Scalameriya is a Serbian DJ, producer, and sound designer known for his flashy mixing skills, eccentric productions, and menacing synth designs. The combination of diving into the world of techno at the age of 13 and having an obsessive personality led to extensive practice sessions and the development of impressive dexterity in DJing.
Although growing up in Serbia was difficult, that experience gave him the focus he needed to dive deep into production and find refuge while creating his distinctive style of techno. Scalameriya, written as “Skalamerija” in Serbian, is a word used to describe any unfamiliar-looking device of an unknown or even non-existent purpose, function, or origin. This concept is reflected in the structure of his productions and DJ techniques. Often described as hard and aggressive, Scalameriya claims that his sound is heavy and intimidating, insisting that these are similar but divergent aesthetics.
Scalameriya’s individuality and militaristic work discipline have proven to be prolific, as his records can be found in the catalogs of some of the most important record labels, such as Perc Trax, 47, THEM, Void+1, and Genesa. Both as a DJ and a producer, Nikola demonstrates that he is an unstoppable force, delivering performances and soundtracks that leave lasting impressions around the world.
Hey Nikola! Great to have you here. Let’s start with our usual question: Who is Scalameriya?
Hello, and thanks for having me! Scalameriya is a semi-self-aware, bizarre device from Serbia that creates electronic music, which it claims is techno. This device is often chased by villagers with pitchforks and torches for such a blasphemous claim. What happens during their encounters remains unknown, but it usually ends with the villagers giving up quickly and running back in tears.
You were born in Serbia and later moved to Italy. What led you to choose Italy over, let’s say, Berlin or any city in the country of your origin? How do you feel these moves have shaped your artistic direction? And what’s your perspective on the Italian music scene compared to your hometown?
There’s nothing really deep about it. We wanted to move out of the shithole that is Serbia, which is more difficult than rocket science and, in my experience, somewhat hard for most EU citizens to understand. There are so many rules and conditions that it’s tragically comical. However, things fell into place unexpectedly, and my wife was transferred to Italy for work, so all the paperwork was taken care of by the company, albeit with many headaches.
As for how it has shaped my artistic direction, it really hasn’t. I function the same way artistically no matter where I am, as I’ve been used to being isolated from the scene since the very beginning. But everyday life is definitely much better here. As for the music scene, I don’t even want to insult the Italian scene by comparing it, as everything is better than my hometown, really. There’s nothing there but misery, quite literally.
Speaking of family, have they always been supportive of your career?
Oh no, not at all. Everyone except my mother has, in fact, been not only discouraging but hostile. Music as a profession was strictly prohibited when I was young and ridiculed by my extended family. I was often threatened with broken or sold turntables. Fortunately, my mother encouraged my scientific and creative interests as much as she could when I was little, which laid the foundation for me later when I discovered electronic music and fell in love with it. She helped and even bought CDs and records for me when she could, or sneakily gave me extra pocket money to save up for them. Luckily, I grew fast and big, so slowly but surely, the prohibitions faded as an option for the wannabe tyrant that is my father. Unfortunately, my mother’s creative spark was extinguished due to her heartbreaking life circumstances. I vowed at a young age to never let that happen to me, so she could at least experience a “what if” version of herself through my achievements.
Looking back at your releases, things progressed quickly for you, including collaborations with some well-established names. Can you share more about your beginnings and early work?
It might have seemed fast from the moment I started releasing music and gigging. But compared to when I began, it was a long journey. As a Serbian, I was not allowed to travel until 2009, so about 6-8 years were “wasted” for me. Even getting releases out was close to impossible, as I was young and sending demos by mail was an expensive nightmare. The internet I could afford barely worked, so sending music that way wasn’t an option for a long time. Once the travel restrictions were lifted, I started speed-running everything I could to make up for lost time. Releases and gigs began happening and slowly snowballed into where I am now.
What are your memories of your first album, Hubris, on Genesa Records? How did it influence your career, and what were your criteria for choosing your own label?
Oh, I was sooo not prepared for it. I was aware I didn’t have the necessary skill set to pull off what I had in mind, and I definitely bit off more than I could chew back then. That’s why I consciously named it Hubris. But I’m glad I did it, as those ideas would have faded away otherwise. It’s fun to look back now and see all the steps I had to take. Strangely, although I don’t think it was well executed, I received insanely good feedback about the album, and gigs started multiplying too. He probably doesn’t realize how much this helped, and he probably doesn’t even remember it, but Perc posted the album on Facebook, saying something like “Album of the Year.” That was huge at the time, as Facebook was a different beast back then, and I think that alone brought me more gigs and a ton of fans.
The criteria for choosing my own label were simple: there were no labels that would release it “as is,” which I understand, since releasing even a fully dancefloor-oriented album is risky for most labels; and I wanted to be in control of what went into the album.
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