The hip-hop world is based on DJs and MCs – but outside the jungle/drum & bass parties, how often do you see MCs in the dance/electronica world. MCs performing live to hype the crowds during DJ sets are becoming the standard on the European scene and leading the charge is the lovely Miss Vika Kova. Based in Amsterdam, she has hyped crowds for everyone from Fedde Le Grand to Sven Vath – electro to techno to house – and everything in between. In addition to MCing, Vika also hosts a weekly radio program and is starting to DJ herself while working on a solo album. With her vivacious energy and voracious love of all dance music, keep your eyes on Vika Kova to lead us into the future.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: Vika, you're an MC. What exactly is an MC?
Vika Kova: MC is basically a master of ceremony, which can be
explained in different ways, because there are a lot of kinds of MCs.
But what I do is host the night's event. I make people realize the
vibe of the party, I make them scream, I make them dance – together
with the DJ, of course. And I do live vocals with the DJs. It's always
improvisation. We never rehearse. I have no idea what a DJ is going to
play. The most important thing is that he plays non-vocals. The rest
doesn't matter to me.
RS: So you can start singing over any beat that comes up? They
can play any song and you'll sing on top of it?
Vika Kova: Yes. But no vocals, please. It's respect to the
production. If it's with vocals, if it's beautifully done, I keep my
mouth shut.
RS: Who's your favorite DJ to perform with?
Vika Kova: That's very difficult to answer because every DJ can do a
great set, and every DJ can do a very bad one. I had a lot of fun
with Tiga on the Mystery Land main stage this year. And I love to play
with Marco V. because we've known each other for a while and we trust
each other musically, so it's a kind of chemistry going on between us.
With our upcoming star Freddie le Grand, I have really nice musical
experiences, too.
RS: Do you find it easier with house music or trance or electro?
Is there a genre that you work best with?
Vika Kova: House is probably the easiest one, because it's almost
asking for the vocals, but trance can be very nice, too. The last time
I had to perform in Odessa, in the Ukraine, on Euro Trance Festival
with English trance DJs, I was thinking, "Oh my God, all night long
only trance, I'm going to get crazy." But I loved it. It went so
smooth, it was so beautifully done, and the sound was great, the delay
and echo and everything, no problem. I actually have a new challenge
coming up. I've got to do the techno party of Cocoon, with Dominik
Eulberg and Sven Vath. That's a challenge because all of them say, "We
don't use MCs, we never have MCs, we don't want MCs." The thing is,
the Dutch part of the organization of the Cocoon decided that they
want me to host the party. So it's a challenge. But I'm doing the
homework and I think it's going to be just fine.
RS: Tell me more about MCing.
Vika Kova: Do you know that I think that Dutch promoters got it very
early that MCs, just like DJs, can make your party or break your
party. A good MC brings a very special vibe. Being an MC is just
feeling the crowd and feeling the vibe. If you have this gift in you,
you can just make people jump to the air and scream, and make them
experience your party even more strongly. That's why Holland is very
much an MC-minded country, because they know that. A DJ only is not
always enough.
RS: I know a couple of years ago in Europe that a named DJ would
guarantee a crowd. Has that changed in Europe?
Vika Kova: That changed a lot, unfortunately, because people don't go
out to see a particular DJ anymore. Two weeks ago I performed with
Kenito Gonzalez, and the venue was half full. Four years ago when he
came to Holland, it was sold out, for very high price (tickets). Now
the people go out more for the atmosphere, for the people they know.
It's more the power of the promoters to attract the people than the
DJs. Another thing about the DJs, and it's kind of controversial –
it's like Tiesto in concert is sold out, for what, ten thousand
tickets? But he now has his own club, right in the middle of
Amsterdam, where he plays himself, and nobody comes. It's
unbelievable, it's a contradiction. Small clubs, with DJ's names,
nobody cares. Big events, like DJ concerts – like we have Ferry
Corsten, who comes and goes, Armin van Buuren, the top ten DJs –
people buy the tickets, they go to the events. But not in the clubs.
Amazing, eh?
RS: When you MC, do you MC in Dutch or English or what language?
Vika Kova: English, only English.
RS: And English isn't your first language?
Vika Kova: No, it's Russian.
RS: So you were born in Russia? How did you make it from Russia
to Amsterdam?
Vika Kova: Do we have ten hours? Well, in a short story, I'm a
daughter of a Russian military man, an officer. I was born in
Vladivostok. We lived there for only one year. I basically grew up in
Germany, then we moved back to Russia. I graduated in Russia, and then
I moved to Cyprus, where I lived for one year. Then I went to Holland.
That was ten years ago, so time flies.
