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In techno, differentiating ones self can seem an almost insurmountable task. It's one of dance music's oldest genres, with enough performers at the top, bottom and everywhere in between trying to either hang on or break through, slicing a path through the noise, especially from the outer reaches (read, not Berlin), seems almost a suicide mission. But from the Eastern European country of Romania comes three musicians who saw opportunity in the noise; a chance to do something their own way, from an outsider's prospective, and bring a touch of home to a sometimes lock-step market.
Premiesku, with members George G, and longtime DJ duo Livio & Roby, was conceived in just this way. Through Livio & Roby the three already had connections outside of Romania, and with Geroge's lack of interest in DJing, drive to perform live, and all three's knowledge of analogue equipment, they decided to do it their own way – by assembling custom equipment to become a true live act. Since then, Premiesku has brought their live act to clubs like Fabrik in Madrid, festivals like Time Warp and East Ender, and all over Ibiza for parties like ENTER., Flying Circus, Used+Abused, and of course, Cocoon, whose booking agency they recently joined. In the studio, they've released on labels like Cécille, All In and Desolat – their infectious, minimal grooves carrying something unique, something that can only be classified as the new Romanian touch. So we knew we needed to find out what drove them to build their own gear, find out more about what the Romanian sound is, and why their country has become a hot bed for techno in recent years, eclipsing all it's neighbouring countries in terms of DJs, parties, labels and international acts. Read on...
It looks like the Romanian scene is doing quite well, especially in the summer, with guys like James Zabiela, Martin Buttrich, Hernán Cattáneo all coming out. Why do you think the Romanian scene is so strong, especially in comparison to your neighboring countries in that region? Roby: Well as you said these names, Zabiela and Cattaneo, they’ve been coming for a long, long time now. This kind of sound – all the English DJs like Sasha, John Digweed – they started back in like, 2000. They were the first one’s who came here in Romania. That was also the period when everything started here.
Livio: I think we grew up in a community here, a big community that follows the Romanian sound, which has been born after like 2004. We have a lot of producers, we have a lot of events, lot of DJs who are playing outside (Romania) now, and it’s growing. It’s different because the community, which was always getting better and better and getting more attention, and this is how we are blowing up lately. The first country in Eastern Europe to rise up with something original, and this is a phenomenon somehow.
Roby: Also regarding our roots, we are the only Latin country in the zone. So maybe our Latin feeling is also involved in this, and we took the music, and we put our thing in the music.
Has electronic music always been big in Romania? Roby: I think it started really big somehow, and continues to change always. It changed a lot, from when Livio said in 2004, it had it’s own hype, and it’s own sound – it’s continuously growing, and it’s special. A lot of different things are happening here, and people are following this scene and this sound, and they are really interested in electronic music.
Can you guys tell me the first time you remember hearing electronic music? Livio: ![]()
Ohh, back in the ‘80s for sure (laughs).
Roby: Yeah, back in the ‘80s for sure.
George: Even if it was not underground electronic music, it was electronic music for sure. The ‘80s actually started the synthesizers and drum machines, and then the house came in the early ‘90s.
Roby: Yeah we had Kraftwerk vinyl!
Livio: We grew up with Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk.
And when did you guys first start going out to clubs? Roby: When I was allowed by my parents (laughs). Like, 15 years old - In the late ‘90s for sure. Livio before that.
George G: I was the last one, even though I am older (laughs).
What were you listening to there? Roby: I started with Prodigy. There was this club called Studio Martin. It’s the oldest club in Bucharest, which actually promoted this kind of sound back in the ‘90s. They used to play this kind of “ravey” sound, acid sound, back in the day. Like the Josh Wink sound, break beats also – a bit of drum & bass – so this was the sound of the ‘90s. This was the only club in Bucharest here, which I grew up with, and was the only place you could access this sound. Even when I was really young, I wanted to DJ and select tracks and to play out, this was the dream.
When did you start DJing? Livio: DJing started around ’98 or 2000, something like that, then the live act came together around 2002 or 2004. We met George around then, and we decided to play a live act together.
Can you tell me how that connection came together, and how you decided to start a live act? Roby: We always wanted to make a live act. With George, it was a great opportunity, because we are three, so it has a band feeling. We like to make jam sessions in the studio, and we always thought, “Well, it would be cool to make a live act on this gear.”
Livio: George was a really good studio partner, but not playing, actually. We really wanted to do something, coming up on stage, as he’s not interested in DJs. We found were making good jam sessions in the studio – we could put something together with our setup, and go on stage. So this is how we came up with our first project, then continued on with the second, which is Premiesku.
George: I was always into electronic instruments because of my roots with Depeche mode and the ‘80s, and when I met the guys, we worked on songs that were house and progressive, and then I was captured with the feeling of playing live because I saw some bands in that period. Then the guys, we made some tracks together, and I saw the opportunity to make this live act. I was not into Djing. I just like to make music and perform our own songs.
