Decks: DJ Ortemy

By Jennifer Finjan

With over 66,000 Russian-speaking people currently residing in Toronto it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is a thriving Russian party scene in our midst.

A party scene that once seemed exclusive and somewhat cliquish to outsiders, has blossomed into a successful electronic music scene to be enjoying by all. This is thanks to Russian-born, Toronto-based DJs and promoters like DJ Ortemy aka Artem Pogossian who have helped the Toronto Russian party scene evolve from stereotypical euro beats and Russian pop, to some of the best progressive, house, electro and techno music with a twist you will find just about anywhere. However, one thing remains the same at these parties –happy, beautiful people who dress to kill and know how to have a good time.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Moscow, Russia.

How did you end up in Toronto?
I came here with my family when I was 16. Living in Russia in the 90s was very hard and my parents were looking for somewhere to move and Canada seemed like a great choice. We moved here in the end of the 90s and never regretted it a single bit.

What kind of music did you listen to when you were young?
I grew up listening to classic rock (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd), but at some point electronic music started to interest me more and more. At first it was listening to Prodigy and some tapes with DJ mixes that were passed around among my friends. But shortly after, some radio stations opened that were airing electronic dance music and the whole rave movement was getting bigger and bigger. Genres like happy hardcore and jungle were very popular in Moscow back then and I was really into it at the time.

Does that music have an influence on what you spin today?
I think it is important for any DJ to be educated in terms of music outside of their style or EDM in general. In my opinion, it makes you a better DJ if you know what is out there today and what was out there 10-15 – 30 years ago. Quality music is quality music regardless of what genre it is, and the fact that I listened to different music growing up helps me be more versatile. Also, it definitely helps when searching for good remixes.

Tell me about your first DJ gig?
My first DJ gig was an opening set at a boat cruise party that my friends were throwing. I remember being extremely nervous getting behind the decks, but after couple of mixes the nervousness went away and I started to enjoy myself. I was interested in the whole DJ’ing thing way before I actually got a chance to play anywhere, so I thought I was more or less prepared and knew what to expect. But I could never have imagined how great it feels seeing people dancing to the music of your choice in a nightclub.

What is your most memorable night as a DJ?
There were several very memorable nights; it is very hard to pick one. Playing on the main stage at WEMF festival, playing in the main room of Guvernment on our annual Christmas event, opening for Alex Gaudino at This is London – all these events are up there. It is always great to see a big room full of people going crazy to the music you’re playing. But there were some smaller events, even private parties where I got to play very long sets for a group of 50-60 people that are just as memorable because you get a completely different feeling from playing at a club. It is a lot more intimate, response is a lot more personal and there is a lot more freedom to experiment.

Where have you Deejayed?
I have played in many clubs in Toronto – Guvernment, This is London, Century Room, Six Degrees, Docks, System Sound Bar (RIP), and few places in Montreal and Kitchener/Waterloo area.

Where would you like to DJ that you haven’t yet?
I would really like to play at one of the Montreal afterhours clubs one day. I lived in Montreal for about 8 months in 2003 when I was doing my computer science internship. Montreal is a very unique city with its own unique scene. The afterhours scene was huge in Montreal back then; clubs like Aria, Stereo and Sona were bringing international headliners literally every week. Being exposed to that made me want to be a DJ, I actually started buying records and playing around with them when I was living in Montreal.

Describe your sound.
It varies anywhere from funky house to minimal techno. I like playing long sets in which you can hear a little bit of everything, I also adjust my music based on the venue where I am DJ’ing and based on the crowd. Whenever someone asks the question “what kind of music you play” I usually answer “house”, but lot of stuff that I actually play can be labelled as progressive trance or techno.

Which musical artists have had an influence on you?
I could mention many names in this section, but if we had to narrow it down to EDM then it would be Paul van Dyk and Bad Boy Bill.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
My brother Gera recently started DJing and producing. Our styles are very different, but it would be interesting to meet somewhere half way and do a side project together, I feel that could benefit both of us in different ways. And that would definitely make my grandmother happy, so that’s a bonus.

Tell me about Kaboom Promotion.
My friend Mitya and I started Kaboom Promotion about 4 years ago. It all started out as two friends sitting in a coffee shop, throwing around some ideas. We wanted to do something unique. In our first year we had only 6-7 events. But four years later we do, on average, 3 events a month. We recently began to get involved in organizing concerts. We also have special events that bring 1000-1500 people, and we work with venues like Guvernment, Sound Academy, and Century Room, just to name a few. We also recently launched a YouTube channel, KP TV. This channel now features coverage from many of our events, and it’s getting a really great response. Four years ago we could not even imagine that we would get this far.

How is the Russian electronic music scene unique in Toronto?
I think it is very unique. We have many Russian DJs in Toronto; some can be labelled as Top-40 DJs. The majority of them associate themselves with some genre of Electronic Dance Music. This has a big influence on the Russian crowd in Toronto. If you go to any of our events you will see that most of the clientele is Russian, but house music will always be playing, even if the tune has Russian vocals. Five years ago things were not the same, and if you came to a Russian party you would hear a mix of euro and Russian pop. It took a lot of time and effort to educate our crowd. But it was totally worth it. We basically brought house music into the Russian scene.

What would one expect to see/hear at one of your events?
Good looking people, drinking expensive martinis and listening to stylish house. Just kidding…the martinis aren’t that expensive.

What music are you listening to right now?
Boys Noize Essential Mix

What do you like to do when you aren’t DJ/promoting event?
I think most people have this bias about DJs being party animals. However, when I get some time off from partying, I sort of turn into a geek. I really like reading books, watching foreign movies that no one has ever heard of, and I’m also a huge soccer fan. Also, my wife and I like to travel a lot. We’ve been to Europe several times, and we are planning to visit Moscow this summer.

What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Five years is a long time, so it is hard to say. As long as I am always evolving, I would love to keep doing what I am doing now.

http://kaboompromotion.com <-upcoming events, mixes and pics from previous events
http://myspace.com/DJortemy
http://www.youtube.com/kaboompromotion