Interview with Tim Taylor, famous producer (Missile) and DJ from London, after his last party in Sarajevo.

1. First of all, how did you get the idea of coming to Sarajevo at all?
- I’ve been to Sarajevo for seven or eight times already, for the first time I was here in 2002. In 1999 I was playing in Croatia, working with Pero Fullhouse and Omegaritam, I met Ari, and that’s how I came here in the first place. I actually have a girlfriend here, she’s from Sarajevo…

2. How do you like it in BiH?
- I’ve seen most of sites in Sarajevo, I’ve been to the mountains… I find people resistant to be depressed, with everything they’ve been through, they have already had enough of bad time, and so they tend to be more light-hearted, tend to party and enjoy themselves. I’ve been in post-war countries, like BiH, Croatia… Russia, and I think it’s like that in most of post-war countries. One particular negative thing in BiH, well, I could say, in all Balkan countries, is a very complicated administration, especially post-office… For example, when I need my records sent to me here, huge customs have to be paid, there’s just a lot of trouble with it…

3. Why did you choose Internet for your last party?
- Well, I have to say, there is not a lot of choices in Sarajevo, very few clubs have a decent sound system… By now, I’ve played in Boulevard, in Labirint, and, Sarajevo simply has a low choice of places for parties and clubbing. On the other hand, I actually prefer clubs over big parties. I’ve played on huge parties, e.g. Love Parade, you’re far away from the crowd, secluded, you cannot connect to people as you can in clubs, and with all that, you have to please twenty thousand people… In clubs, people are very close to you, you can feel their energy, you feel that they like what you’re doing, and you get inspired… You get paid much better on these huge open parties, but it’s not all about money, I think you need to give something back. Some of the best parties I’ve played on were small, free parties, where you don’t get much money, but what you do get – you get people that go out and actually enjoy themselves without having destroyed their monthly income. Of course, I can’t play for free all the time, I’d be broke… (laugh) I think the best is to have a good balance of expensive and free parties.

4. What are the best parties you’ve played on?
- The most memorable was, I’d say at the moment, Liquid Room in Tokyo, it’s on the 25th floor, and as you’re climbing up in the elevator, bass keeps getting louder and louder, and then you’re playing, the club is pitch black, and all of a sudden light goes on and you see thousand of Japanese faces with their hands in the air… I had some great parties in Rio de Janeiro, in Sao Paolo… in Dubrovnik, Lazareti… I had a great party in Phoenix, Arizona, it was in the desert and the wooden dance-floor was on the sand… The best parties I recently had were in Brazil. “Mission to Sao Paolo” is a record made of live sets I played there, and it’s not just techno, there’s a lot of experimenting, groovy, electro house…

5. How did you begin with the DJing?
- I started when I was about fifteen, I was on Arts and Design College, and I started doing some Mobile DJ business, playing on silly birthday parties and such. It lasted around two years; it was the beginning of the ‘80s. Then I went to Montreal and stayed with a friend who was resident DJ in a club in Montreal, I got to play there a few times, and then later he left the club and soon after I became the resident DJ in that club. Later on, I went to New York, played there, and that’s how I actually got started.

6. CD players vs. vinyl players?
- Dying out of vinyl is inevitable, as records are getting harder and harder to reach, and more expensive. Still, I think you should have bought. People appreciate DJs playing on vinyl players more as they recognize the original sound of their music; vinyl has its own sound, and you can tell that DJs playing on vinyl work harder and spend more money.

7. What kind of music do you listen for your own pleasure, at home?
- It’s usually rock, jazz-rock, sometimes soul, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, I like guitar music, I also like funkadelic stuff, ambient stuff… My favorites are definitely Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, also Simple Minds, I’m a great fan of Simple Minds. I think most of the good ideas come from the past anyway, so the music is being re-invented, and as the club audience is, let’s say, between 18 and 22, it’s still new to them, never heard before, so I think it’s a good thing that the older music is not dying out, but instead listened in a new form by a new generations.

8. Missile Records?
- It started as a joke actually, back in 1994, but by now Missile produced quite a few big hits of some great DJs, recently Anderson Noise for example… I’m definitely not moved by current trend and names, but sounds that I like. The scene today is most competitive ever, there are already too many DJs, and I look for a different style, something people will recognize. When I play, I like to play mixture that people will recognize as mine; I like to play unreleased records, to surprise people… I don’t want to hear the same type all night.

9. What do you think about the scene in Sarajevo, weak as it is?
- As I said, there are few places for clubbing, and even if there was more, I don’t think there are enough people that would fill those clubs… But still, I believe in quality rather than quantity; I prefer to play for three or four hundred people who come for the right reason, for the music, rather than to play for a thousand people who come just to be seen or whatever, and I’m optimistic about Sarajevo scene as there is that quality in people. I’d say 75% of people that were at Friday party, go to all parties, and go there for the music… we call them hardcore people or regulars.

10. Who are the best DJs you’ve played with?
- I’ve played with Funk D’Void, I think he is, at the moment, technically the best and most consistent DJ, I’ve played with Jeff Mills, the stuff he does is so complicated that… he has some ups and downs, as everybody does, some parties were bad, some good, but when he plays good, he really plays good. Anderson Noise is probably a name for the future, he is the biggest DJ in Brazil, plays Brazilian techno, we might bring him to Sarajevo sometime… There are lots of DJs never heard of, just regular resident DJs that play really good, so the best DJs are not necessarily big names.

11. What are your future plans?
- Global Missile tour is next on the schedule, you could say it actually started in BiH and Croatia, next in plan is Japan, then Australia, America… When I come here next time, I’d like do an event in a different location, something exotic, probably in July or August, maybe some VIP party, one of those with little publicity, and after it everybody goes: “Ooooh, did you hear about that party…” Anything is possible…
12. How do you comment the incident on Jean Marie’s party?
- I call those guys techno-terrorists, they just want to spoil the party, but these things happen, I’m sure Jean-Marie will come back, next time probably somewhere where people don’t bring in gas-cans… well, shit happens (laugh).

13. Thank you for the interview and I hope to see you playing soon in Sarajevo.
- Probably will, no problem. Ciao!

black eight by infoBAR.ba
23.04.2006 21:00