On Saturday one of the finest DJs and record collectors of Chicago house and electronic disco is making his second visit to Helsinki. Intergalactic Gary, aka John Scheffer has been very influential in the Den Haag scene where he has been spinning records at clubs for over 20 years. He has also been a regular mixer on the recognised web radio stations CBS and IFM. Here is an interview with John about his musical past and where he's at today, as a teaser for his set at Nolla.

How did you get into Djing?

It all started when I was 15 years old and went to a club where I heard disco music for the first time, and I was really excited about it. A week after that I went to a shop called Disco Boutique 76 where I bought my first records. I started out with my parents' turntables, synchronisizing the tracks with the speakers from the amplifier. I saved some money and later on I bought my own turntables and a mixer.

 

Did you play out back then?

 

No it was more of a hobby. It wasn't professional since it was very hard to get a residence anywhere back then.

 

When did you start DJing at clubs?

 

I was a bedroom DJ for at least ten years. In 1990 or 1991 I had my first gig at a party.

 

How did you get that gig?

 

I was making mixtapes at home that I gave to friends. I gave one to my girlfriend at the time who passed it on to a guy who was organising parties. He liked it and asked if I would be interested in playing, and I said ”yes of course”. So I played at that party and a few others that he had after that. Two years later, in 1992 I participated in a DJ contest at the first house club in Den Haag. Six months after the contest the resident there phoned and told me that they had Sunday night availible. After that I was a resident DJ on the Sundays there for around four years.

 

What was the name of the club?

 

It was called LA D.S. as in the Citröen car. They had the DJ booth built inside a D.S. at the club. Later on they put the car underneath a part of the dance floor that was made of glass so that people could see it below their feet when they were dancing.

 

 

When did you stop playing mainly house music and start re-discovering old italo disco sounds?

 

It was in the late '90s, around 1997 or 1998. I was fed up with the house and techno stuff that was coming out. I felt that most of it sounded the same and that it wasn't interesting anymore. I was still buying records but to a much less extent than before. I got in touch with Ferenc (I-f) again, who had just had a hit with Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass and I met him in Rotterdam at Clone Records. We got together and made some music. Meanwhile we were also listening to a lot of mixtapes with italo and were inspired of them. He was DJing quite often at the time. In his sets he was playing a lot of electro and the electro side of italo disco, stuff like Charlie – Spacer Woman for example. That really got me into that kind of music again and I started to re-discover my old records. I also realised that I only knew a small part of italo disco and that there was a lot more.

 

You collaborated with I-f back then as Parallax Corporation. Are you still making music?

 

I've had my studio set up again. I have some problems with old synthesizers not working anymore but I plan to make music again. This time the sound will be different from Parallax Corporation though, not as much disco.

 

How has your taste in music developed during the last years?

 

I have been buying a lot of new music lately. For the last ten years my focus was on old stuff, like italo and other electronic music from the '70s and '80s. Lately I've been more interested in artists like Omar S and Chicago house-sounding stuff that I find interesting and refreshing.

 

 

I'm also into minimal wave and minimal synth. There is a lot to explore in those genres. A recent discovery is Geneva Jacuzzi, the sound is like it's from the '80s but still original. I'm not that much into the new italo sounding stuff. It doesn't do much for me and often sounds too formulatic.

 

 

What are your main sources for discovering music?

 

For new stuff I often check out the Clone Records website and other international record stores. I also check out clips that friends are posting on Facebook. If I find something interesting and good enough I track it down and buy it. I always keep my eyes and ears open when I hear friends and other DJs play. I also track down labels and artists on Discogs and Youtube. Radio is another source. IFM, for example, is a very good source for discovering music and I often check with the tracklists if the music is availible and affordable.

 

You were DJing in Helsinki in 2008. What impression did you get of the people and the city when you were there?

 

I really liked the city with its nice buildings, but also found some parts a little bit depressing when I was sitting in the car from the airport. The people were really nice; friendly, enthusiastic and real music lovers. I look forward to come back again.

 

What can the Helsinkians expect music wise on Saturday?

 

I was asked if I would like to do a more Chicago house-oriented set. To be honest I was relieved that they wanted that because the italo stuff that is more club friendly is only a small range of my collection. I've played those kind of records for the last ten years and you end up playing the same stuff over and over again. I get a bit bored of that. It doesn't really inspire me and I enjoy new input.

 

So is it mainly going to be Chicago house and a few italo tracks?

 

Yes, and some minimal wave. A little bit of everything.

 

You are keeping it quite electronic. What do you think of more acoustic sounding disco?

 

I often like to listen to it but the music that really does it for me as a DJ is electronic, made with drum machines and synthesizers.

 

Can you mention a couple tracks that you often play right now?

 

The Maniacs - Love Eternal is a new one that I just bought, very energetic but still musical. It's Chicago house that sounds like something new using the same equipment rather than just copying the old school. There's another track that comes to mind that was released in 1984 on tape cassette but has been re-issued on twelve inch now; Nature Makes A Mistake by Son Of Sam. It's a minimal wave kind of track, very hypnotic.