Impact: Julia Govor

Impact is a new series dedicated to profiling raw talent that's about to turn dance music on its head. Next up: Julia Govor

There aren’t many DJs who are exciting us as much as Julia Govor is right now.

In April 2015, the Russian DJ made her Lab LA debut and showcased an intricate, deep and at times heavy-hitting techno sound, one that almost sounds like a cross between Nina Kraviz and Zip with the added enthusiasm behind the decks of someone like Mr G, a DJ whose tracks she drew for during the session.

For that session in particular, the smile didn’t leave her face and her all round enthusiasm for what she does and passion for her craft beams in abundance. At the end of last year we featured her as one of our 16 artists for 2016 that you should been keeping tabs on. Having just just reached April, she hasn’t disappointed us thus far.

After a profile piece in March, she gave us a premiere taken from her most prolific release to date. We say ‘most prolific to date’ even though she’s released via Get Physical and Visionquest, but this one really is her finest hour.

The ‘Open Possibility’ EP came out via Body Parts at the end of February and features two incredible remixes, one from Kamran Sadeghi and the other from the king, the daddy, the emperor Ricardo Villalobos. It was a project that she poured her heart and soul into but after talking to Govor, it’s become apparent that this is simply how she operates on every level.

We think that Julia’s Impact recording is her most accomplished mix to date, delicately blending tech-house with rolling techno cuts. She's loaded the hour with an array of incredible, unreleased material. Exclusive mix and Q+A below.

To start with, what was it like growing up in a small Russian town. What was your childhood like?

It wasn't really a Russian town, it was part of USSR, Abkhazia, by the Black Sea coast. Until 1991, it was part of the USSR and, as you know after 1991, all of those countries and republics became separate. I was in a military small town and my parents were military soldiers. There were around 300 families around us. Everyone knew each other, but it was very hard with the military’s regime. It was very isolated, but it was a beautiful part of my childhood because I learned a lot, mainly how to support people. We would share everything: gossip, food. I didn’t even have ice cream when I was a kid but I didn’t feel like that was something unusual. We had different things, like sea and mountains and forests and we hiked so it was a different type of lifestyle.

You started playing music at a really young age though right?

I’d play in Abkhazia as they have a small nightclub. There was no bar, there was just a dancefloor and sound system, and I started to DJ when I was six years old, when I brought my tape cassette machine to the club because my dad wouldn’t let my sister take it. I was the responsible one. It’s not like we had a mixer, or CDJS, no way. So that was my first kind of experience in music and it got so deep in my heart and in my soul. I learned that it’s about the way it can connect all people together. It’s such a powerful thing and I’m a very touchy person, I like to hug people. I’m a social animal, I can tell. Yes, a social butterfly. I actually have a song that’s called ‘Metal Butterfly,’ I didn’t finish it, fuck. I felt like the music and it’s just another way to get together and share my feelings, my emotions, my past, my future.

So obviously with the tape recorders, you mentioned that was very early days so what about decks and CDJs. When did you start mixing on them and learning your craft there?

I was 11 years old I guess. When I was moving from Abkhazia to South of Russia to a real Russian town called Temryuk, I met a guy on this trip because I was a big fan of The Prodigy. The Prodigy were the hype in those days. I met this guy and he told me, “Oh you have to listen to some really cool music, and you should come to our party,” so he took me to the party and he showed me a Russian magazine which doesn’t exist anymore. There were huge, huge letters and a word that said ‘rave’, and I’m like, "What is a rave? What is this?"

That guy was playing records and he played drum 'n' bass. That was my first real, physical connection with records, when I saw it I was like, "Oh wow this is so cool." I had a physical feeling. It was very special, I’m sure everyone’s told you this but it’s like another way to play instruments. So I can play the piano or I can jam with the drums but I feel like playing records and turntables and mixing, is a sort of instrument.

