#MusicInTheAir Podcast hosts this week :
TOSHKA (from Everything Counts)

Villahangar’s this week’s Podcast sees back on stage an artist that already took place into the format: Toshka, Bulgarian from Sofia, one half of the Everything Counts duo.

A childhood with the 80s sonorities, that afterwards pushed her to get interested soon into every genre and to develop her musical knowledge: a deep bond that was born very soon, which saw her also as a dancer for different clubs in Ibiza, in Switzerland and in Italy.

After that, her will to experiment and to test brought her to the first contact with vinyl in 1999. Since 2000 therefore Toshka started her career as a dj and quickly consolidated her experience on the Ticino’s stage, playing in famous Switzerland and Europe clubs.

This is when her activity intensifies until 2005, seeing her as a protagonist in live dj sets in Ibiza and radio participations, such as Ibiza Global Radio and Ibiza Sonica with her Podcasts.

In 2018 Toshka created, together with Chris Leon, the project Everything Counts, focusing on the musical production which succeeded in labels such as 3000 Grad Records, Lump Records, Sudam Recordings, Radiant, Villahangar, Pipe & Pochet. Moreover Connected, MoBlack, Kinessen, And Other Moods, 3-4-1 Cuts, Seven Villas Music.

Her musical style of election is mental and hypnotizing, and with her four hands project, her favorite sounds are rhythmically progressive, enriched by ethnical elements, influenced also by her country of origin.

Music conveys emotions. Which are the ones that you want to convey with your music?

Yes, emotion is very important to me and the key to everything I do in my life. When I start a DJ set, the mood of the moment always guides me. Sometimes my DJ sets are mental and dreamy. Other times they are gritty and energetic.

In conclusion I like to experiment with various sounds, but always with an imprint that transmits emotion. I like music, I like dancing. I like therefore being a DJ to give to the audience an experience and charge, exchanging at the same time positive energies.

Which artists do you currently admire and which ones do you particularly like in today’s musical scene?

Certainly in my career as a DJ I have had various influences. In the first years of purchasing my vinyl, there was never a lack of productions for example of the Timo Maas that I still love so much, Danny Tenaglia, John Digweed, Deep Dish, etc..

Spending several summers in Ibiza from 1996 to 2005 I had the opportunity to listen to various DJs. Those who certainly impressed me the most were those who managed to transmit energy and the desire to dance and dance until fainting, like for instance Sven Vath, Carl Cox and many others.

Nowadays in conclusion I can say that there is an infinite number of good producers. The ones I love the most are: Squire, Cornucopia, and moreover Elfenberg, Bedouin, Carl Craig (always), I could continue to write and write, they are really a lot.

Which are your hopes for your artistic future at the moment?

My hope, first off all, is that the current situation, on an artistic level, can change the conditions in an optimal way for DJs and producers. Above all, in the past few years there was a lot of confusion and injustice towards them, devaluing them. I hope that this period will regularize and improve these conditions.

In the meantime, I will continue to work on the productions with Chris and our Everything Counts project, giving our best. I hope that we will be able to share it soon with the public in person.

How do you approach a dj set? Which is your configuration and your way of conveying emotions?

If I am at home and I do it for my pleasure, surely the mood and emotion are the basis of everything. When I find myself in public, as a result I evaluate the situation in order to offer the best sound to the atmosphere, however looking for harmony with everything around me.