Roby: He really wanted to recreate the music he was making live, for the crowd. It’s a different experience.
So the jam sessions led to building your own gear? Livio: We sat down and made a couple of good tracks, they had a big success. Then we said that we really wanted to represent ourselves on stage all together. So we put together a set up and this is how we came up.
What drove you to build your own gear? George G: We started to think about what we would use in the live act.
Roby: Exactly. We saw the live act in a particular way, and the actual gear was not offering 100 percent these possibilities. So we, lets say, modified the gear to allow us to make the proper live act that we wanted.
George G: Also it’s a good thing for the logistic to bring different parts and assemble it on the stage.
Livio: The basic idea was that we wanted to come up with something unique and original. We had a look around, and by combining ideas and gear, we kind of figured out the setup. It was easy to do. It was all made here in Romania, and it goes out pretty nicely.
So it was easier, really, to build your own gear than rely on other’s? Roby: Each of us have our own thing, our own part of the live (show). I make the gear that I have and that I wanted; Livio the same and George the same. It also represents us, somehow, separately. It’s also easier to do this live. For us, it’s perfect.
So when you play live, each of you has your own part. Can you tell me more about that? Are one of you more involved in the drums, and someone else the synthesizers or melodies? George G: Well not all the live acts are the same. We change things. But mainly Roby on the drums, Livio is making the arrangements, the effects and the mixing, and I bring the synthesizer parts and some things that are from the sampler.
Roby: We change the roles once in a while.
What makes you decide to change roles?
Geroge: Depending on the track. Some tracks you play, for example, drums from the sampler and not from the drum machine, so then Roby makes the stabs. Livio has his drum machine and uses the patterns –
Roby: Yeah I think it’s more interactive like this. You can explore more. It’s nice that every one of us can have a little bit of everything so way no one gets bored.
George G: This also brings some spontaneous things.
Livio: Mostly it’s based on how you make the track.
So switching gears, I’ve heard about a special network of DJs and producers in Romania. Can you tell me more about that? Livio: We have a lot of guys, a lot of people here doing good music, actually. Some of them are very young in the scene, some others are coming from our time, and I think a lot of them are working together, there’s are a lot of collaborations, there’s a lot of experience between them. Some others are doing their own thing. And now a lot are using the labels and the market, playing around Europe and everything, and they are actually participating in this scene, and they are doing really, really good. We have guys from Bucharest and all over the country.
Do you think Romania could be the next hot spot for techno? Roby: It’s already hot as a sound. All these young producers make kind of the same sound. It’s interesting. They are all going in the same direction, and that is a different thing in my point of view. It’s nice. Everyone is going on the same road, and it makes it special, somehow.
What do you think differentiates the Romanian sound from everybody else? Roby: The deepness. It has a deep character to the sound.
Livio: All together, it’s a characteristic sound, if I can say. It’s interesting because there’s a lot of original style to it. Even if it’s deep or tech, you can hear the touch of the Romanian sound. And you can say, “This is from Romania, not from anywhere else.”
Roby: The harmony of the tracks have a Romanian touch. Maybe it comes from the folklore. I don’t know. Maybe the grooves have the Romanian touch…
Livio: It tends to be a little bit, you know, complicated, but it tends to be smart, a little bit different. We tried to add something on a new production we did – something new, something nobody’s tried before, arrange and play it differently, and come up with something more interesting. Some tracks are working, some not, but you can say, “It’s Romanian.”\
You mentioned folklore. Is there a touch of traditional music? Livio: Yeah, of course. Some tracks have a lot of traditional music. Maybe harmonies or traditional instruments, something like that.
Roby: I think it was more a couple of years ago. It was really a trend of making techno music with traditional folkloric things. But now, it’s more the touch, just a touch of the feeling. It’s not in your face, it’s more subtle.
So you are with Cocoon bookings now. How has that been so far? Livio: It’s going very well. It’s super nice. We’re really happy, we’re playing good gigs.
How did that all come together? Livio: With Sven and Richie, Marco Carola, Loco Dice…Cocoon was a really big icon for us. We found that our music style and our live act and tracks have always been appreciated by Cocoon. We’ve been playing with them in Ibiza a couple of gigs, and we found that our sound was totally matching with Cocoon, with the artists over there. So this is how we started to think about it, how it would be better if we started to work with those guys, and they were happy to hear the idea.
Roby: We really fit there.
Livio: We had this match, and we fell into the right place.
The guys will have plenty of new material coming out in 2014, though most of it is still under wraps, so keep an eye out. We'll keep you updated as it comes in. Head over to the Premiesku Facebook page for more info.
Listen to Pulse Radio.
Ohh, back in the ‘80s for sure (laughs).
