Interview with E-NRG & Rx

How did you come up with the idea of DJing?

Rx:

- I tried DJing for the first time in 1994. However, the actual starting point of my DJ career was in 1997 when I started substituting another DJ at a local school disco. A year later I was already playing at nightclubs
through an agency. I’ve kept up DJing until today, although gigs at regular nightclubs through the agency have been history for several years already.

E-NRG:

- Out of interest towards mixing different music styles sometime in the distant past. At first I used my parents’ PC and bought my first
turntables in 199?. In the beginning I played mostly Hard-NRG, which was a genre seldom played by anyone except Pietari.

Why the names Rx and E-Nrg?

Rx:

- I used the name Rex as a nick/alias when playing with the computer, and when I started DJing, it naturally became my name in that context as well. When I then gave up playing at regular nightclubs I didn’t want to continue with the old name, so I ended up leaving out the letter E.

E-NRG:

- Because of the energy!!!

How many CDs and vinyls do you guys own?

E-NRG:

- About 100 CDs and 500 vinyls.

Rx:

- Wait a second… Around 400 vinyls and God knows how many CDs. There are still loads of them lying around at my parents’… I don’t know, hundreds, or even thousands? In any case, too many!

Gigs to remember?

Rx:

- It’s hard to name only one… Koneisto festival last year was awesome, as were Säde and Gathering parties… The launch party of Codex 1 some years ago was truly amazing as well.

E-NRG:

- There have been plenty of great experiences. All the gigs have been in their own way unforgettable, and I’ve always had a great time playing. However, the first ones to cross my mind are Koneisto festivals, Säde party on May Day 2003, Elation in London and Afterlife. There have been many good ones besides these, though. Oulu really rocked as well!

How about the funniest incident you’ve come across at a gig?

E-NRG:

- Must have been in Lahti 3 years ago when I ripped the wrong record off the turntable (a classic DJing incident!).

Rx:

- It’s hard to pick one, since there have been a number of funny incidents throughout the years. One of the funniest was definitely the time when I was drunk and fell down the stairs from the stage on all fours, with the crowd applauding to me. Or when I arrived in Imatra 45 minutes before I was supposed to start a gig to notice that I’d forgotten to bring the
turntables… Had to make quite a few phone calls to get the equipment there on time. Or the time when I accidentally screwed down the master volume and kept rocking with the headphones on until I notice what was going on… I don’t know, there are plenty.

Three favourite tracks at the moment?

Rx:

- The first ones to come into mind:

Carbon Based - Cyclone
Alek Szahala - Man Eaten
Lab-4 - Reformation 1

E-NRG:

- Depending on the atmosphere:

Carbon Based - Xerosis
Alek Szahala - Caballo 2004
Re-form - Purple

Could you tell us a bit about Finrg and its operations? (www.finrg.com)

Rx:

- Finrg which was established last year is the first Scandinavian record label to concentrate on hard dance. In the spring 2004 we set up a sister label for Finrg called Finrg hard which is a label concentrating on releasing still a bit harder type of music. Besides the label we also operate Finrg agency which takes care of selling gigs and organizing events like ‘Finrg on tour’. The biggest project this year will be the launch of Mp3-business we are planning.

What are your future goals?

E-NRG:

- To bring our music into public awareness in many different ways: Playing here in Finland as well as abroad, making more music, coming up with all kinds of tricks… Should graduate as well.

Rx:

- I should probably finish my studies, keep playing records and maintain the operation of Finrg.

Your favourite artists and DJs?

Rx:

- Finnish artists like Epilim, Carbon Based, Re-form and Alek Szahala. Of foreign artists I like DOK, Lab-4, Weirdo, Captain Tinrib etc. My favourite DJs include Dodgee, Grit and the guys from Säde.

E-NRG:

- Alek Szahala is number one as far as artists as concerned (except for Carbon Based, of course). When it comes to DJs I choose Proteus, although there are too many good ones to name them all. Actually the list is endless. I respect everyone I’ve learnt to know in these circles and everyone who puts an effort into doing their work.

Is there a particular club or city where you’d like to play even for 5 minutes during your career?

E-NRG:

- Liquid Room in Tokyo

Rx:

- I’d probably give up a finger for getting a chance to play in Tokyo.

What are your feelings after the gig in Oulu?

Rx:

- Extremely positive. The crowd was dancing real actively straight from the beginning. Unfortunately there were some technical problems which luckily didn’t seem to bother the crowd. Organizing and hosting were among the best I’ve seen up until now. It was also a great thing to see that there are active clubbers and organizing of clubs in Oulu.

E-NRG:

- A great feeling! The crowd was friendly and nice. No sign of hostility
or other disturbing factors. I hope to get a chance to play there again!
Many thanks for the interview and for the great gig in Oulu!