A MARKTSTROLL WITH VIKTOR PALMER
Eclectic selector: The two words that come to mind when I hear the name ‘Viktor Palmer’. But don’t let his underground, dark, tasteful bass beats fool you- Mark van Hooijdonk is one of the sweetest, most polite, kind-hearted people I know. We got the chance to catch up with him; and get to know a bit better the man behind the smile, and the man behind some damn good obscure, unique, dance-urging selections. If we can recommend one thing at this very moment, it would be to dually note the name ‘Viktor Palmer’, we expect a bright future ahead of him and are happy to host him for the first, and certainly not the last, time!
Photo credits: Patrick Mordi
When and where did your love and passion for mixing happen? What started it all?
An old roommate of mine had a pair of turntables, and I always saw him playing on them and I went to parties so was already interested in music. So I thought fuck it, I started to buy records because I wanted to know what was happening and how he was doing that. I thought I would buy records and see what happens. I started to mix, and that was pretty nice, it was really hard to learn how to mix.
Who taught you?
Bas, my old roommate showed me the basics. How to find the first beat, showing me what the low and mid-high is, what the two faders are… that’s it. It was pretty difficult because it was also on belt drive turntables- which I really had to work it on. I think it took about a year until I got my own turn tables. So really it all began with buying records when I was 19, it was fun to play around with them. But I was not always serious with music like nowadays. Sometimes there would be months without buying any records at all.
Do you remember the first record you bought?
Outside agency №1 or 2. Released under the Genosha Label. It was really heavy and intense industrial Hardcore it was really difficult because the tempos were always changing, ranging between 160 and 200. Some tracks I just really couldn’t beat match, and the tempos were not the only weird parts- the structure was too. When I started playing Techno, I began to more easily mix due to the constant tempo and the tracks didn’t have weird breaks in the beginning.
Maybe that’s a style, actually, finding rhythm in unrhythmic beats?
That’s a good way of putting it. Because you have to search for something to mix and build on- create a sound that didn’t previously exist.
Photo credits: Patrick Mordi
Did you ever imagine you would someday be playing at all the big Amsterdam venues?
No! Two years ago when I started with LET, I was approached to be a resident. With this opportunity I really wanted to do something with it. I never imagine ME doing it as a career. It all began as a passion and love for the music. It didn’t matter if people liked it or not- it was always about me having fun. Which is different now-a-days, especially with technology- but everyone knows that story {ease of Traktor}.
Very true, it’s a tool or instrument that many like to utilise. A lot of people are learning to mix and DJ these days indeed, what do you think has set you apart? I know that you’re special, that you are unique- but in your mind what is that special attribute that really makes you stand out?
Ah… well thank you for the compliment. *blushing*; I just try to play records and music that is in line with my character, with how I feel. I want it {my music} to be an expansion off of that. That is something which is by far the most important factor I can bring to the table. I try hard to connect to how I feel and translate that into frequencies. Secondly, technically… When you have an idea, generally you also have an idea on how to work it out. For example: When you have a piece of art- there were steps for that piece of art to come to be. The whole outcome should be perfect. This can be related to music- how a set is built up and that is done by selection and by technique. This is definitely the second most important aspect. I can feel really bad when a set doesn’t work out technically or selection-wise.
That definitely shows your heart and passion. Which we can hear in your sets alongside a special technique. Mixing and techniques vary a lot which makes each successful artist different from the other. Plus many Djs, in my opinion, play the role of storytelling on the dance floor. In relation to what you refer to as your music being a frequency of yourself. What has been the most journey-full set you’ve been at lately?
Marco Shuttle. He plays a lot of different styles in Techno, but still manages to keep it whole and connected. He can go from really Hard Techno to Electro, and then go back without it seeming weird or disconnected. He gets categorized as a ‘Techno’ DJ, but plays a lot outside of that- which I really like. There’s probably a lot of House DJ’s that do that too but I don’t listen to that stuff too much. But I’m aware that there are a lot of eclectic House DJ’s doing that stuff too. Genres are over-rated, in the end any track can be categorized under any genre because it depends on how you use the track in your set. But it does have to be a logical decision in which to use it. If it fits, then it doesn’t matter if it’s House, Techno, Indian, or whatever…
Photo credits: Patrick Mordi
Which you see in many labels- a nice variety of sound and styles. What label are you digging through a lot these days?
Posh Isolation, it’s not Techno, but more this ambient noise- They are the label which I’ve been listening to the most lately. Not everything is the most interesting, but it’s the emotion in their music that they are getting relaying and what they are trying to say, which is so beautiful. It can also be pretty harsh. For my next ‘Red Light Radio’special in two months, I want to do a composition of Posh Isolation tracks. I want to take the proper time to prepare and make it something special. Techno wise, I buy a lot of different stuff.
Only Vinyl?
Vinyl and digital. I’ve been starting to play more digital as of late, really a lot.
Does that fall more under your ‘Okinawa’ concept?
Yeah exactly. I really have to play more digital tracks because if I want to play everything, stay diverse, on vinyl then I would have to spend a shit ton of money every month- I don’t have that money. I wish I could, but I can’t. But in the end, it’s what you do with sound, the carrier is completely irrelevant. A sound that I find that keeps showing up in my sets is from this Finish label- Sähkö founded by Mika Vainio. Sähkö is Finnish for ‘electricity’. The records are not everything, and sometimes nothing is happening, but it just works out perfect. I always keep playing from them{Sähkö}, it seems to fit perfectly in a set every time. And I love how people react to it…screaming and jumping around… which is crazy because it’s practically nothing, just a bleep with a kick.
Are you releasing under a label?
I’m going to release under ‘LET’ which is for me an emotional thing. Actually they’re the reason why I am here, probably, sitting with you today. If they didn’t ask me to become a resident of theirs I probably wouldn’t be doing anything music related as a career. I would be working as a journalist or sociologist right now, and would continue playing records in my room. I wouldn’t consider taking this on seriously without the involvement of them {LET}. That’s why it’s really something for me to release under their name. But other than that, if I could choose any label I would definitely choose Sähkö.
What’s the track name of one of your productions?
5 2. One is up right now on my Soundcloud called ‘Venkel High Spirits’. My track titles come from complete randomness. ‘Venkel High Spirits’ came to be because I was drinking venkel tea. And ‘5 2’ comes from my roommate who was sitting next to me after I finished the track. I said ‘tell me a story’, and he responded about his squash game, that his team won with the score 5–2. Ok, done… track is called 5 2. I don’t like it when there is too much over thinking or fakeness like ‘Glorious Sun Rise’ or bla bla. If my friend would have said anything else, then the track would be called and based on whatever he said at that moment. It’s the music which counts, not names, artwork or limited edition Japanese USB-sticks dipped in gold with a unreleased track from a Sudanese proto-house artist or something like that.
You seem to live really in the moment, and take your creativity from what creates your environment. Who’s getting your creative juices flowing these days?
Um….
God?
Ha!… yeah let’s put that one in.
On another unrelated note… If you had access to any mode of transportation at this very moment… where would you go?
A rocket to the moon.
Not to Mars?
Yeah Mars would also be awesome.
Yeah why the Moon, a dead rock?
I would definitely go there if I could, wouldn’t you? Or I would go to the Mariana Trough. It’s an unreachable deepness in the Sea. I would like to see what’s chilling there.
This Saturday Viktor Palmer, together with Function and Cliff Lothar will take over the second room in De Marktkantine. Final release tickets are available here.