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Santi Touch (Vytautas Sarapinas), originally from Kaunas
A few days ago, we looked at the admirable efforts of Lithuanian label Blikmuzik, which manages to play an important role in the development of Baltic electronica, even though its owner has moved to the UK. More specifically, there are many listeners along the Baltic coast who keenly follow the publication of remixes and EPs from distant Brighton. Scribing a similar trajectory between "home" and "away," we have the Lithuanian DJ and producer known as Santi Touch, who is originally from the medieval town of Kaunas. Given, however, the widespread - and wordless - appeal of his own chosen genre (tech-house), this musician has also headed for England.
House music that's deep, groovy, techy... and a little bit tribal
As we learned when covering the story of Blikmuzik, that project's owner - Audrius Vaitiekunas (aka IJO) - is no great fan of London. He described it, in fact, as an absolutely awful place, operating contrary to all of nature's laws. The more the city grows, the more life's noiseless operations are smothered by steel and concrete. As a result of those same ecological (and financial) concerns, Vaitiekunas has since moved out to Brighton and the greater likelihood of seeing grass.
Santi Touch, however, whose real name is Vytautas Sarapinas, has displayed a tad more bravery and recently gone in search of London housing. Having quit Lithuania and headed straight for the smoky home of more than ten million people, Sarapinas has peppered his Facebook page with comments such as the following:
"Still can't find a property to rent. Maybe someone in the London area could help? We're searching for a two-bedroom flat or flat-share with a couple of bedrooms. Something that's available in the Second or Third Zones. Perhaps [even] central London." That arguably reasonable request immediately suffered from a disjuncture between hope and reality. Above we see the lovely accommodation that was finally deemed tolerable. No doubt more desirable addresses were considered first: this yellow monstrosity would hardly have been chosen from the comfort of a Kaunas living room.
That grim image shows that the English capital has thrown up all manner of challenges, yet still Vytautas Sarapinas continues undaunted. In order for such lodgings to be agreed upon - and then endured, month after month - some contrary and lofty values must surely be at work. Sarapinas has, after all, been dedicated to music since the age of nine, when he first discovered jazz. As he grew older and was offered the chance of a bona fide musical education, he would gravitate towards the flute, but would then grow tired of the endless training - especially within the context of a strict religious upbringing. Free-form jazz is rarely heard from the naves of northern churches.
As a boy, he spent a great deal of time in the company of a record player
By Sarapinas' own admission, the next wave of musical enthusiasm came at fourteen, when he ran across some house recordings. Given the large number of house musicians in the early '80s, for example, who drew direct inspiration from post-war jazz, Sarapinas' shift contains a certain logic. He embraced these new sounds with the same, youthful zeal of a flute-swinging four-year old. "He completely lost his mind with an incredible passion for music. He started collecting vinyl and spent a great deal of time in the company of a record player."
Certain postures and facial expressions suggest that little has changed.
Around 2002, Sarapinas discovered several like-minded souls in his hometown and began to consider DJ-ing and producing as possible career options. Fortune certainly smiled upon those plans, because a debut recording - "Eve" - found favor on the airwaves of Radio One. This promotional headstart and blessing from the BBC allowed him to move simultaneously towards event organizing, not to mention - over time - the launch of a label with colleague Valdemaras "Reverse": EleFlight Records.
It's at this point in a potted biography of Santi Touch - having come full circle - that we notice a loud announcement on the EleFlight site: "The label's crew are all moving to London!" And so, on the other side of the Baltic Sea in 2011, an impressive diligence continues. "Santi Touch and his colleague Reverse are working to make their mark on the world's deep house scene."
Working to make a mark on the world's deep house scene
This "crew," it would appear, may be as small as two - yet that low number only serves to underscore the great conviction with which these performers forge ahead. No matter how nasty the lodgings.
Santi/Sarapinas is well-known to a Baltic colleague, Bogdan Taran, who records with fellow DJ and composer Max Lomov "next door," so to speak, in the Latvian capital of Riga. These men all respect each other - for a very good reason. All of them are the embodiment of Baltic diligence. Taran's own reputation, by way of striking example, has taken him to events such as Berlin's Love Parade - and onto the support stage of Paul Van Dyk. Being voted Latvia's top DJ four years in a row doesn't hurt, either.
Eyes remained fixed on a distant star, no matter one's physical address (or the likelihood of bumping into things).
Bogdan Taran (left) and Max Lomov (Riga, Latvia)
Thanks to this constant slog, the Latvian National TV and Radio Council presented Taran with an award in 2009 for services to dance music. As we can already see, these DJs and producers are investing enormous time and energy in their craft; that same investment, thankfully, is reaping serious rewards.
If we were hoping to do full and proper justice to Bogdan Taran's influence, however, a little more context should be sketched out. In other words, he also records a popular radio show - Dance Box - that has been broadcast to Baltic and Slavic audiences regularly for the last twelve years. Not surprisingly, a booking agency and label have emerged from this whirlwind of activity: Amber Muse Records. That project celebrated its seventh anniversary last month with much fanfare - and an impressive party. The official press release for the event was justifiably loud and proud:
Amber Muse was the very first electronic record label in Latvia!
"Amber Muse was the very first electronic record label in Latvia. Formed in 2004, it has managed to publish fifteen varied singles, four of which appeared on vinyl!" (That passing reference to a specific media format will be important, as we'll see in just a second.) In an interview with the Latvian press this year, Taran spoke of the ongoing desire to use his label as a way of furthering both "the potential of Latvian dance music" and increasing "decent contributions to the development of local dance culture."
That passing nod towards qualitative issues will also prove significant. In the meantime, serious work will involve serious libations.
When asked about pivotal moments in the evolution of Amber Muse, Taran is unable to answer with confidence or ease, since the challenges of running his enterprise never end - and the entertainment industry allows for scant rest. That's especially true when one considers the radical digitalization of dance music in recent years, which for Taran creates both benefits and new problems. His thoughts upon the issue bring a couple of points to the forefront of our attention - already mentioned above. These are the desire to keep making "decent [cultural] contributions" and the difficulty of doing so on "serious," stable formats such as vinyl.
"Digitization has certainly made music much more available... from the consumers' and manufacturers' point of view... Vinyl production is obviously a very expensive process, but nowadays it can be avoided entirely. Almost anybody can compose music on their own - and stick it on sale." Quantity, however, does not correspond to quality. And mp3s do not trump vinyl. Better formats cost more - and that means more work...
The value of sensuality over vulgarity
There's a paradoxical aspect to these professional and media developments, therefore. Even though "bedroom" software has made the production of dance music infinitely easier, the low standard of much DIY output simply increases the need for Bogdan Taran and Max Lomov to unearth and champion good examples. The more popular their chosen genre becomes, the worse it gets. For that same reason, Taran is happy for Amber Muse to focus upon smaller, almost elitist releases sometimes, stressing what he calls the value of "sensuality" over "vulgarity." The former takes considerable work, the latter comes (too) easily.
Taran's gentle, knowing smile of contentment below, however, would suggest that the effort's worthwhile. The Latvian public certainly thinks so.
Max Lomov and Bogdan Taran at work, 2011
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