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VJ RASTA ON THE MOUSE
Andrej Intihar aka Rasta On The Mouse is a high profile VJ on the concert-club-festival scene as well as on the corporate events circuit. He collaborates closely with artists such as a techno demi-god DJ Umek, alternative rockers Elvis Jackson, one of world’s best crossover choirs Perpetuum Jazzile as well as festivals such as Party for a Cause, Reggae Riversplash, DiscoNautica and Day of Electronica. His unique video collages are furthermore frequently desired as part of prominent events of leading global brands and corporations, such as Red Bull, BMW, IBM, Microsoft and Phillip Morris. But it’s not only art that he’s very good at, he’s also an experienced technical consultant and reliable business partner, with degree in multimedia engineering and all the knowledge and ties you need to stage the best possible visual show of your desire concerning available budget and all objective limitations of the location and the nature of your event. “When it comes to art, I’m a perfectionist, I try to get the best out of my ideas, take the experience on a new level and present something new, unique. However I have the discipline and responsibility to do that in the frameworks, time and budget limits of specific project, as after all this is a business, too, and I have to be a reliable partner.” And it seems that his music and corporate clients agree as many of them work with VJ Rasta On The Mouse exclusively on a long term basis.
The whole thing started some decade ago, when Andrej, at the time still a student of multimedia, befriended a Pro-grass collective, a DJ-crew he designed fliers for. He wanted to get more involved in their events and so he discovered the art of veejaying. In August 2004 he got his hands on the right software and started learning the craft. Four months later he already debuted at the New Year’s party at Students’ Union ran club K4 in Ljubljana and in February the next year he quit his job as the administrator/host at the hairdressing studio to fully focus on his new calling. We mention the hairdressers solely because his significant dread locks gave him the name Rasta while On The Mouse stands for the piece of equipment he’s doing most of the work with.
CREATIVE APPROACH
What makes VJ Rasta unique and outstanding among his peers is a powerful personal creative approach to everything he does. He started working with generic content, but quite early discovered he wanted to share much more of himself through his work. “You’ll be surprised but a lot of club-goers still don’t realize at all there is a VJ in a venue, though they see our installations, enjoy them and are amazed by them. In any case our input is not trivial as we add that special something to the deejay’s performance, as visuals work on additional senses, thus take music experience in a club, concert or corporate event to another level. My personal touch is colors. I use the whole specter of rainbow. Another distinctive elements in my projects are shots of nature. I’m filming a lot of my own material, I take camera on all my trips and I abuse it in every possible way to get special clips. As the club culture is very urban, most of the parties happen in cities and also the majority of audience spend most of the time in the urban environment full of technology, I try to add some nature to all this, so I use clips of landscapes, flora, fauna and “non-living” nature to trigger happy, warm, cozy feelings. And when I sync the running beetle with music people on the dance floor can really feel how connected we are though we’re so different.”
EXECUTION & REFERENCES
Making a good professional career out of veejaying isn’t easy. You have to be both, a technically well-trained and educated artist as well as a reliable partner in business. And that’s where most of the artists don’t deliver. But that’s no concern when you jump in bed with VJ Rasta: “My project typically starts by client meeting, where we review the project, budget, time-line, framework, limitations, goals and special demands. Based on that I make a proposal of content and technical requirements. Once we confirm the project I start gathering and filming clips and editing the material. It is very important to see the venue as soon as possible as that can also dictate the content and execution of video installation. This way I know what gear I’ll need and where I’ll place it to gain the best possible effect. In case of special requests I can consult the client and get him everything he needs, from additional artists to the latest gear. When it comes to art, I’m a perfectionist, I try to get the best out of my ideas, take the experience on a new level and present something new, unique. However I have the discipline and responsibility to do that in the frameworks, time and budget limits.”
VJ Rasta’s references expand from some of the world’s greatest music projects to leading global corporations and brands. Amongst others he’s a personal VJ of DJ Umek, one of the most sought after deejay in the World, an thus also part of various 1605 festivals (DiscoNautica, Day of Electronica, Party for a Cause) that are giving pace to the EDM scene in North Adriatic region. Furthermore he’s involved with alternative punk rock band Elvis Jackson as well as the crossover vocal attraction Perpetuum Jazzile that made its name with the famous acapella rework of Toto’s “Africa”.
The other part of VJ Rasta’s creativity is channeled into the corporate events for prominent brands and corporations such as BMW (launch of the new series 5 models), Red Bull, IBM, Microsoft NT conference, Phillip Morris (Red Rush, Be a Star series), Lisca (fashion show) and Nivea. And he’s a skillful TV producer, too. For two years he’s been in charge of SKL - Slovenian national high-school and college basketball league TV project. He put together the crew, organized the working process, technical and creative execution, created the show’s complete graphic design and monitored the live TV coverage of two day finals.
MENTORING
From the beginning of his career VJ Rasta On The Mouse is also developing his own tools for the transfer of knowledge and skills. For his final academy diploma he wrote a complete VJ tutorial, a groundbreaking work in Slovenia. He’s regularly hosting his own VJ panels and workshops in the K4 club in Ljubljana and mentoring younger peers: "When I’m working on a bigger project I like taking some young talent through the entire process as my assistant and if possible arrange for him to warm for me for the first hour of the gig. This is the best way to learn this art. No tutorial or workshop can give you as much as being coached through the whole process on a real event.”
PARTY/CONCERT |
CORPORATIVE EVENTS |
CULTURE EVENTS |
PRODUCTION |
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Andrej Intihar - Vj Rasta on the mouse
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| Address: | Iška vas 96 |
| Post: | 1292 Ig |
| Coutry: | Slovenija Europe |
| Mob.: | +386 41 891 935 |
| Mail: | rasta@vjrasta .tv |