"If something manages to move thousands of people, let's say at a festival, ten thousand people - I think it's art." ___ The electronic music producer and DJ Mindaugas Lapinskis based in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Do you think Lithuanian electronic music creators have their own identity of sound?
I don't know if it's very good or bad, but I wouldn't say that Lithuanian music is different these days. Of course, we don't have that special sound of electronic music as the French had once, with Daft Punk and the whole scene. But it seems to me that everything is fine, we are on par with foreign countries, both in terms of sound and ideas. Just maybe more success stories are needed. Anyway, everything is cool.
How much do you think success stories influence the development of the music scene?
I think it is very important. Those success stories, and this whole industry, like any industry, are based on networking. Therefore, the more influence you have, the more popular you are, naturally, you have more acquaintances, and those acquaintances help a lot. And when you have acquaintances, it is easier for the surrounding circle of people to achieve what they want to achieve.
How much do creators feel free to put themselves, and their personalities into their music?
I think it depends on the person. We are no longer constrained by anything, opinions, or anything else... We are free to do what we want. It just depends on the person whether he wants to be influenced, to conform to some kind of framework, to conform to some direction, or branch, or to dictate trends himself. Everything depends on the person.
Do you have a strong disconnect between who you are in real life and who you are on stage?
That's for sure. It's not 100% me. I'm a father, a husband, and a son, I'm a human, but of course, music is a very big part of my life, and Gardens of God is one of the projects I'm doing. I also compose music for films, and I do many different things. It's just one form of expression.
When it comes to music, how important is the final message you convey with that piece, or is it more of a moment where you let go and the message takes shape later?
Most of the time, it's not like you really want to say something. It's just that my goal is for the music to create a feeling, to evoke an emotion. I don't know if it's a good feeling or scary... it's important that a person feels something while listening. The message may be different for each person.
When do you decide that your piece is finished?
It's complicated. Usually, if you play with it for too long, sometimes you reach a point where you start to hate that creation. It's such a slippery slope here... I usually look at it as if a track satisfies me enough and it works well on the dance floor, if it's a track for that, then it means it's time to stop and it's time to stop torturing that track.
Do you think Djing is art?
I consider it art. If something manages to move thousands of people, let's say at a festival, ten thousand people - I think it's art.