia: Thank you guys and keep up good work. People like you are very important. You unify the community and therefore I want to thank you!
Greetings from Omnia
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