DJ Vitaliy Kozak has created three thematic playlists for the Vremena Goda Galleries: HomeWork, HomeParty and HomeRomance. Each selection reflects a particular mood: more cheerful and energetic rhythms in HomeWork will support your productivity and help to focus on work from home, HomeParty will be a perfect detail for Zoom parties with friends, and for a special evening with the loved one, "HomeRomance" will create tender and sensual background.
The first playlist named HomeWork includes 13 tracks. On the day of its release, Vitaly talked about what work means to him, how his working day is organized, and what inspires him to inspire the others.
Vitaly answered a few questions for the Vremena Goda Galleries.
VG: Why did you make a decision to connect your life with music?
VITALY: In fact, music is vital for most people. Even for the ones who are not connected with music on a professional level. Each person has their own association with this or that melody, recalling the most significant life events: the first date, the first dance, the first kiss.
VG: How do you set yourself up for playing DJ set?
VITALY: That’s what I actually do. I realized that it is an essential part of my work. That evening I tend to stay in, avoid meeting with friends to have a drink or two before the party. During the preparation, it’s about 1.5-2 hours, I am not willing to waste my energy. I’ve got to stay at home, remain quiet and fully concentrated, although this does not exclude the possibility of drinking champagne, adjusting myself to a slightly playful mood. However, at this moment I can’t imagine more than two people staying around me. And sometimes I start imagining the way the party will be going.
VG: What tip would you give to DJ-beginners?
VITALY: For budding DJs I‘d like to give the same advice I gave myself at the beginning of my career. Before the first performance and in the moments when my hands were trembling before sets, in the moments of anxiety, I kept repeating the crucial thing: “Be yourself”, go into battle, since your music is your energy, this is the mood you convey to people to rescue them from gloom and pessimism. Perhaps this is the reason this profession is being in demand now. It is important to maintain your unique innocence and recklessness, to do what you do want, making mistakes ever and again. You never need to repeat after anyone, play only what you really like, as it creates your own music style.
I just played music during home parties, I changed one song to another, carelessly mixing completely different things: classical melodies with modern tracks and songs by Russian artists, sometimes with a touch of irony. And this naturalness creates personal style, character and identifies the personal touch of the artist.
VG: How does your working day / night look like now?
VITALY: Surprisingly, my workday, despite all these quarantine restrictions, is completely filled with activities. I get a lot of offers on creating playlists, holding online and zoom parties, as well as online parties for different media. Almost always I am being busy with preparation for these events, in particular, technical part: currently, we are testing various opportunities provided by the modern age, so some things just have to be tested.
I even don’t have enough time for the things that I have been planning to get done during the period of doing nothing. And now I am lacking spare time.
