Hannes Praks
(label maneger from Estonia)
1. please introduce yourslf

Yo, my name is Hannes Praks, label manager of Kohvirecords, Tallinn, Estonia.
2. what do you think about your domestic electronic music scene?

Or domestic scene is definitely very small, I would call it mini scene or even....micro scene.

We don't have many electronic music labels here, no special electronic music clubs, record shops, everything relies upon very talented electronic musicians who know each other and who are just like members of one cru. This scene is young - we don't have much traditions here and also no old electronic music gurus.
All Estonian guys make electronic music are in their late twenties and have learned everything by themselves. And I think it's somehow very nice. I don't care a much about guru attitude.

3. what do you think about european electronic music scene?

It's overloaded with similar things, concentration is on maximum in Germany, I guess there is air so full of electronic music that soon starts to rain something.
I guess in Berlin no-one talks anymore about fresh idm-electronica, they turn to hip-hop more and more. For me this attitude and changes are interesting, especially how much hip-hop can replace something. What's coming next? Ska wave? Classic music wave?


4. what do you think about north ameriacn electronic music scene?

As much I know, inspite of usa being a large country the electronic music scene there isn't.
But to me seems their scene much more fresh than west European, I really like the labels Hefty, Plug Research, Carpark etc.

5. do you know the japanese electronic music scene? and are you interested in it?

Yes, I know a bit about it and I'm really interested in it. Definitely one reason is : though for Estonians Japan is such an exotic country, but somehow all behavior attitudes there are somehow similar to here.

There is one theory that Ainu nation was also connected with Finno-Ugric nation. So I guess this interest starts from interest to Japanese culture. And when I listen some records for example from You or from Plop or After-hours...I feel that is strongly different from European music, especially from East European.
So I would say some things with Japan are surprisingly similar and some are totally different.

　
6. what do you think about the future of electronic music environment/scene?

It will be a mutant. It's almost impossible to say something about it, because more and more things happen every day that influence it. I mean map, dvd, computer games, web solution sounds..etc etc.

The customer has so much more choices like never before. I think record labels will change soon and pretty quickly and music will be distributed to a customer in a totally different way and chances are also for not so well know artists, who can remain unsigned. And all this changes the scene.
I guess chaos theory will be the best to describe the situation in future, because old traditional things will cease to exist.

　
7. do you have any interests in current music scene?

Yes I have.

　
8. if you have something to add, feel free.

I have already said too much : )

　

website : Kohvirecords < http://www.kohvirecords.ee >

　
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