French sound gay yet I love their rococo furniture, Italians are fed up with Romanians (I totally understand them on this one) and Spanish girls have dark coloured nipples, f**k that.” 

Chatting to Skrufff from his Romanian headquarters, experimental electro-tech star The Model admits he’s an equal opportunities hater, which keeps him from even considering moving to Berlin or anywhere else.

“Up north I hate the spelling, and the way they spit words from the depths of their throats. I hear Asian chicks don’t shave their pussies, and that place where Bush smiles and waves is out of the question, too,” he snarls, “Am I missing any region? What? New Zealand? Good one. The only thing Romanians are good at is being clueless and faking it big time, so I got plenty room to manoeuvre here. Catch my drift?”

Despite being happy to offend absolutely everybody he can think of, the Gigolo Records and Traum signed artist sounds surprisingly sensitive when asked about his local superstar status, particularly whether he finds himself sometimes hassled by jealous conservative locals.

“Locals? You sound like you’re asking about a village in Africa, where you have the indigenous local population and the ruling DJ clans,” he scoffs.

“Not really, because when I was playing with DJ Hell at the WMF in 2005 and releasing on Gigolo and Traum, most guys were either just catching on to the minimal hype or finding themselves stuck in the progressive thing. Of course, there were a few who hated me and what I did, but I can’t come out and say how horrible and envious people here were of me. Most people were either cool with it or keeping their negative impressions for themselves. The few who gave me shit, have been ‘this year’s big hope’ for the last 3-4 years in a row now, and still looking promising,” he laughs.

Though he’s shortly releasing another track on Gigolo (‘Newly Found Voids’) his main focus today is his Foundation EP (out on Underl_ne), his second record themed around Isaac Asimov’s 1950’s Science-Fiction book series of the same name.

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Why did you decide to do a concept release and why base it on Asimov in particular?

The Model: “It was not a decision, it’s just how my inner feelings and thoughts progressed. I had been blown away by Jeff Mills’ Metropolis masterpiece in 2001, so then I started dreaming about concept albums. That’s the ultimate kind of release for me. Who needs dub versions? Ask a moron do a remix put the record out, no way. I go for concept. Foundation is amazing, you’ve got sci-fi, politics, philosophy, history, human science, everything. It gives you plenty of room to manoeuvre and really show what you’re made of. Stars that is. Asimov was a genius.”
 
Skrufff: What is it about sci-fi that interests you: how much do you have a positive as opposed to bleak view of the future (eg peak oil, global warming sparking catastrophe etc?)

The Model: “To me, all this bleak shit is nonsense. If you look throughout history, every generation since Adam and Eve have complained about the good ol’ days. If they complain, what are Jesus and all the saints supposed to do? Get real, it all works out, even though we f**k up on a regular basis. To me sci-fi is about global thinking, the big picture, switching back and forth between all zoomed out vision mode and zoomed in vision. Remembering that you are not the smartest f**ker on earth, that you are part of the whole thing and playing your part. Expand your mind. Forget about progressive and boring stuff. Get some attitude in your veins.”

Skrufff; How much did being signed by Gigolo change your life (and the way people perceived you?)

The Model: “Pffff, some people were happy for me, others didn’t know how to deal with it. The problem is, it’s not you that changes, but other people’s perception of you that does. It depends on the person. Getting signed to Gigolo meant getting high-profile over night and getting attention. Oh, you know Hell.

Skrufff: And how about Hell?

The Model: “Yeah, I’ve known Hell since college, eating once every two days, because I didn’t get a job so I could have freedom to follow my dream and be broke. What Hell are you talking about? Oh, you were talking about DJ Hell. Ok. He’s cool. You care to know about the price you pay? Being part of the Gigolo family is great, but just like with your family, you have a life within the family, and one outside. You grow up, make a family of your own, but there will always be mom and dad. Hell’s my daddy. The Model’s Model.”

Skrufff : How are DJs perceived in Romania (are they perceived like pop stars- are you?)

The Model: “There are two categories of people here, the ones who adore DJs, want to f**k them, date them, even book them if needed, and the ones who have no idea what DJs do for a living. ‘What do you mean you get cash for spinning records?’ they say. Actually, I do know quite a few popular morons spinning the day’s hits who should not even be allowed to walk into the club, let alone getting paid. If I were a club owner, I’d have them pay me if they wanted to play: After the party’s all dried out, and my people are cleaning up the mess. We still have a long way to go before people make human CD changers from artists.”

Skrufff: Your biog says you ‘command the decks with poker-face single-mindedness’: why do you prefer standing still to jumping around and whipping up the crowd?

The Model: “I am a show man, I rock the f**king place, the poker face thing is trying to get the pitch right, I’m still struggling after so many years. Thought I’d get away with it, since there are so many producers doing double-twelve ‘albums’ with four looped boring tracks.”

Skrufff: It also says you play ‘accompanied by a now-famous glass of milk in hand:  how did that tradition come about?  do you not drink alcohol: ever been wasted when performing?

The Model: “Milk is what I drink. It keeps me hydrated and going through the night. I am always wasted after performing, but not from pills and shit, but from playing one record every 150 seconds for 4-5 hours straight.”

Skrufff: London based Romanian DJ Claudia Cazacu told us before Christmas that “I remember my parents queuing for two hours to buy oranges for Christmas’ when she was a kid: how much were your experiences similar growing up in the communist era?

The Model: “Well, I was born in 1978, I was 11 when the Revolution took place in 1989, so I do remember quite a lot of that period. From 1985 to 1989, life was tough in Romania. We were queuing up like crazy, just like when Richie’s playing at Kristal Club in Bucharest. Food was rationed, just like music in most DJs’ sets these days. You could only buy two kilos of sugar per month, meat was scarce, poor women had no hygiene items, it was awful. The only good part is that you get used to the tough life, and once you find yourself with a window of opportunity, you know how to move.”

Skrufff: Ceauşescu and his wife were the only Eastern bloc dictators to be executed: what do you remember from when that happened?

The Model: “People were confused and very excited, as well as heavily manipulated. We were all in front of the TV, not believing our eyes, seeing people die live, seeing the tanks running people over, it was crazy. It was a time of great hope, too. Most people were relieved he had gone, yet not knowing what to do next, where to go next. This is why even now, 20 years later, people from the old communist party are still running the show, of course, disguised in their democratic outfits. By the way where did you get the Romanian letters in Ceauşescu?? Nice job there.”

Skrufff: Western literature is full of tales of Transylvania and vampires: how much does Romanian folklore feature the same tales? Do many  people there believe in vampires today?

The Model: “No one really believes that crap, but it’s like politics and DJing. Nobody likes what they say/play, but they do it. There is a charm to it though. The supernatural thing is a totally different story, I do believe in it, but not in the redneck-like approach, but rather understanding that the eye is blind to many kinds of energies, which doesn’t render them nonexistent. You just have to open and see beyond the immediate boundaries of sight and thought.”

Skrufff: You’re a self taught producer: what inspired you to get involved in electronic music, I guess before all your friends were interested in it?

The Model: “Well, it’s hard to tell, I guess I really liked the rhythm and the way this music got me going and thinking. It’s really the best thing for me. It can really get you going and touch your soul at the same time, challenge your mind. It’s got it all for me. My friend Masstyk was a great help, guiding me through the initial stages and having someone to talk to, share. I love him.”

The Model’s Foundation EP is out now on Underl_ne Records.

http://www.myspace.com/themodelelk

Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

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