Luc Rouffaud
Kristijan Molnar resident DJ of 20/44 Club will be playing in Malta on the 21st of September. Direct from the Belgrade underground.
Kristian Molnar at EXIT
He played the Dance Arena stage of EXIT Festival this year, sharing the stage with Peggy Gou, Paul Kalkbrenner and Boris Brejcha. Traversing the realms of deep techno, NYC house and other fusions, expect the unexpected from Kristijan Molnar.
20/44, Radio Beograd and more… Belgrade is your oyster! How is life as resident DJ at 20/44 in this eclectic city?
It’s great and loud, music is on all the time, but there is machinery everywhere on the streets. Belgrade is changing a lot, going through some crazy times and soon it will look like a different city.
We are giving our best to maintain at least a few things that are important to many people and of course to us. 20/44 is a very special place that celebrated its 10th birthday this year and now it feels like it will last forever. On the other side, I brought electronic music to the national radio where I’m providing four hours of music each week and that keeps me very busy.
Travel & international acts
We noticed you are travelling a lot and we know that you shared the DJ booth with impressive names. This includes Jeff Mills, Dixon, Rødhåd, Tale of Us, Red Axes, Black Coffee and more. Tell us about your experience as an international DJ.
That’s the beautiful part of it, I wish I could travel and see more. It changes your perspective on some many levels. You almost always meet great people and one of the most important things is that you start to cherish your home more.
Yes, many of those parties were absolutely amazing, but you know, Belgrade is hot too.
The spectrum of music you play cannot be singularly defined. How would you describe your style?
I guess if you were able to define that I would consider myself a boring person. I have heard so many different definitions about the music in my DJ sets that had never come to my mind and actually, I would like to keep it that way.
Last July was the 15th year you attend Exit Festival. How does it feel to play the Dance Arena stage in front of thousands of ravers?
The view from Dance Arena is probably one of the most stunning things you can see from the stage around the globe. It’s the place where you pee in your pants. Either you are super scared or insanely happy.
Kristijan Molnar on Boiler Room
You got the opportunity to introduce yourself through the world’s largest electronic music platform. What does it mean to you personally to have played on Boiler Room?
It was a great honor to introduce myself, but I have never seen it as my own presentation. It was a team effort to show an important part of Belgrade’s nightlife.
That happened the other way around, because Boiler Room sent the proposal, not the club or one of us. So personally it meant a lot to be a part of the club and I’m still there.
I personally heard you play “Rebuke Und Off The Meds | Along Come Belter | Underspreche Experiment”at the EXIT Festival after party this year – as a music lover, can you recommend another masterpiece like this?
Underspreche are crazy with their edits! After that I got a message from a friend who moved away to Sweden, going wild on the messenger: “man, that’s the voice of my great friend here (Kamohelo Khoaripe)!”.
Then Kamohelo went crazy when he saw the crowd’s reaction, so that moment made a lot of people happy. I’m so glad I played it, thanks to Marika. You should check their new EP on Maeve too and here’s a few more:
Whitesquare – Not Moving
Phunkadelica – Pensiero Stupendo (Musumeci Remix)
Bawrut – Pronto Arpeggio
Kristijan Molnar on Serbian National Radio
Through Kristalizacija (formerly Christallization Radio Show, now broadcasted live on Serbian national radio station Radio Beograd 202) you hosted many big names and introduced new acts from the electronic music world. Tell us more about it and any up-and-coming names you can recommend?
Kristalizacija is still in the making. Christallization will be continued soon under the new name on the national radio where I have moved.
At the moment I’m playing new music every Wednesday night there.That was the idea in the beginning, to slowly get listeners into this kind of music. As they didn’t have a chance to hear it in the 50-year history of national Radio Beograd 202.
I did it kind of the old school way, without using the internet that much, relying on FM waves and SMS service.
After a few months people started calling the radio to ask for the song names. Now I can’t wait to start my own show and to present the local scene, which is the main goal.
I also expect a lot of people who will be visiting Belgrade constantly. Check what Coeus and Stevie Whisper from Serbia are doing or Adam Ten from Tel Aviv. Very different kind of DJs, each making his own way and they are all worth your attention.
Friends in Malta
It’s no longer a secret that you are coming to Malta to play with your friend and fellow DJ, The Interpreterr. Any closing thoughts on coming to play in Malta for the first time and what can we expect from your performance?
The funny thing is that I helped him to reach Malta somehow. We drove together on my way to Slovenia, I dropped him off in the middle of nowhere on the freeway and he continued his road to a new life.
I hope I gave him some brave advice as he is still there, making you dance, so I’m happy to join you and him at least for one night.
