We got Fking Serious and danced the night away with one of the greatest DJs and producers of our times, Boris Brejcha. The Knockturnal attended what was the epic sold-out event “Kollektiv” hosted in Kompass, club located in the beautiful city of Ghent, Belgium.
Photo by Nachtschaduw
Getting to Ghent from the airport of Charleroi was definitely a long adventure, but all the stress faded as soon as I set foot in Kompass, the most industrial club you could picture. A few minutes away from the city center, surrounded by factories, this temple of music can be found- which on the night of the 28th of September, hosted its biggest party yet. Many gathered to attend what would be an 8 hour party and our favorite, Boris, would be playing for more than half. That’s right, the audience witnessed 5 hours of musical magic delivered by the joker.
Photo by Nachtschaduw
The club itself was really big and had two rooms. Talented artists, such as DJs Reiner Zonneveld, Crks, Gaāl, Hushkin, Lebawski, and Trish Van Eyde, took over the stage and delivered incredible tracks to an over enthusiastic crowd. The place was filled with smiles and roars because of the prime musical quality they were exposed to. Accompanied by a great sound system and an incredible team of visuals, Kollektiv was able to build a night to remember
At 2 AM, lights flickered with a new light, the crowd got eager, they could feel the DJ was changing and Boris Brejcha would take over. As he came on with his signature mask, the audience raised their hands and cheered, the moment they were waiting for had arrived. Boris Brejcha replied to that energy by delivering an incredible opening. The laser lights shining light on the crowd, the cool color-changing animations in the background, and the energy of Boris and his fans all added to create the perfect equation for an outstanding set. 5 hours can be a long time, but it felt short and left us wanting more. Boris Brejcha’s ability to move from one track to the next while feeding the audience mouth-watering tunes is just outstanding. He was able to keep everyone’s feet moving while playing his own soundtracks throughout his set, soundtracks that are also incredibly well made.
Throughout my years in The Knockturnal, I have gotten to sit down and talk with some DJs and producers whom I think are incredibly good at what they do, inspiring, and bring something new to the table. I have loved being able to dig into their lives and getting to know who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going. So of course, I couldn’t leave without asking Brejcha a few questions.
Photo by Nachtschaduw
The Knockturnal: What aspect of music inspired you to pursue it?
Boris Brejcha: My father was a already drummer in a band. I was in school and there was a friend of mine, he was coming with a hardcore CD and that was the first electronic music I heard. It sounded super interesting and I think that was the point when I thought “Ok, I need to see how I can create this music.” Besides the normal drums, normal keyboards, this was something special.
The Knockturnal: How has your culture/ background influenced your music? What are your inspirations?
Boris Brejcha: Good question, I mean it comes from everything. When you travel you get a lot of inspirations, when you play drums, the keyboard, when you listen to other musicians. I was listening a lot to Stephan Bodzin when I was young, I really liked the film scores of Hans Zimmer, he’s really great. I was 2 times in his concerts (only two concerts I had been in the past). I don’t need to have too many influences, the best thing for me is go to the studio, see how I feel and jam out.
The Knockturnal: What would you say it’s an identifying/ unique factor in your music?
Boris Brejcha: I actually don’t know. I just do the music how I feel. If i’m not in a good mood I’m gonna use a more melodic stuff, depends. I think it is because I have a bit of everything in my music, I have techno, I have a bit of trance elements. But I don’t know. It’s just music I do.
The Knockturnal: When did you begin creating music?
Boris Brejcha: I think I was around 12, so really young.
The Knockturnal: How has your culture/ background influence your music? What are your inspirations?
Boris Brejcha: Good question, I mean it comes from everything. When you travel you get a lot of inspirations, when you play drums, the keyboard, when you listen to other musicians. I was listening a lot to Stephan Bodzin when I was young, I really liked the film scores of Hans Zimmer, he’s really great. I was 2 times in his concerts (only two concerts I had been in the past). I don’t need to have too many influences, the best thing for me is go to the studio, see how I feel and jam out.
The Knockturnal: What has been the longest time you’ve spent producing a song?
Boris Brejcha: I don’t remember. I think maybe the longest time was probably one week to make one track, but then I switched. I’m the kind of guy that if I start a track for example, today and if I don’t finish the track by tomorrow I delete it. That’s my plan for working. I don’t like taking too long because in the end you have hundred tracks on your computer and never finish one. I like to delete it and start fresh.
The Knockturnal: What element would you say playing with your mask adds on to the experience of you set?
Boris Brejcha: I think it’s the whole construction, not only the best but the combination of my music, the sound, the design. It’s super crazy for me because at the beginning it was just a joke for me to use this mask. My first set was in Brazil, and I was thinking about the carnival. It’s crazy to see people now have big tattoos of it. Now it’s serious, I use it and it’s perfect.
The Knockturnal: At what point in your career did you feel like you’ve made it?
Boris Brejcha: I think for me it was super fast. It depends, I mean, you can make it every day if you’re happy making music. It’s not a matter of money, you know. I think a good thing is that you know you can do music without going to work and you earn the money that you can live from it. I started in 2006 and 2007 already I could live only with producing music so this was the best point for me.
The Knockturnal: If you could play anywhere in the world: a plane, the moon, the pyramids of Egypt, where would you like to play?
Boris Brejcha: That’s simple I would play at home in my chamber (my basement), it has the best sound system in the world!
If this is your first time hearing about Boris Brejcha, don’t hesitate and listen to his set:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rc-NGWEHdU&t=711s
A dreamy night filled with incredible music, talent, vibes… thank you Kollektiv for inviting us to the most epic party at Kompass.
