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| Location: | Canada, Quebec, Montreal |
| Description: | Where did you get your DJ name ?
In the english language, the word " psychology " is meant to be pronounced something like " saï-ko-lo-gy " when said out loud...meaning the " P " is actually silent. At this point, it's merely a typographic trick to avoid plagiarism and lack of originality. Obviously, it stems from Sega's famous mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. My love for this character comes from years wasted at various arcades and, well, there wasn't much of anything cooler than a supersonic blue hedgehog for geeks at the time. Plus, I wanted to stay original so that once I started surfing the electronic highway, I wouldn't be one of 15 " DJ Sonic " online. At first, the full name was " DJ Psonyk the Edgehog " but I finally decided after a few years to take the edge off by dropping the last 2 words to its current incarnation. A decision I never regretted. The nickname sticked for more than 10 years now.
Styles played in the past ?
:: Hard Trance
:: Progressive Trance
:: Old School House
:: Euro House
:: Old School Techno ( aka " rave music " )
:: Rap (aka Old School Hip Hop)
:: Hard House / Hard Tech
:: Speed Garage
:: Acid House
Years of general experience as a DJ ?
I started spinning circa '87. Yeah, you read right. 1987. You do the math. At the early stages of housemusic in North America, way back when most of today's ravers were either in diapers or recently born.
Years of experience on the rave/party scene ?
Well, my very first party was Observation 17 on September 17 1999 and my last one was 2007. So again, you do the math.
Home equipment :
I *HAD* 2 seriously banged up Numark TT-1400 turntables ( do a search all you want, even Numark themselves seem to want to forget about those ), a Great American Sound mixer (wtf???) bought at Addison's and a regular Technics SU-800 sound system. Obviously, I'm much more versatile on such gear as Technics SL-1200s turntables, Pioneer CDJ-100 or CDJ-1000 CD players, Pioneer DJM-500 mixers and MP3 mixing software such Traktor. I have yet to try Ableton Live or any of those yet.
Favorite label ?
For a long while, used to be Stay Up Forever, Smitten, Hydraulix and Bionic Orange. Nowadays, none in particular although International Deejay Gigolos does come to mind. Aside from that, anything goes.
Favorite DJs or artists and those that inspired you at first :
Todd Terry is the one who inspired me to start spinning for some reason ( note : Terry was very much unknown and underground at the time. Google Royal House ). I guess it was because of the track Can U Party ( Can U Feel It). Past this point, I started listening and spinning all sorts of stuff. In 1996 I started raving in Montreal, Canada and was listening to a cornucopia of DJs : Armand Van Helden, Chris Liberator, Hardfloor, local acid techno sensations Acid Voice & Paratonerf and an obscure New York group called Prototype 909. A few years ago, I versed into something smoother, I started paying more attention to details and taking interest in trance artists and acts such as Laurent Véronnez ( aka Airwave, Green Martian, Cape Town, L-Vee, V-One, Velvet Girl & Fire & Ice ), Dirk Dierickx ( aka Push, M.I.K.E., Plastic Boy & Virtua Dancer ), Tijs Verwest ( aka DJ Tiësto ), Ferry Corsten ( aka Albion, Moonman, Gouryella, Veracocha, Vimana & Starparty ) and Matt Darey ( aka Sunburst, MDM, Lost Tribe, Tekara & Xstasia ). Recently, artists like David Carretta, Ladytron, The Hacker, Alter Ego and Vitalic were getting my attention, not to mention local DJ sensation, DJ Omni.
Do you enjoy DJing ?
Of course, otherwise I wouldn've wasted all these years doing it. In this long process, I've managed to pick up the ability to do vinyl " scratching " like hip hop DJs, effectively wrecking my turntables beyond repair. DJing for me is the ultime expression of my victory against shyness and I very much enjoy proving myself again everytime.
When did you start experimenting with turntables ?
