In the end of March the artist from Ljubljana, also known by the nickname »Fotr« (i.e. colloquially father) for his pioneer role in the development of the electronic scene of our country, received the prestigious International Dance Music Award in the Techno/Tech House DJ category. His competitors for the award, presented in Miami, were Richie Hawtin, Sven Väth, Tiga, Adam Beyer, Loco Dice, and Joris Voorn.

You supposedly learned about the International Dance Music Award on Twitter, and didn't have to wait impatiently for the winner to be announced… How much does this kind of award given by the audience mean to you?
Yes, that's true. Obviously the email filtering software in our office is too »strict«, and the invitation to the award ceremony landed among the unwanted mail. I have been nominated several times for the IDMA award, and a similar DJ Award in Ibiza, but I have never won before in such strong competition as it was this year at IDMA.

I suppose the award is the result of good work during the last years, and my frequent presence in the USA, where I have a couple of tours every year, and last year the leading organizers started placing me at central stages as well, side by side with the biggest stars of the electronic music. The clubs in America in which I perform are large, crowded, and mainly sold out. It is due to our activity in the last years, and I am happy that our effort and inputs have brought good results.

Well, about the awards… If you don't get any, you don't miss tjem, but once you get one, it feels very good. I consider awards given by audience mostly as a pat on my back for the work well done, and additional motivation for future toil.

Have you already received the statue, and chosen an honorary place for it?
Not yet. Perhaps we accidentally missed each other while crossing the ocean. I haven't held it in my hands yet. I intend to place it next to the gold record for my hit single Lanicor, and Beatport prize for the techno performer of the year.

You just performed in Ambasada Gavioli, and Carl Cox was your guest at the occasion of your birthday. Do you intend to go to Ibiza to repay him the visit?
More than once (laughter). He invited me again, for the third or fourth year in a row, as a support DJ for a summer residency at Space club’s Music is Revolution. I will be performing there on July 8, August 12, and one more time in September. But, just as last year, I will have a number of other performances at Ibiza.

Last year you celebrated your 20th creative anniversary; you have been a DJ for more than half of your life. Do you imagine yourself spinning records also in your old age? Will 'father' turn into 'grandfather'?
I have seen recently the legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder, who is deejaying at the age of 74, and enjoys it - so "never say never". Most certainly the pace will be much slower than presently, and if it does happen occasionally, and I will still be having fun doing it, I most certainly will.
You have probably met everybody of any importance in the world of (electronic) music. Which of these encounters meant the most to you? Who of them has inspired you the most?
I am inspired by deejays who enjoy their work. I don't mind socializing and talking with colleagues from completely different genres, but I am annoyed by those haughty colleagues who behave like royalty. I have nothing in common with those, and we have nothing to talk about. I prefer socializing with people who are amusing, and I can connect with.

What have you been listening to lately, and where do you mostly listen to music - perhaps on the plane?
As a deejay I have to listen to a lot of music, as every week I need to go through a pile of demo-recordings, promotional compositions, and fresh issues. Privately my taste for music keeps changing. There are periods when I am, due to my work with music, so fed up with noise that I what I enjoy most is complete silence. Sometimes I am obsessed with electronic music, and lately I have been listening a lot to happy hardcore, i.e. hardcore brekabeat from the period between 1991 and 1993, which has most likely given me inspiration for the successful remake of the classic Sweet Harmony. Quite subconsciously.

I spend a lot of time riding my bike, sometimes I go and shoot hoops - at such times I like music as a background. In winter, when I spend less time on my bike, I listen to music less, and prefer peace and quiet. Outside my job I like music as the background noise, but I don't go into details, and don't analyse it.