Our series, “We are the night” presents artists, promoters, production managers, label owners and others who are bringing the music world of the Czech Republic forward, from the past to the present and the present to the future. This week we present an interview with Czech-Italian DJ Ester. Photo credit: Monika Šternová.
Even if music has no fixed label, it still has shades. If dance floors have light games, they often also have dedicated dark spaces.
When a mix tries to take the temporary audience to a fusion between shades, darkness and dance, with layered generations of music perfectly melted within it, you should note the name of the DJ of the night. This was my case with Ester, so we had an interview, to put a bit more light onto the shadow…
Where do you come from and what was your first contact/memory with music?
I am from Lecce, Italy, and my first memory of music was from when my mum switched on the TV and they were playing Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”.
Did you have a musical education? How did you start playing music?
No, I didn’t. I started playing music when I started working at a club when I was 17ish. I worked in the cloakroom mostly, and sometimes as a runner for the artists. When you come in contact with so many artists of different genres it was kind of natural that I wanted to discover what it was all about. And I fell into the rabbit hole really quickly.
Have you only lived in Prague?
I was raised in the Moravian region, and I transferred to Prague when i was 19.
When did you start doing DJ sets in Czech Republic, and with which collective?
I started playing when i was 18, but I wasn’t in a collective till last year when i joined Organizovaný plevel. In OP we are not just DJs and musicians, we also have our visual “team“, who are behind our graphics, lights/atmosphere at our events (SLET), and so on. I think i can call us an audiovisual collective full of talented and creative people. Our members are C4AT, Hexen, Hardware, Whyami, Zeek, Disarray and VRVROV.
What is your favourite venue to play in the Czech Republic?
I don’t think i have one. It’s not about the venue but mostly about the people.
Do you produce your own music / tracks ?
Not for now, but I’m currently learning the basics so we’ll see how it goes.
I saw you mix quite a lot on radio streams, tell me about your experience about that. Do you find it very different to a usual mix with a live audience?
Yes, I played at Radio Laude a few times when we were in the deep Covid quarantine and there were no parties to go to. Of course it’s not the same as at a party, but it was more about connecting people through music even though we couldn’t meet.
Have you been playing abroad?
Yes, I’ve played in Bratislava and Berlin.
I feel like Brno and Prague are currently building musical links through electro productions, DJs and collectives. Have you played in Brno?
I agree with that. In Brno I’ve played at Kabinet Múz and Vitamin (ex-Fratelli Tutti).
Musically, I would say that you mix shades of dark music with much more modern electro rhythms. Can you define precisely your style and musical influences as a DJ?
I don’t have one style of music that I play, because my selection doesn’t have any borders. I really don’t like to categorize myself in just one genre. But mostly it’s a mixture of industrial techno, noise, EBM and dark-wave, dark oriental stuff and neo-folk. These are the genres that influence me the most. But I always say: Call it whatever you want.
What are the next steps in your career?
Probably to start producing my own music.
Could you name 3 songs you would like to share with our readers?
Randolph & Mortimer – The Light (Ancient Methods Remix)
Depeche Mode – Christmas Island
Bourbonese Qualk – Sweat It Out
You can find Ester on Soundcloud, Facebook, and Instagram.