"Electronic music can be like theater, and I am a character who tells a story." ___ DJ / electronic music producer and composer / new age creator / name: Deividas Jaroška / Vilnius / Lithuania.
Is electronic music - art?
I believe that anything we do can be art if we do it with style and passion. Electronic music is an art form, just like classical and pop music. It is the modern art of the 20-21st century. It is fun to experiment with - the creator has as much range of sound and timbre as the imagination allows.
Electronic music is considered rich in its subgenres. As an artist, do you feel that some electronic music is more supported than others?
Lithuania is a very interesting country. It differs from other European countries in that the listener and the dancer are more used to experimentation, and less direct functionality is needed. Of course, maybe it's different with club music. In other countries, electronic, academic, and concert music are more valued than in Lithuania. America has one sound, Europe another due to the culture, population, traditions, and micro scenes.
Is there a division between electronic and acoustic music?
No, I stopped feeling this difference when I started working with the Druskomanija festival and live instrumentalists, creating electroacoustic music. Two worlds intertwined. I realized that the young generation is very fond of electronic music and supports its inclusion in academic music. Nowadays, composers can also work with electronic instruments and computers.
What is your creative process?
It depends on the musicians themselves and their workflow. There are different disciplines - just like in painting, there are acrylic paints, oil paints, and many types of brushes. Some of them create while playing in the rehearsal hall as a group. In another group of musicians, there is someone with software, for example, Ableton, who has written a piece for MIDI instruments. Musicians remake it anew and rehearse it. There are plenty of methods.
Could you define how you create your compositions?
It depends on the project I'm working on and the function of the piece - whether it's lyrical work or music for the dance floor. On the dance floor, you can play both functionally and add a political message. I don't plan much, just let the music come together. But sometimes inspiration comes from somewhere else - an event or a feeling. Then the feeling dictates what the music will be, and who it will be for. As many ways as there are to make music, I try them all.
How important for you is to represent Lithuania while performing abroad?
Since I create art in Vilnius, I am a citizen of Lithuania, and every trip abroad is a presentation of the sound of Lithuania. Of course, I don't do it directly, I don't necessarily have to use Lithuanian folk, folklore, or national things, but I incorporate what the scene is like in Vilnius, Kaunas, and other cities. I think it's self-evident - I live in a certain place, I go to concerts there myself, I meet other artists, and we inspire each other. We remix each other. Original ideas are long gone, everything is an original rendering of an already-invented idea. I emphasize this in my works of art. When I was in China, we made a Lithuanian dance case, created a soundtrack, and played in a club. I learned how the Chinese view copyright and such. There, since ancient times, since the advent of paper, copying has been ingrained in their culture. You must become just like your master and even better. First, you have to copy the product almost perfectly, so that it is impossible to distinguish the replica, and then you add your own. I brought that attitude from China, and I apply it. For some, we use a few seconds of music from different corners of the world.
You don't shy away from showing your vulnerability, movement, and attitude while performing. How does that affect your audience?
People are attracted to it because if everyone did it, it wouldn't be interesting. It comes naturally to me. Before making music, when I was very young, the first after-school activity I attended was dance. I let the music take over my body. Character creation is important to me. When I play at home or with friends, I look different than I do today. Today we are creating a certain character unique to this place. I have different projects. Originally presented as an anonymous project, Karkasas has now remained a mystery project with a beekeeper dressed in black coming in and doing who knows what on stage. I always liked bands like Queen, Guns N' Roses, and Led Zeppelin. They are all living characters with their own costumes and personalities. I want to bring rock energy to electronic music. Electronic music can be like theater, and I am a character who tells a story. It's a game to me. If someone is very focused on playing, it can look interesting too. The DJ meditates while the crowd goes insane. They are standing with calm faces, and the sound is complete chaos. It's not good only when you see someone onstage trying to be someone else. We notice it very well. When I create, I do it to inspire others to be themselves. I'm always on the spot, a person who plays everything. But you might be a different person. Show yourself, instead of trying to be another Adam Beyer.