Elektro Exclusive Q&A: 15 minutes with Dirty South @ Pacha NYC + Party Pics!

[sg-gallery]

The global talents that have graced Pacha NYC's massive venue are comparable to any in the world. DJs come and go, but none has left a stronger impression on me than my 15 minutes with Dragan Roaganovic (aka Dirty South). His reputation of being relaxed, approachable and humble is spot on. They say the key to understanding a man’s soul is through his eyes. What I saw was a man whose focus, dedication and confidence were so ingrained in his personality, I knew that Pacha was going to get rocked to its knees. Humble, yes.... rock star, definitely!

Elektro sat down with Dirty South in Pacha’s Green Room moments before he was to take to the decks. Red Bull in hand, we got right down to business:

Elektro: You are about to take the stage at the world famous NYC club Pacha for the second time in six months and in front of a New York crowd for the fourth time total in that same time span. Is that right?
Dirty South: Yeah, I think so, man. I mean, I love playing here.

What is it about New York City? Why do you like coming here?
I think it's the energy. You know, I think it's very obvious that the energy in the city is amazing... the people, the crowds, the city itself. I just love coming here and I love playing here, as well as visiting and having a show. It's one of my favorite places to play.

Would you have a residency in the city? Or is that something that's not even on the horizon right now?
I've played Pacha so often you can sort of say it's a residency.

In 15 minutes you're going to walk out. Everyone is going to start chanting your name. Cameras will be held up. How do you get yourself pumped up? You been here so many times, how do you make it different? What do you do physically, mentally, and technically to get pumped-up for Pacha?
Obviously before my set, I've prepared my music [meaning], I make new music. I made a new remix today, so tonight I'm going to premiere it. I'm going to play new tracks. Having new music gets me excited about playing - you know what I mean; and, a couple of drinks, things like that, just to level yourself.

Your body of work is huge. You play really soulful house to the huge room anthems. Everyone wants to hear "Phazing," “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Alive” and so on. Do you ever think to yourself, 'I'm going to go back and find that CD from back in the day and blow people's minds because this is how I got excited about music?'
I like all kinds of music, and my history goes back to around 2000. I still go back and listen to those songs; and sometimes I make edits. I pull them out and make 2012 versions of songs. I think that's the roots and it's important to remember that.

Does playing hits become monotonous or is it always just about the fans?
Fans are probably the most important thing. Without the fans, then I can't do what I do. So, I think there's a balance. You make music that you feel is right, feels good and then you hope the fans will like it because that's what makes you keep going. If you made music just for yourself, you probably wouldn't be able to live on that.

What's your take on playing festivals versus clubs?
Festivals you get to smash it - you get an hour, maybe 90 minutes max and that's it. You get to go. Pretty much, you do an hour... an hour of power. In a club you can sort of take a little journey. Play some bigger stuff with some smaller stuff in-between.

Do you have a plan for tonight? Will you share it?
I think about tracks I want to play, but I don't really have a set list. I think about what I would like to play in a club, but it changes. That's the nice thing about being a DJ, you have to be able to change.

Check out my favorite tune of the night!