Comissar Lag is one of the biggest favorites of the Central and Eastern European techno scene, instantly catching attention with his eccentric appearance. In his sets, he blends crisp, fresh novelties with old-time classics with playful elegance, whether it’s proper techno or hardgroove. He delivered a legendary set at Alkotótábor in 2023. The Serbian DJ/producer will soon return to Hungary and perform at Kindergarten on January 25 aboard the Kassa ship. On this occasion, we had the chance to interview him.

How do you remember your first connections with electronic music?

I was always bombarded with different types of music by my mom so I never got the whiplash people get from first encountering electronic music. I can’t even remember what was the first thing I heard, and I was equally mesmerised by Fatboy Slim’s Rockafeller Skank and by Umek’s Gatex. I do remember hearing Darren Emerson’s Singapore mix and deciding I want to be a DJ, and then listening to Mills’ Exhibitionist Mix and hearing the same thing I loved about the Singapore mix – contrasts, track after track, a journey that tells a great story with wildly different chapters that are magical, each in their own way.

You come from Novi Sad, what do you need to know about the techno scene in the Serbian scene these days?

DJing is always a dialogue and I can tell from experience that playing in Serbia and playing in Hungary are two very different conversations. It’s crazy how much a few hours of driving in one direction can change the flavour of the party. I highly recommend Serbian parties to anyone who is used to the “western” party vibes. It’s more expectations of big breaks and drops, but at the same time people here party like there is no tomorrow. That’s the best part.

You always take the stage with an unmistakable look (shirt + tie). Where did this outfit, which is considered quite special at the DJ booth, come from?

It’s a number of things: me discovering that one can use what I used to consider the loss of identity (corporate grey suit) to actually express oneself (I’ve been to Italy). It’s also me trying out shirts for my brief stint in having a dayjob and actually finding myself to feel very comfortable in that style. Most importantly I come from an era where having to conform to a uniform was ridiculed in techno. Everyone was welcome no matter how they are dressed, as long as they were outcasts with a good heart. The “you gotta wear black if you’re techno” came only later, and when that happened I made sure to wear as bright and vivid a colour palette as possible. Now that everybody is dressing in a certain way due to Balenciaga (an expensive fashion brand) setting a trend in the techno scene which is supposed to be for the people and not for corporations, I found that going the opposite feels good. The shirt and tie are both my shield and my freedom in what I still consider to be my home.

You last performed here in 2023 as a guest of Alkotótábor. What are your memories of the festival and your set, which many consider to be the best techno mix of last year?

Thank you for that compliment, I will pretend like I know how to take it. 😀 Since playing Alkototabor I’ve told so many of my closest people about the festival. It seems to be such a well hidden secret. I usually can count on the fingers of my two hands how many good sets I’ve heard throughout the year, and during my time there I haven’t heard a single bad set. Not only that but at some point I took my shirt off and caught some sunshine. I remember thinking “so this is what going to festivals feels like to most people!” It’s truly a special thing both the organisers and visitors have created.

What do you think about the current and future state of techno? What prospects can underground club culture count on?

I think we are going through recession and what always happens in this situation is that people don’t want to stop going out, but they are a lot less risky with their wallets. This means that turbo-folk (whatever is most for the masses) wins. Last recession it was EDM, this time around it’s Tik Tok techno that is filling warehouse raves, while mid-sized places suffer, and the space for experimentation is greatly reduced.
All that said, the difference between now and the 2008 recession is that we have Bandcamp and so much more access to new music which is excellent, music that would have been invisible 15-20 years ago due to bottlenecks in distribution. I honestly don’t think there was ever as much good stuff as there is now, you just gotta dig for it. It was true earlier too, but now I can really feel that we are not limited by simply what is the current trend and I am so happy that this is the new reality and that we can count on this in the future as well.

Who are the performers from the past who are the biggest inspiration for you, and who are the emerging names who are your current favorites?

DJ Pete, Surgeon, Lorn, Amon Tobin, KiNK, Fatboy Slim, dBridge, Coil… the list is so long. Out of newer names I’d mention Alarico, Forest Drive West, Introversion and Carlos Nilmmns. Obviously, Ballacid is such a great channel for finding new excellent music. I’m into a lot of non-electronic music as well, but won’t bore you with that here!

In your sets, you explore the wide spectrum of techno, mixing new and old music, different sub-styles, and adding vocals. How do you prepare for your sets? Is there a conscious concept behind it?

“All emotions are valid”. Like I said, I was greatly influenced by the Singapore and Exhibitionist sets which are built on contrasts, but also DJing is about PLUR, and PLUR means acceptance and dialogue. No DJ should be above the crowd, so I never really prepare musically. It would be like preparing for a conversation with your friend, knowing the questions you will ask and answers you will give in advance. I prefer to spend the first half and hour or so prodding, suggesting and listening to reactions and then relaxing into whatever I gathered from the people.

How does your music-making process go? What producer appearances do you have planned in the near future?

Due to my experience of covid and everything being cancelled I have a tendency not to talk about future releases until they are a 1000% certainty (so like a day before release). What I can say is that I used to limit myself to a certain style because the market demanded it. Two years ago I released 5 records though and I don’t think I got a single gig off of them, which was both kinda disappointing but also liberating. Seeing as it doesn’t really matter – I am finally free to completely switch moods and styles between releases in a similar way I do in my DJ sets. I have several releases coming up on labels I really love, two of them being with collaborators I really respect and some of them being my solo works. You are sure to hear some of the new stuff at the party.

I usually make stuff ITB (Reason) but I am completing a hardware setup and am counting on making a lot of really simple, to the point oldschool style techno this year on it.

What does playing music give you? And what is something you would immediately liquidate from parties if you had the chance?

I get several things from it that I can’t live without. Seeing as I’ve felt like I don’t belong most of my life – this connection that is made with a good DJ set, whether I’m at the decks or listening to someone else play a set I can connect to is pure soulfood. Also, DJing is the first thing in my life I managed to pat myself on the back for. Like I said above, I can’t take compliments from anyone, not even myself, but after a few instances that had an impact on me (like some people seeing one of my favourite DJs Shazaming during my set) the universe managed to break the ice, and now some self-love can come in. Music really does heal, in more ways than one. I’d liquidate cameras, to help the visitors relax a bit, and I’d liquidate the guestlist, to help the promoters relax a bit as well.

What was the most useful advice you ever received during your career?

“You are too opinionated”. It’s good to have opinions but my role as a DJ is entertainer, connector, builder of bridges and so on. I am now happy to share good opinions on things, but I steer away from things that might drive wedges between you and the people. It’s tough because you often see something you find to be endangering the thing you love (the music and the scene) but then my riling against it never changed anything, so fuck it. Imma work hard on what I believe to be valuable and not spend energy on shouting at clouds.

What did you want to be as a child?

A professional Starcraft player. Well, before that I told my parents that wanted to be a clown, so in some ways I got my wish to come true. 😀

What are your all-time top 3 (maybe more) favorite techno songs?

Hm, if I had to choose three it would be as follows:
Surgeon – Death Before Surrender, for its surreal sounds and relentless groovy drive.
Carl Craig – At Less or E-Dancer – The Dream for techno’s soulfulness
Cristian Vogel – (Don’t) Take More (Jamie Lidell Remix) – for highly skilled low-brow funWhat are your plans for 2025?
Make music, play music. Complete all penances in Darktide. Hug parents more.

Thank you, this was truly a great conversation! See you on January 25 aboard the Kassa ship!