In Conversation With...Nina Kraviz

From the very first record Nina Kraviz dropped on Jus-Ed’s Underground Quality label, the Muscovite music queen has established herself a position at the top of the ladder in the world of house and techno and what’s more, she’s done it all on her own terms. Last year saw Nina in demand and lauded internationally in the press and on the DJ circuit; loved for her personal approach to DJing, her fans felt her warmth and fell in love with her personality as well as her at times ‘off the wall’ DJ sets. Set to release her eponymous debut album on Rekids at the end of this month, we saw it only fit to invite Nina to Room One alongside label boss, Radio Slave this Saturday. Read on as we speak to the Russian producer about her story so far; the past, present and future and seeing as she’s become known for her unique way with words, Nina makes this interview even more appealing… As you arrive at the release of your debut album I thought it would be interesting to re-visit the starting point of your career – where would you say that was exactly? Your time at the Red Bull Music Academy, playing at Sonar early on, Propaganda and Jus-Ed supporting you on Underground Quality are some that spring to mind...but what do you think was the turning point? I think there were a few turning points. The first enlightenment happened at the Red Bull Music Academy in Melbourne back in 2006. At the time I was singing in a band, which ended up turning into a massive battle of egos which forced me to start producing myself. And then thanks go to Edward McKeithen who signed my first ever solo record and made me finally believe in myself as an artist. As a personality, he surrounded me with love and attention and taught me so many useful things. I am very proud that I’m part of the UQ family. Last week we had the last Underground Quality party at Berlin’s Tape club, the club was packed with UQ fans and some moments of the party were so touching that I almost started to But, I wouldn’t be at where I am now if I hadn’t met Mister Matt Edwards who was truly supportive since the very beginning. After he put out my record on Rekids the situation changed drastically for me, it gave me an international exposure. Unexpectedly though ‘I’m Gonna Get You’ – the song I made in only 3.5 hours – is still my biggest hit. When it came to putting this album together was it a conscious decision to write an album or was it more a case of compiling and re-considering your studio work over the last few years? Well, when the decision was made I had something like a basis of 2 or 3 strong songs that were already there and then I started adding new details to my story which turned to be pretty personal, if not intimate. If you listen to the whole album from the beginning to the end you will understand that it belongs to one person and it is about a concrete person. I must confess that I was shocked when at one point I looked at the track list, listened to my own songs and realized that it is exactly my story. Yeah. Weird. You had an incredibly busy year last year DJing – what have you taken away from being on the road so much, how has it influenced you? It took away some crucial parts of my energy and my health. But I seem to have recovered now. I've learned a lot of things. From meeting strangers - people that I probably would not have ever met if I was a dentist or a wife of a successful movie producer. I appreciate "the moment" much more than I used to before. I really appreciate home and the people who really care about me and what is even more important-is that I started appreciating time for real! Time is a strong thing...it has enormous power. Immense. You’ve expressed strong feelings about vinyl DJing versus digital; we’re wondering if you’ve had an experience to change that point of view – have there been any exceptions to that rule for you? Unfortunately the reality dictates some exceptions. For example how about this: I am a 53 kilogram lady carrying all these heavy bags of vinyl with me to Latin America or to some European city. And I have to face the fact that I actually cannot play my records because the sound systems are just not made for it. Everything sounds like shit..Especially with some of my old vinyl.. Shall I tell you that it's getting worse and worse? So now I do take CDs with me, emergency CDs. So I’ve found myself playing more and more CDs. CDs and CDs. My vinyl is always with me though..when I can play it - I wanna shout "yes!" they want me here! They need me with my babies! And then as a result of this communication success we love each other the whole night.. You’ve been well known as a DJ and producer for some time now but the album’s taken a while to emerge, do you think it’s overdue or actually do you feel it’s better to wait until the right moment of maturity as an artist? Well, I wouldn't say that I am a mature artist! I started producing my own music in the end of 2008! And now it's January 2012. This is my 4th year! My album has been ready since June 2011. It just took some time to prepare everything else, to compile it and to complete all the mixing, mastering steps. The album is presented as influenced by your experience in clubs such as ours and also Propaganda in Russia – how would you describe what elements were the influences and how the come through on the album? No, no, there must be a misunderstanding - my album is influenced by my personal experience - it is all about human feelings. Man Vs. Woman. Classic. Any plans for a remix album? Have you thought about which artists you’d like to ask to remix certain tracks? Yes, sure. I have not only thought about it, I have already made a list of remixers and discussed it with Rekids. Moreover, most of the artists from my wish list said "yes" and I am so excited to taste the results. Do you still have material for extra releases later in the year or are you going to focus on your live show for now? While working on my album I have gone through my old tracks and I can say that I have enough music to put out another LP. But I do really want to concentrate on my live show; I’m working on it right now. How is your live set coming along? We know you’re working on it and are really excited to know more. Like I was saying, I am now putting all the parts together, getting used to my new equipment which is going to be very simple but this is what I need to be able to travel with all the gear. I want to concentrate more on the interactive part of my performance rather than trying to amaze everyone with how well I can deal with machines. So the main thing will be me with my mic and a 3-4 devices to make it all sound proper. I am very excited! And finally.. .debuting your live show and releasing your first LP is already a lot to accomplish for one year, but, is there anything that you hope to achieve in 2012? I would like to grow as a human being. Wanna learn how to live in harmony with myself. Apart from these "big" things I'd like to grow as a performer, wanna continue working on my technoish music, wanna continue working with DJ Stingray, wanna learn some more languages, read the books that I wanted to read.