For this edition of Kosovo Clubbing Q&A, we "sat down" with LØRIK, a rising name in the techno scene, to talk about his journey into electronic music, the energy of hard industrial sounds, and the evolving underground culture in the Balkans.
LØRIK shares how his travels, experiences, and deep passion for techno have molded his artistry from childhood influences to shaping his sets with global inspiration.
As a resident DJ at Zhurkaq, he also shows us how he prepares for high-energy performances and what makes the Macedonian and Kosovar music scenes so interconnected.
Plus, he leaves an inspiring message for young musicians looking to break into electronic music.
Let’s get into it! 🚀🎶
Enjoy while reading! :)
Hey LØRIK, how did you first get into making electronic music? What inspired you?
LØRIK: Well my story is a really interesting one, growing up with 2 older brothers which were also like my parents to me, I’d say that was most of the influence on me being formed as a person and what I am today. I got indirectly presented to electronic music (respectively House music) by my oldest brother (which we have a difference of 16 years between eachother) when I was a little child, I was raised by listening to his playlists of tracks as he was in his teenager/20s of age. Then my cousin who lived up in Switzerland who was a House DJ brought over to us some Pacha Ibiza CDs over from there which I used to listen to in-repeat was it in my brothers Golf 5 or was it at my house when I used to steal it from his car. Then growing up a little I started getting really into EDM and Dubstep, at about the age of 11-12 I bought myself a Novation Launchpad and tried to do covers of Skrillex and Knife Party’s tracks then slowly played with the STEMs in Ableton trying to remix them. At about this time my brothers used to run a nightclub in my city (Tetova) although it being commercial and not as much electronic music focused, I was determined to do something myself however young I was and started focusing more and more on electronic music by getting from the roots, watching documentaries and learning everything that I was able to do so.
What do you love most about techno music, especially the hard industrial kind?
LØRIK: Techno music for me is something indescribable, it’s a state of the mind and the soul. It’s a form of art which is very misinterpreted but not explored as it should properly be, may it be hypnotic or may it be hard industrial. I believe that anyone can find themselves in the techno culture as its one of the friendliest and heart-warming communities and forms of art that there currently is, may that person be frustrated,happy,depressed or in-love there is forms of techno that can fit with every living person. Regarding the hard industrial techno scene, it’s a very tough scene and very “niche” I would say, although traveling a little bit around the world ive found out that it hits harder and its more fitting to the Southern,Eastern European places and people, why so? I wouldn’t know… Is it the wars and dictatorships that our people have been through that the hard,raw and fast hitting kicks can mask for us? Or is it the cold weather and the nature of our people? There is no direct answer. Although the newer generations of ravers are way more into harder music than what you can see from older generations, I find the reason of that being that life is way more dynamic for us (younger generation) especially with the technological advancements and in general how life moves.
You've traveled a lot—how do those experiences help shape the music you create?
LØRIK: First off traveling shapes a person, being able to see other cultures, other nations and people with different type of lifestyle on their perception of the culture of Techno & Electronic music in general. For me personally it has basically formed me as an artist, an example would be that when Im playing at a gig that is of a faster pace/bpm im usually playing hard industrial techno in more of eatern European style, or when im playing this modern hard techno I love to mix it with Dutch Hardcore to provide a little bit of a different feeling to the audience, or when im playing at a gig that focuses on more old school techno I love to mix the Detroit style of hypnotic techno, with the german dub techno style – it provides variety to the audience yet It doesn’t break the rhythm.
What's it like being a resident DJ at Zhurkaq events? How do you prepare for each performance to keep the crowd excited?
LØRIK: Well im fairly new as a resident DJ at Zhurkaq events (even as a DJ) but being able to perform on a event platform that already has a very lovely audience is something that as an artist is the peak of satisfaction, I might not be a big famous star but seeing the people be happy and joyful fulfills all my personal needs. Zhurkaq is a very interesting project that I got to know a couple of years ago when it got started by a few young guys from Skopje, and I never imagined that I would be their choice for their residency, as however new they were to the game, they changed the game, they changed the play-style for Skopje nightlife culture. Personally I only want to know from the promoters or event organizer what style of music is played, if it fits my criteria, I already know what I will be playing at the party, I usually tend to check the lineup aswell, as to know who am I performing before and/or after so I can easen their set aswell so there’s no drastic changes in the music.
Do you think the music scene in Macedonia is growing? How would you describe it?
LØRIK: Well this is a pretty complicated topic, the music scene is definitely growing – with a bunch of new faces coming up from all over Macedonia – which of course is a positive thing. But it saddens me to see that yet the nightlife, the events, the raves are at a stagnant rate. Skopje for example used to be the center of Techno culture (together with Belgrade) back in the day, yet today its sadly at a decline, although the reasons would be better known by event organizers,club owners, promoters etc.
Do you see a connection between the electronic music scenes in Macedonia and Kosovo? Would you like to see more cooperation between them?
LØRIK: It definitely overlaps, for example my first public gig in Macedonia I was lucky to perform in the sides of a couple of great artists from Kosovo. Especially at this time and age, this connection keeps on growing with events like Euphoria and Servis events in Prishtina being able to attract a lot of the Macedonian audience. I feel the connection is getting better and better, Macedonian artists are playing in Kosovo, and Kosovo artists are playing Macedonia all the time. It’s the same thing for events, we meet eachother and share everything with eachother. I would love to see an even bigger cooperation and bigger connections in the future, with the current situation I believe that is quite possible.
Do you have any advice for young musicians in Macedonia or Kosovo who want to get into electronic music?
LØRIK: Do not be scared and do not let societies complexes get to you. Follow where your heart leads to and do not be influenced by other people, by trends or social norms.
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