Back to the States bringing a dream catching trance journey

I recently had the opportunity to have a chat with Polish DJ Nitrous Oxide née Chris Pretkiewicz, before his headlining set at Plurrfect Presents: Nitrous Oxide. Chris’ easy going personality made me feel as if I’d known him for years. Our conversation flowed so fluidly that at one point I almost forgot to ask any of the questions.

As I learned more about him, I was able to catch a rare personal glimpse of a true artist. To him music is far more than an assemblage of beats and sounds, he appreciates every aspect of the art form. Music is a fully sensory experience, and Chris finds joy in the visual and emotional aspects of sound.

The future looks bright as he embarks on new adventures with his radio show Dreamcatcher and his recent signing with MJR Management & Bookings. He joins an impressive lineup of artists and is a perfect match for the dynamic and diverse lineup of high quality acts on the roster.  I walked away from our conversation an even bigger fan and I cannot wait to see what the future brings for him.

You have stayed away from the US for some time now.  What prompted you to return in 2017?

I had a break from touring for last two years but I’m getting back on track again. I have a lot of fans and friends in the U.S and it’s the main reason why I’m here again. Finally we can celebrate great music together.

Congrats on the launch of your new radio show Dreamcatcher.

Thank you.

What can fans expect from your show?

Mainly a lot of good trance music. The new ones but also the older tracks, that were inspiring me and mobilized [me] to going that way.

What will differentiate this show from Accelerate Sessions in 2013?

I want to present the essence of trance, but also my very own preferred tracks from the other regions of the electronic music world. I hope that my listeners will enjoy the new formula of the show.

What is it about Vinyl that you love? 

Vinyl has a soul and I think that everyone who played them once can tell you the same. It’s a totally different feeling when you spin from 12 inch plates than just press the play button on the CDJ. Also you need to focus a bit more during mixing. CDJs can help you with mixing a lot because of showing the track tempo or even synchronizing two tracks themselves, so the producers and DJs started to shorten the tracks to have more of them per 1-hour set. I personally hate it because you can’t enjoy the music with just a 3 minutes long track. In my opinion this trend is participating in making a huge damage in the electronic music market. I like to celebrate the past where tracks were 8-10 minutes long.

Obviously CDJs are more convenient.  Besides that, what is preventing DJs from venturing into playing vinyl more these days?

I think there are two issues. First and most important thing is that new music is not releasing on vinyl so the only records you can play are these from the past. Second thing is a traveling issue. Vinyl weighs much and nowadays DJs are too lazy to drag them all over the world

Finally, what motto do you live by?

If you really want to catch your dreams, you have to chase them