You just play music to other people. It came to my head absolutely in a different era, maybe after seven years when I realised I play music to other people, well, what if I tried to make my own music? You know what I mean? So you always come back to the place where you started, I was a singer and then I was playing piano, I had all of those experiences in my childhood. You know sometimes, I have a melody in my head and I imagine the notes and then I imagine myself playing piano, it’s just so strange. I have a huge imagination which is the most important part and the power of my production in music.

So there’s a place in Moscow, Arma17. Was that an important stepping stone for you in terms of honing your craft?

Julia: Yes, Arma17 was my start. Basically, before I was just going out and I was doing these videos and interviews with musicians and with DJs and I liked progressive house. I started to listen to minimal and then I came in 2005 to Moscow, I was like, "what is this different music? I’ve never heard stuff like this." It was a full-on experience, this era of clubbing and techno and house and minimal music, but Arma17, it was something really serious. I was 25 years old, I realised I’d been doing it so long and DJing since I was a kid and I love it so much.

How long were you DJing at ARMA17?

I started in 2009 and I still DJ there but I’m living in New York. That was me being a proper DJ. Like, I had a set time and my name on a flyer. They always gave me everything and they shared with me whatever they had. I was always asking, "What is the name of this track? How can I get it? Can I have it? Can you give it to me?" Everyone was always so nice. I’m a really big fan of long mixing and ARMA17 was a big school of survival because they teach people that it was the only club in Russia in Moscow who made people pay to see a DJ play and to stay 24 hours.Right now, it’s just full of experimental and proper techno music.

How does playing there compare to places like Movement, WMC, parties at during Sonar and ADE? How does it feel to be playing those gigs to such big audiences?

You know, I don’t feel any different. For me, the most important part of playing is the people and the connection and the emotional aspect. You can play at the best festival in the world and you can have the worst experience ever. Or you can have a smaller rave that's half the size of a big festival and you have the best people, the best listeners, who as a collective listen to the music, who respect music and who respect the way you share it with them. For me, I don’t think it’s different. It’s all about the emotions I share with them. This is the most important part. I don’t care if it’s a big festival, or being the best or playing first or playing last or if I’m a headliner, no way. From the moment I play, there’s no distraction, nothing. It’s just music. You’re not doing this so people can understand you, you’re doing it because of you living your own life, and you want to express yourself. It’s all about connections with other people. If you’re doing it from your heart, then people feel it.

Let’s quickly talk about your involvement with Get Physical and Visionquest. Two big labels in terms of music they put out, the artists that they’ve nurtured and pushed forward. How did you get involved with them?

Visionquest came about through Seth Troxler as I was always good friends with him. We always partied together. In Moscow we got in trouble with police, we had crazy experiences. It was really cool. You know, Russian style. One time, he came to Moscow and I invited him to my friend’s party, and I played my track ‘Alice,’ which I feature on as a singer, and he heard that and said, “I love it, send it to me,” so I sent it to him and he released it. That was the story with Visionquest.

I don’t mind sharing my music if I have a connection. He heard the track, he played it out in the clubs and I know he played it at Sonar and stuff, because my friend was like, “Oh I just heard your song, oh my god people are going nuts, they’re screaming!” I was like crying, like, "Oh my god this is amazing." The same situation happened with Get Physical, when I had a tour with Patrick [Bodner, one half of M.A.N.D.Y and co-founder of Get Physical] in Russia and I played a track and said, “This is my new track, actually it’s not new, it’s a couple of years old”. He said, “I love it, send it. We can put it on Body Works/Parts”. It’s always like this. You have to have a specific time and place to sign your music.

How does it feel knowing that Ricardo Villalobos has done a remix of your track?

For me, I always try to look at things as if I am a beginner. I don’t try to expect anything from this because it could be very dangerous. I just want to continue to work and to make my followers happy, to try and connect with them if they feel lonely or if they feel sad, to show them that they’re not alone in this world and they hear the music which helps them. I want to continue to stay creative and to stay producing and collaborate with other artists.

The 'Open Possibility' EP is out now

Funster is Mixmag's Digital Music Editor. Follow him on Twitter