Born in the Russian port city of Vladivistok, near the North Korean and Chinese borders, then moving near Moscow as a teenager, Proxy makes dance music that's relentless and brutal, but just on the right side of the line to keep you listening. He's also a delightful character, making pronouncements like, "Men are disposable and weak. Why must art and dance music always seek to affirm that they have such great value? They do not, and will receive no such validation from me," as he told MTV Iggy. The second half of his two-part debut album, called Music from the Eastblock Jungles (a Prodigy reference), comes out next week via Dim Mak and Turbo Recordings, and it's a dark, raving monster. Stream his FADER mix above and download it below, where you'll also find our enjoyable chat about girls in cocktails dresses, revolution and hope.
Download: Proxy's FADER Mix
Tracklist:
01. Proxy - Revolution
02. French Fries - Space & Smoke (Justin Martin Remix)
03. Daniel Avery - Need Electric (Original Mix)
04. Marseille - Underground
05. Boy 8-Bit - We Move By Night Blood Music
06. Zombie Nation - Brownsville
07. Clouds - Those Cracks In Your Face, Do They Hurt! (Truss Remix)
08. Clouds - Krafterah (Original Mix)
09. MPIA3 - Acid Badger
10. Posthuman - The Benz (Ben Sims Acid Remix)
What are the Eastblock Jungles? What are they like? It’s full of contrasts. Extremely rich and equally poor. It is at once beautiful as it is repellant. These contrasts extend to the world of music. The landscape is ridden with shameful clones of existing international stars. There are dubiously entrenched local DJs who have no discernible musical background, but end up playing with Tiësto, while scores of talented producers could not even barter their music for prison-grade cigarettes. The clubs desperately grasp at some notion of glamour, which to them seems to mean dire commercial music, “cocktails” and girls in dresses. It is a thin illusion, the poor attempting to resemble their imagined betters. To me, this is not serious work; it is well beneath the position I have fought to attain. That said, where I am from inspires me on all levels.
Sometimes your music seems less suited for a nightclub than it is for fighting. What will the revolution that Proxy soundtracks be like? A pretty heavy revolution. I like people making their own judgments of my music. It’s a great escape. I write for people to enjoy, but I also like the music to retain integrity. It will be a BIG revolution, but one full of hope NOT anger!
Do you feel hope for the world? It’s very important to feel hope for the world. There is a lot of destruction in this world, but we must not forget there is a lot of beauty on this planet. We always have to have hope. My music is hope.
What do you do besides music? Films, computer games (I'm good!) and just the usual things with close friends. It’s important to have these people in your life.