I was relatively young. My father shared, and still does, a love for music so deep, he started collecting records when he was 14. As long as I can remember, we always had one room in the house dedicated the sound system and collection of records. I was raised on the sounds of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin, Roy Orbison, The Supremes, James Brown, Barry White and disco. Sometime in the 80s, I felt the need for self-punishment and started mixing using our belt driven turntables to mix 80s new wave records. In the late 80s, I convinced my father to purchase 2 new direct-drive tables which are mine now ( the Numarks ). That same year, I purchased various housemusic 12 inches and got to it.
What was your first party/club ?
I spun for numerous private parties but my first real public appearance was at a party called Observation 17 which sort of luanched my " career " as a rave DJ. After spending most of my teenage years dancing in front of the DJ booth, I could finally move BEHIND the tables and now had the ability to make others dance as I have for so many years.
How many events have you spun at ?
Oh God. I spun more than 15 years...I would imagine more than 60 parties or so.
What was the very first vinyl you purchased ?
My first vinyl was by the belgian group Front 242 - Headhunter. My first INTERESTING vinyl was House Master Boyz - House Nation.
Your most favorite vinyl ?
House Master Boyz - House Nation. It must be worth a fortune now. A close second would be DJ Misjah - Access.
Do you like what you play ?
It just so happens that I do. Even though acid is sort of a thing of the past, it was around for more than a decade and managed to prove that old styles die hard. It changed and morphed through the years but it's still played periodically here and there, refusing to let itself be subdued indefinitely. I've never really picked up a style that wasn't dear to my heart. Take electro for instance : I used to listen to stuff like that in the 80s so it has a very nostalgic effect on me that I can't deny.
Are you tired of hearing and play ing the same old tracks ?
No and I never believe I will. Most are indeniable classics, others are too good to be cast aside. But I've always had a broader view of music and never really settled on ONE style, expanding my collection, thank god.
What special request do you get most often ?
DJ Misjah & Tim - Access is a classic acid techno track. People, as well as I, never seem to grow tired of it.
What aspect do you find most enjoyable of being a DJ ?
After spending years of dancing, breakdancing, jumping, yelling, air-fist-pumping, bunny-hopping, I wanted to be able to transmit that incredible energy to others as I had felt it for so long. For every crazed dancer in front of decks I see as I play, I see myself. And there's no better feeling than that for me as a DJ.
What aspect do you find least enjoyable about being a DJ ?
Shoddy promoters and unending schedule shuffling. When I promise to show up on time and deliver the goods, I expect promoters to hold their end of the bargain and pay up. They rarely do. Fortunately, the crowd rarely has to suffer from that. And I have a hard time with my set being pushed back and forth 5 times in one evening.
What's the weirdest thing you've seeing while spinning at a party ?
Well, the occasional " dude, lower the bass, the amplifier can't hold....BOOM " situation is always sort of unexpected. I fell a few times victim of the suddenly-silent-sound-system-syndrome in which finding the source of the problem takes 15 minutes More often than not, unplugging and replugging some wire seems to do the trick.
Weirdest thing you've been told while spinning ?
During one particularly audibly violent hard acid techno set, I was asked by this not so sober girl if I could play Drum & Bass...which was a clear indication that she wasn't paying any sort of attention to anything I spun during the last 30 minutes I was playing. Yeah. Ok. I've had quite a few other unrelated special requests.
Never thought of doing production of your own ?
Sure but I lack the funds to buy gear and instruments. Or the patience to sit down and fiddle with Reason of Ableton Live and such. Maybe one day, if I find the time to sit down and learn how these programs work.
So, what happens now ?
Nothing, really. Raves have imploded in Montreal and getting a gig is harder than ever. I could if I really would but the scene doesn't interest me musically these days enough for me to push myself into it. There's where I stand as of lately...
Ironically enough, I prefer to play for friends in smaller private parties or parties I'm throwing myself, obviously. Duh. |
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