Hailing from Šibenik with roots in Međimurje, Bruno Dvorščak is known in music circles as Ščak. After years of collecting music of all shapes and textures, he decided to dive into DJing and experiment with his genre-rich collection.
He honed his skills by playing at house parties, bars, forests, and islands, eventually making it onto the lineups of several Croatian festivals, including Blast Fest, Supertoon, and Regius. In addition, he can often be “caught” performing at Disko R in Šibenik.
Ščak always emphasizes that he doesn’t have a favorite electronic music genre; he prefers to “hit the right moment for a particular vibe”. In his sets, he mixes a little bit of everything – from house to breaks, electro, and techno, all the way to trance. By profession, he’s a veterinarian, and in his free time he enjoys hiking, astronomy, as well as playing basketball and badminton.
At the end of last year, Bruno became a father and is now fully focused on his parental duties. Before his baby arrived, he took the opportunity to blast his home sound system and recorded an amazing mix for us. We also talked about music, nights out, the Šibenik scene, and funny stories from the vet clinic.
Tell us more about the mix you recorded.
The mix was created during one wild solo night while my wife was at her prenatal check-ups. I knew it was very likely the last time I’d be able to blast music this loud at home!
What have you been listening to most lately?
Baby cries! And through the speakers, there’s been more and more dub, dubstep, faster techno, and drum & bass.
You recently became a father. What kind of music do you play for your baby?
The little one listens to everything, from classical and jazz to rock, funk, and electronic music. The funny thing is that every type of music has a “baby version”, so the playlist includes Baby Mozart, Baby Bob Marley, and the like.
What advice or trick has been the most useful to you when learning to mix?
My favorite advice was that you can mix anything with anything, because it’s all about the right moment. I love eclectic and diverse selections, which sometimes makes it tricky to maintain a good flow, but with the right atmosphere, everything falls into place naturally. I started downloading music back in college, and I accumulated a huge collection before I began experimenting with mixing. I only really got serious about it after returning to Šibenik four years ago.
What’s your favorite piece of equipment?
My Pioneer XDJ RR controller. It’s small, cute, and portable – just what I need right now for home use or to quickly take and set up anywhere. Of course, I prefer playing on more substantial players, but practicality is my priority at the moment.
From your perspective, how is the Šibenik scene doing right now?
On life support! People in Šibenik are tough and not very open to new music genres, and it’s really hard to get them to dance, even when the music is good. The biggest issue is the lack of a proper club space in the city center that could support the alternative electronic scene.
What, in your opinion, makes a perfect party?
Good sound and rhythm, complemented by a positive atmosphere and people who dance. No phones.
When you’re not behind the decks, you work as a veterinarian. Tell us your favorite anecdote from work.
Lately, being a veterinarian is more like working as a psychologist than an animal doctor. Just recently, a lady came in with a freshly dug-up cat. She said that while she was burying it, the cat moved its tail, and she was convinced it was still alive. She asked me to give it two or three vitamin injections. Trying to explain that the cat had been stiff and cold since yesterday, I didn’t know whether to give the injection to the cat or to the lady. The lady was sent back to the cat cemetery.
“Do I need to pay anything, doctor?”
“Nope, nothing this time!”
Share your recipe for “recovery” after a wild weekend.
Greasy food and good sex.
If you could play any track right now, what would it be?
Photo: Ana Bradvica, Pavle Letić, privatni album