Interview: Parov Stelar

Parov Stelar’s sound, a unique blend of retro-influenced dance music labelled “Booty Swing,” has swept through the global music scene in recent years, developing a cult following. Dance floors overflow as party people flock to witness the Austrian-born DJ in action. At this year’s Rock For People festival in Hradec Králové, Stelar will be joined by a full band performing live versions of his trademark electronic sound. We scored some time with Europe’s superstar DJ in advance of his ČR performance.

CM: Hi Parov, how are things? Busy no doubt!

PS: I’m working pretty hard in the studio on my new album and then I’ll switch it up with some touring. Tomorrow we’re on our way to Seoul for a jazz festival and then on to Greece and then to the UK.

CM: I knew it! Busy, busy! 

PS: [Laughs] Well it’s definitely not boring! I still enjoy touring, it’s not a job for me, its something like a religion. It’s exactly how I want to live my life. I hate standing still and love moving around.

CM: You’re a father. How does your work fit in with being a family man?

PS: Well, we have a house in Spain and a house in Austria and divide the time 50/50. I have studios in both locations with exactly the same set up and equipment, so I’m able to create in both places too. It works well for me.

CM: What about recording on the road? Do you ever create new tracks while on tour?

PS: There’s a track on our last album “The Princess”, called “Milla’s Dream”. The track was sounding good, I loved the song, but I just knew that it wasn’t finished. We were in a rehearsal space in Prague oddly enough! I spoke with the band and said, “We’re in a unique position at the moment, we need to record this track right now in the practice room!” That’s the thing with electronic music, you just need a microphone and a laptop and you can create pretty much everywhere.

CM: Which must be a blessing working in such a fast-moving business.

PS: The music industry is changing every day. Vinyl was big back in the day for DJs, now DJs are playing sets with MP3s or controls rather than spinning records. On the one hand, I’m glad for that change, I hated carrying the heavy records, but on the other hand I really miss the vinyl covers. You had something to read, you had the opportunity to see more of the artists character and identity, but most importantly you had the chance to see who composed the tracks. So there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. I think some good things are happening at the moment, we had some bad years with the piracy and all that stuff. But, now with sites like Spotify, things are moving in the right direction for musicians to get back some money for their work.   

CM: What can the fans expect from your show with the live band?

PS: High energy and great music! I would also advise them not to forget their dancing shoes! We’re going to have a great time. The Parov Stelar Band is like an explosion. We always try to give 110% energy. You won’t find the slow or melancholic tracks, you’ll find the club tracks, the party-starters. I’m really looking forward to the show. I know from past experiences that the people in the Czech Republic and surrounding areas know how to enjoy themselves.

The Parov Stelar Band will appear on the Rock for People Stage, Wednesday, July 3 at 22:25. For ticket info or to check out the remaining the line-up, visit the Rock For People website.