'The energy levels here are very high'

A 10-day-visit to India turned out to be more than a six-year-stay for the Russian DJ, Marina.

Marina was extremely interested in trance music and felt that a short visit to Goa would help her understand the genre better. But unable to let go, Marina stayed on in Goa for two years, following which she moved to Bangalore. Metrolife caught up with the DJ who spoke about her journey so far. 

“I’ve been quite adventurous. The plan was to come to the seat of the origin of trance. But destiny had different plans. During my stay in Goa, I used to come to Bangalore for gigs. It was then that I decided to shift base because of the opportunities the City offers. It’s been four years since I moved to Bangalore and what I have found is that there is a lot of scope for international artistes here,” she says.

The DJ, who feels that there is a lot of ‘freedom’ in India compared to foreign countries, says “That’s the reason why many foreigners choose to come to India. Goa has the best nightlife without a second thought.” But ask her about the nightlife of Bangalore and she says, “Here, one gets to party just for a few hours, probably between 9 pm and 11.30 pm. Bangalore was never like this before. But the energy levels here are very high,” she says, adding, “It’s so different back home, where we leave at 12 am and return at 6 am.”

Coming from a musical family, it was only natural for Marina to take to music. The influence of music came early in her life as both her parents are into music and she too started singing at the age of six.

 She joined the Russian choir Iskra and various other musical groups. At 11, she
discovered her first love, the guitar and formed a band named ‘Red Sails’ that played pop and soft rock. “I’ve grown up with a variety of musical influences. Back home in Moscow, there are lot of clubs which play different kinds of music — whether it is opera or electronic,” she says.

Although many aspiring DJs wonder if they require to go through training, Marina feels that there is no such requirement. “I learnt most of the techniques myself but I took classes for production,” she explains.