CALReK

DEEP DOWN UNDERGROUND: CALReK (UK)Undoubtedly one of Plymouth’s most established and skilled DJs, Oorpi Techno’s creator and patriarch Calrek has been a prominent feature of the local underground music scene for over a decade. Combining his love of quality music and technical knowledge, he has brought true underground techno to Plymouth.

Initially working as a roadie for a rhythm and blues band, and later as a sound engineer at outdoor events and club nights, Calrek had regular dealings with other DJs, producers and professionals. He soon gained valuable experience, and acknowledged the importance of well produced music and finely tuned sound equipment in a club setting.

Having had first hand experience of the Plymouth club scene in the mid nineties, it became apparent that the scene was crying out for a regular, quality night in Plymouth, and so Calrek’s vision of Oorpi Techno was born. The objective was simple - quality music with intelligent visuals and lighting in a uniquely created environment, allowing the music to make its mark. Realising the need to stay one step ahead of the game, Calrek felt that producing his own tracks was a natural progression. Oorpi 1 and 2 were soon cut on vinyl and unleashed on the Oorpi regulars, becoming instant classics.

At the time, Calrek was known as DJ Tramp, and he was keen to make his vision become reality. Oorpi Techno soon became a regular event, and quickly went back to basics. Discarding the usual drapes preferred by club promoters, Oorpi Techno broke the mould and took place at the purposely blackened-out Tramps venue at Bretonside, Plymouth, showcasing the professional digital lighting and visuals of Damage FX and Missing Linkz to their full effect. The event also made a positive and lasting impression by incorporating the very best in sound reinforcement audio systems.

As well as showcasing local DJs, Oorpi Techno brought the crème of the techno scene to Plymouth, including Glenn Wilson, O.B.I, Spark Taberner and Mark Hawkins. Inspired by legendary techno master Dave Clarke, DJ Tramp was later consigned to the past and the birth of Calrek was announced to an expectant crowd halfway through Oorpi’s seventh year anniversary. Calrek later coined the term “Technologically Advanced” as the theme for the event, which has both inspired and set the standard for other local events.

As Oorpi Techno grew into a huge success, Calrek’s mixing skills became apparent. Lightning-fast and nimble, Calrek can rival world class DJs by mixing between 30-50 quality records per hour, whilst at the same time using a mixer to full effect to bring in tracks with his unique style. Despite his technical skills, Calrek is a strong believer in maintaining the human element, and if the occasional mix drifts a little, so what? In an age of locked grooves and digital perfection, his presence behind the decks leaves the listener in no doubt that his sets are live and unplanned. From recognisable classics to fresh new material, each piece of vinyl in Calrek’s collection must be high quality, or it will simply not make the grade. The resulting records leave Calrek with a varied collection of techno that cannot be pigeonholed - from tribal and funky grooves to driving basslines and relentless hard beats, Calrek spins them all with unrivalled finesse.

Studying for an HND at Plymouth College of Art and Design in the late nineties, and later for a BSc at Plymouth University in 2000, Calrek amassed a huge amount of technical knowledge relating to multimedia, web design and software programming and development, and felt that he could use this knowledge to make a further contribution to the scene. Driven by his passion, in his spare time he studied piles of software manuals, inches thick. The result was Plymouth’s first internet radio station, built entirely from scratch. This was a perfect showcase of Calrek’s lifelong philosophy “Do More Things”, and the station was named DMT Net Radio. Always keen to contribute to the University, Calrek set up Club DMT and brought Oorpi quality to the Student’s Union dancefloor. Calrek’s achievements caused a stir and he was awarded numerous distinctions whilst on his course.

Using his programming and development knowledge to full advantage, Calrek has built and maintains his own website, www.calrek.com. Often imitated but never surpassed, the now legendary Live Video Chatroom (LVC) enables Calrek to broadcast from virtually any location to techno lovers across the globe. Combining high quality sound, visuals, and a chat facility, the site attracts visitors from many countries including Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Germany, USA, UK, and the Netherlands. As well as featuring his own live mixes, the site also hosts live mixes by other European guest artists such as HardtraX, Teknicity and DJ Niv. Calrek has forged strong links with techno DJs and promoters across the scene, and as a result he has headlined at numerous international events.

Having celebrated Oorpi’s tenth anniversary in October 2005 and headlined at the massive Kazantip techno festival in Crimea in both 2005 and 2006, Calrek has headlined at several large events overseas in 2007. However, despite his huge popularity in Europe, Calrek remains committed to bringing the best quality music to Plymouth, and a further collaboration event is in the pipeline for 2008 following the success of his Underground Dance Parties. Calrek’s own productions have also gone from strength to strength, and some of his tracks are shortly due for release on a new collaboration label. His website now also boasts an interactive radio feature, called Live Radio Chat (LRC) allowing him to continue broadcasting live using high quality seamless audio streaming. Calrek’s latest project PLAYMORETECHNO sees him teaming up with local DJ and techno producer Anna Sonic to promote quality techno music to a wider audience.

Calrek is also teaming up with promoters and organisations in Moscow and Kirov to host Oorpi Techno parties in Russia in the very near future, with top artists from Germany and UK already agreeing to perform. Check www.calrek.com for further developments!