“ON THE LADDER OF SUCCESS” WITH GOCE TRPKOV – DJ GOCE SAF: I HAVE PLAYED MUSIC IN FRONT OF ONE PERSON, AND IN FRONT OF 100.000 PEOPLE

Almost 30 years ago, Goce Trpkov, or better known as DJ Goce, or Goce SAF, is the most represented name in Skopje’s nightlife, and beyond. Starting from the distant 1993, when he released the first demo with his group SAF, Goce is one of the bearers of the DJ, above all, hip-hop culture in our country.

He lives exclusively from music, but not only from DJing, but also produces, that is, music, mix and master, and releases music for several production companies. A number of our young hip-hop artists surfaced through his studio.

– I have played music in front of one person, and in front of 100,000 people. We performed with Bed Kopi in Belgrade in 2016 in front of 120,000 people at the Beer Festival and it was a very interesting experience. My favorite performance is at a hip-hop camp in front of 70,000 people, with the Gang Starr Foundation, where I replaced DJ Premier, who was on stage next to me. I’ve shared the stage with many, from Fred Wesley to Mobb Deep. I’ve played for De La Soul in Amsterdam together with DJ Dice and Rich Medina, and I’ve been a concert DJ for Jeru The Damaja, The Beatnuts, Illa J – says Goce about some of the biggest moments in his career so far.

I bought my first record in fifth grade

Growing up in Skopje, Goce got his first musical taste from the television station MTV, which opened up new musical vistas for him and his entire generation. Soon after that he entered the process of collecting vinyls (records) and then into the DJ waters.

– I started to discover music in elementary school, and Jugoton was 100 meters from my school, and so, when I was in the fifth grade, I bought the first record, mostly because of the design. In high school, I got serious about both listening and collecting. In the beginning, in those years, the emphasis with us was more on sampling and scratching than on playing music. That came later. MTV opened us up to a generation because at that time there was a lot of alternative and good music, with big budget videos, before the time of reality shows.

My first DJ mix was from the Gemini PMH brand

The SAF group, according to Goce, is the stepping stone for his entry into the club scene. The promotion of their first vinyl release, the now cult album “Safizam”, is also their first serious club party. “As you mature, you discover new music, new ways of manipulation, you set new goals and priorities,” says Goce, who still believes that playing music on vinyl gives the true face of a DJ.

– There was no other medium for playing music in the 90s. Vinyl was unique with the ability to manipulate with hands, ie. scratching, something that separated hip-hop DJing from everything else. I bought my first gramophone from Ohrid. A radio station was selling both of them, and together with Jane from “Chista okolina” we took one each. My first DJ mixtape is from that period, Gemini PMH brand. The first hip-hop parties where I played music were organized by Pikisipi at the Pony Scout Club. It was in 1995. The success with SAF was crucial to get Pikisipi into the clubs, because before that people were running away from hip-hop music. Our first serious club party was the promotion of the vinyl edition of “Safizam” in 2001, where DJ Fu from Ljubljana was our guest, and it turned into a residency at the club “Element”, where Sundays became a day for hip-hop – adds Goce .

Both the studio and DJing have their own charms

How to stay relevant on the music scene for decades is a big unknown everywhere in the world. Goce is successful in this, first of all, because of his hard work and constant activity in several fields, but he himself says that one does not enter this business with any financial expectations. He is constantly involved in a series of projects that sustain him over time.

– I follow new music, but less dedicated club music. I don’t have that pressure, most of my performances outside of Macedonia are for original vinyl sets, where the emphasis is on being different from the standard mainstream club music, so I try to find new music that is outside of that classification and primarily to I like it. Both the studio and DJing have their own charms. I love both! Projects after SAF where I have committed myself 100 percent are the three albums of “Strajk” (fourth to be announced), the last album and mixtape of LD Pistolero. As a producer I worked on the last two albums of “Conquering Lion” and many others – concludes Goce.

Prepared by: Nikola Petrovski