Interview with IMIX
by IceElfe @ www.PSY604.com
1. Please introduce yourself...
My name is Franz J. Bogendorfer and I was born 18.02.1960 in Vienna. Since 2002 I am producing good looking psytrance under the project name IMIX. Besides I am head of an international psytrance community called Batusim Corporation, which is supporting psyartists all over the world.
I love to joke seriously :)
2. IMIX or DJ Anza - how did you choose your names? Is there a special background?
IMIX is my Mayan KIN 161 (Red Dragon) and means "impulse" - also it means in Austrian dialect: i mix ;) ANZA is a word-game in Viennese dialect - means ”alpha" and is pronounced like "answer" ;)
3. When was the beginning of your "musical career", how did you get infected by trance?
My musical career started in 1968-71 when I was studying three years accordion at a Viennese conservatorium.
I was that bored of playing accordion cause lot of my friends were playing electric guitar (as hard rock was coming big time to Austria in that time) and quitted soon. At the age of 18 I started to DJ in clubs in and around Vienna and also in the south of Austria - spinning black club music, rare grooves, psychedelic funk and acid jazz.
In1989 I had my first option to come to brazil for play in Recife and Alagoas rare grooves and stuff like ORB, Youth,...
I stayed in brazil for three years - till 1992 - and came back to Austria playing Acid jazz, tribal ethno and d & b at music bars, clubbings and in jazz clubs.
In 1996 I went to Goa for holidays - infected ... lol
In 1998 I was organizing the legendary club X-CHAT Oberwart - at the beginning we played d & b and Vienna Scientists - till end of 1999.
My partner Betty B. and I decided in 2000, after a very successful party called "Sundance" @ club X-CHAT, to spin just goa trance on our dance floor at the club - that was the delight of DJ ANZA =)
During my first brazil-tour as psy-deejay in 2002 I met M.A.C.K. at a friend’s house - he explained to me some clues in propellorhead reason 1.
From this moment on I knew that I wanted to make psytrance for my DJ sets in own production.
4. We are all looking forward to your debut album "ONE". What were your inspirations while producing the tracks?
At the beginning my inspiration was to produce tracks for spinning in my DJ sets with even more dynamic and outstanding own style then the others ... to create and share a certain attitude - to create my own culture ;)
At this stage of the interview I want to say thank you to Betty B., Firnerella, Omi, Didi, Leon and Avi, Fred, Marc & Vincent for the big gifts they gave me during producing IMIX - ONE!
>>> SUPERSONIC, I sogs da!!! <<<
5. Your style is really unique. What makes typical "IMIX"?
Hm good question: I think a typical style is a matter of how to produce music and with whom you had experiences in studio. As I am working most of the time alone in studio it is probably a very own dynamic story.
My music is influenced by the power of good looking rare psychedelic funk coming from the legends of the 70´s, I like funky licks, psychedelic & crunchy synthsounds, hard-kicking bass drums and massive rolling bass lines.
I also spice up my arrangements with vocals and subliminal messages sometimes.
6. You are somehow a master of remixing. What makes a good remix in your opinion?
Ufff .. Thank you :) In my opinion a good remix often needs a change in the bass line - different from the original but still recognizably.
The breaks in a certain track can be taken as an opportunity to change the track in your direction.
I also put some "own sounds" in it to give it my "own soul".
7. What makes the difference between a live act and a DJ set? Do you also play tracks of other acts in your DJ sets?
Live Set: I am playing my own productions/tracks whether from laptop or cdj, always with an instrument which I play.
Former I used to play some percussion sometime also I used to invite a friend to play electric guitar to my set but nowadays I prefer to use Virus Indigo Synth for the Live act as it sounds fantastic also without any compression. Sometimes I use also effects from software plug-ins to add them live to the prepared IMIX set.
DJ Set: in my DJ sets I am playing a lot own stuff but also from producing friends and other producers who are making good looking music - of course I am open for any track which fits in my DJ set. The DJ set gives me freedom in the choice of the track I play to the audience.
For both Live and DJ Set, most important to me: the performance of the artist.
8. You're also the "godfather" of Batusim.com. What is Batusim.com, what's the idea/message behind it?
Batusim.com is an international platform for psyartists from all over the world. The idea behind batusim.com is to support and raise quality and efficiency of each supported artists production and performance, to link artists for better understanding and better promotional work. Understand "batusim mafia" as a powerful uprising organisation of highly talented trance producers. Our homepage (BATUSIM.com) is still under construction as well as the whole organisation is constantly growing.
For the future it is possible that Batusim becomes - sooner or later - a record label as I see there are so much great artists around - willing to release there fantastic musical visions.
9. What do you think of the actual development of psytrance?
Any cultural/musical direction had and has its very own special subcultures. The psytrance development - as I see - goes in various directions:
Social/cultural directions:
>> Back to the roots of goatrance parties incl. healing and meditation
>> Bigger and still more expensive events incl. economical gifts and disasters
>> More and more promoters and producers on the scene
>> More and more consumers - psytrance is getting POP!
Musical directions:
>> Israeli style
>> Electro full-on
>> Dark night (!?) stuff
>> Progressive psytrance
>> IMIX ;)
10. A last comment/message or just some "wise" words?
Music is the drug!
Franz, thanks a lot for this great interview! I hope to meet you soon and I am looking forward to your great music which will kick us up @ the dancefloor! Take care & all the best for the future!
