Vadim Shantor interview for thisisbreaks.com

Heading up a new series on the new acts striding out of the underground to breath new life into the breaks scene, this week B-Roll gives you the lowdown on St Petersburg's favourite son

As clubbing culture grows in the east, there's a fresh wave of new breaks talent blowing up. These guys tend to have a slightly different perspective on the sound, and plenty of them are putting out great releases and getting support from the big names in other parts of the world.

One of these new acts is Vadim Shantor. With two releases recently signed to Spanish label Pooty Club, he has his own unique take on breaks. It's a varied sound, sometimes bringing in slightly cheddar Euro-style vocals to his productions, but somehow making it work with dirty, chunky basslines and tight breaks. This guy is definitely one to watch.

Where are you from, and what’s the breaks scene like in Russia?

I'm from St Petersburg. In our town, the breaks scene has success, but this cannot be said about Russia in general. Yes, breaks music is played in almost every city, but it is mostly restricted to small clubs, numbering not more than 150 – 250 people. However, quite often, in very large events where there are around 10,000 - 15,000 people, you can hear breaks.
I cannot say that no-one in Russia likes the style, but it is a growing scene still.

How did it all begin for you?

I started to play with music while I was still in school. My attempts at school discos always had a huge success. I went from that, to having to go for music in Moscow, because it was only there that it was possible to find CDs with club music. I began to ask friends who were DJs, who had played music for good night clubs, and they got me started. And so began my musical journey, to conquer peaks.

What was the first breaks track/DJ that got you dancing? Where did you hear it?

My first experience of breaks was UK breaks - Plump DJs. At the time, I bought each track, each remix, each mix. Everything where I saw the name Plump DJs. The first time I heard Electric Disco, I realised that this is exactly what I love madly, and began to purposefully seek to buy breakbeat music.

Why do you love breaks?

Why? Perhaps because this music is not limited to one framework. It can be many different types, from reggae to rock. I think this is the perfect music for dancing!

Who are some artists that inspire you and why?

I love Screwface, Specimen A, Far Too Loud. I think right now there are a lot of new interesting names, for example DaVip and BSD. I like them because they write very high quality, but most importantly - energetic music, and that is the most important thing on the dancefloor. Music is movement, and movement is life!

What is your studio setup and what do you use to DJ with?

At the moment I use VST instruments at home to compose. For my playing I prefer Pioneer CDJs.

What are your upcoming gigs, releases etc?

The most immediate release is on the Pooty Club label called Body Move. The release consists of the original version and three remixes.

Vadim Shantor - Body Move (Original Mix) by Vadim Shantor

What is the future for you and for the breaks scene do you think?

Forecasting is very difficult. You never know what tomorrow will bring with this style. I am confident that it will not disappear, but to say that it will become very popular and in demand, I could not say …

I would like to extend and expand the audience for breaks. Many DJs at least sometimes in their sets insert breaks tracks. Many people are ready to dance to it, but at the moment, most clubs in Russia are oriented on house, house, house. I am really fed up with house!

There is a lot of good new breaks talent coming out of Russia and other Eastern European countries. Why do you think this is?

Today there are more and more good, talented musicians who write breaks. Russia is also not lagging behind the rest of the world in that. Producers such as Stonewash, DaVip, Kid Digital and Mars have had huge success throughout Europe. Many of their songs are played by famous DJs. This gives me great pride in my fellow countrymen!

Where can we find out about your music?

Check out my MySpace or Soundcloud.

http://www.thisisbreaks.com/