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Present yourself as an artist and entrepreneur – Who is Waqar? 

Waqar is a DJ with a huge interest in all kinds of disco and synthesizer music from the 80s as well as timeless house and techno from the happy 90s. Waqar is also a booker and programmer at Distortion Ø and a former radio host.

What initially inspired you to become a DJ, and how did your journey in the music industry begin?

I started collecting music in the 80s and bought music with my favourite artists on cassette tapes, records and CDs. It was never really my intention to be a DJ. It happened quite randomly in the early 90s when friends asked me to bring my CDs and LPs to their parties, so they could hear some dance music.

What are some of the most memorable moments or highlights from your career as a DJ or entrepreneur?

I have some good memories from the Roskilde Festival where I played a couple of warm-up gigs and also the infamous camp scene, Promilleservice. Before becoming a part of the Distortion music team as a programmer, I used to be one of the resident DJs for several years. I do have a few blurry memories playing italo disco on the top of a bus at the Final Party. I am quite proud of the development of the music stages on Distortion Ø over the years. It’s difficult to point to a single highlight. There are too many!

As an OG in the scene, how have the music scene changed over the years and how have these changes impacted your approach to music?

As the ravers already know, the electronic music scene changes at regular intervals. Let’s look at the development from the late ’90s up through the 00s, where industrial techno slowly went in the direction of becoming more minimalistic and slow in tempo, you’ll see that many of the old techno/trance anthems and productions from the ’90s getting a revival on the club scene today. Lots of DJs play new remixes and edits of old classics. History repeats itself and genres that have been forgotten over time repeat themselves. It suits me quite well, as I am a sucker for old forgotten classics from past eras.

How do you think the future is going to look like in the electronic music scene? 

it’s hard to say what the next big thing gonna be on the electronic scene. As mentioned, history often repeats itself. We have seen the resurrection of hard and fast techno, countless new house genres with references to classic house and lately a wide palette of cheesy trance. Personally, I hope that disco and italo disco will return again. I have a lot of tracks that are collecting dust!

What advice would you give to emerging artists entering the electronic music scene today, based on your own journey and experiences?

Spend a lot of time finding your own style and tracks that others don’t play. Today, everyone is a DJ and it is important to add personality to your sets. Travel to festivals or clubs abroad and get some inspiration 🙂