parnassvs_3
 

DJ Parnassvs Exclusive Interview for EDMDroid Asia

1. Please tell us and our readers more about the nightlife in The Philippines right now and most specifically in your hometown Manila in times of Covid

So far everything has been halted—so in a sense a lot of people that would otherwise rely on gigs as a viable income source have been left out. The lockdown has challenged and even tested the nightlife industry’s business model. In a way its a good thing—best to critique the hell out of something so that it becomes impregnable. But it had consequences here in Manlia.

So eventually that business model impacted people here locally from “top” Djs to small ones when COVID happened. This pandemic became sort of this tragic, unwanted great filter that really separated those that were in it for the music and others who were just glorified brand ambassadors getting free product. But I’m predicting once COVID subsides, you’ll get more or less the same lousy bookings from companies—I just hope I’m wrong and this changes.




2. How long have you been DJing/Producing and what can we expect next from Parnassvs?

I started out in the early 2000’s with two used 1200s while collecting trance and hip hop records (shout out to Skills Records and Bside Recordshop). I was 14 at that time and had no idea I was going to do this for a living. Production wise I started out in 2011—took me a while to really find my sound.

Right now I’ve been hitting the ground running with productions and clocking in at least three to four projects per month. So far I have a few collaborations with a couple of notable trance artists —can’t really say their names at this point. Overall this year I have several hard techno tracks on the horizon and even bigger trance releases as well. Can’t wait to show you guys!


3. What has been your best and your worst gig experience so far. Be honest please.

The most recent one probably would have to be my opening gig for Chicane in Boracay. As an opening DJ you can’t really “show off” or start showcasing your hardest and biggest tracks and at this event this was the mindset I had in mind. So come time for me to open, I did my part and started off slow, nothing too grandiose. 30-40 minutes in, I step down and Chicane comes on. I tell myself, “Alright, job is done time to party”. So here I am I start celebrating, and at this point I’ve had at least several shots already. The stage director approaches me and tells me that they want me to close out for Chicane. At this point, I’m beyond plastered but I gave a drunken smile and accepted the offer. Oh boy was that a mistake.

Closing out, I basically didn’t connect with the crowd, my beat matching was way off. It was a sloppy closing job. At that point I told myself I would never do such thing again. I basically cleared the whole stage—everyone decided to go off towards other stages around the area. Yeah, it was that bad.






4. If you had to choose, which profession would you be going with? DJ or something else? We read you are a lawyer too?

I had this plan that I was going to practice law and DJ at the same time. Hell, Armin Van Buuren did it, why can’t I. I was on track to becoming a lawyer—-became a certified paralegal for the State of California, worked for public defenders and enrolled in law school. However, I found myself still trying to make music while studying law. I guess every thing has a time for everything. Not really going to write off going back to the legal profession but right now, I want to do music.


5. Top 3 tracks at the moment?

  • Push - Strange Word (Joyhauser Remix)
  • Giuseppe Ottiavani - Classmate
  • Eli & Fur, Danny Howard - Next To Me

    • 6. With which intl. act would you love to collaborate with and why?

    I’ve got two actually. Right now I would love to collaborate with techno producer UMEK and Eli & Fur. It’d be interesting to see where the music would go.


    7. Are you keen on cooking up an exclusive mix for us and our readers ? (60min)

    Absolutely! Here is a producer mix of some of my current and forthcoming releases. A sneak peek if you will of what’s to come this year. Mind you this is a fraction of what is about to be released so I’m excited to reveal it all soon.

    Below is a tracklist:
    01. Parnassvs - Leviathan [Serendipity Muzik/Black Hole Recordings]
    02. Parnassvs - MNL [RaveUp]
    03. Parnassvs - Ethereal Circles [Antima Music]
    04. Parnassvs - Titans of Lemuria [Serendipity Muzik/Black Hole Recordings
    05. Delerium - Silence (Parnassvs Bootleg)
    06. Parnassvs - ID
    07. Parnassvs - Etre [Eclipse Recordings]
    08. Parnassvs - ID
    09. Parnassvs - ID
    10. Parnassvs - ID
    11. Parnassvs - The Ascent [Sundance Recordings]
    12. Parnassvs - ID
    13. Parnassvs - ID


    8. Is the industry in Manila different from home back in the US? What advice would you give up and coming producers that want to break through?

    In the Philippines there’s more focus on “gatekeeping” from older DJs whereas in the U.S. you are lauded for your hustle, skill and marketability. There are a ton of talented DJs as well as producers that should be getting more attention but with nonsense gatekeeping or what we call it here, “padrino” culture, always wins. It’s a cycle implemented by people in both the top mainstream club DJs and underground DJs here. It’s frustrating and I wish more people would speak out against this. For example, you have DJ collectives such as Sora Music that have been supported by the likes of Laidback Luke, Fedde Le Grande—these guys should be getting the endorsements, festival slots and accolades not the same “old” DJs that keep doing opening/closing slots for the remainder of their career while bullying/stunting others.

    If there’s one piece of advice I want to give up and coming DJs and producers it’s this—- you don’t need anyone’s permission to succeed or their stamp of approval to keep playing. Also think big. Don’t get caught up thinking making it in your hometown or your country is enough—have a long game, take it to the next level. Another thing is don’t try and do everything to cover all bases— if you’re an open format DJ focus on your sound as an open format DJ alternatively if you’re a house music DJ, spend your time studying production and mixing styles. If you’re going to be in this music world, immerse yourself fully in it. Seek help, seek connections, respect others but do not ever bow down to get opportunities.


    9. What are your work related plans for 2021 and your career?

    This year I’ve logged more than 24 projects with another 20 more completed releases before the end of this year. My only hope is gigs that have been scheduled in 2020 can start being rescheduled this year so our industry can start again. Also I’m doing a side project with fellow trance artist, Cris Grey, so look at for that this year!

    Another goal is to bolster my label, Gigas Lux, to start accepting and releasing music regularly in order to get more names out from the trance scene here in Southeast Asia.


    10. We saw you are getting much attention by news media and other music and nightlife platforms, please tell us more about it and the top trance releases you put out on the last months which earned huge support by big names such as Dash Berlin, Markus Schultz and the like.

    It’s been an awesome experiencing getting supported by people you’ve looked up to when you were starting out. Getting my first ASOT play last year was such a mind-blowing experience—never did I think my track, Leviathan, would be picked up Armin Van Buuren. There are so many releases that come out everyday, not to mention thousands of promotional tracks sent to radio shows and so far a good majority of my tracks have had pretty major support. Very thankful for this but at the same time there’s more work to do—it’s a great start but this career is about longevity and your long game.


    11. Please list down all your social media handles here for our readers to check you out and to follow you of course. Thanks for taking your time to speak to us today.

    FB : www.facebook.com/parnassvsmusic
    Insta : instagram.com/parnassvsmusic
    Twitter : twitter.com/parnassvsmusic
    FB Gigas : www.facebook.com/gigaslux
    Spotify : https://spoti.fi/3c2vf8O