10 Questions 2 – JOHAN LECANDER

01. Hi JOHAN and thanks for taking the time out to chat with us. Can you tell our readers about your role at Digitally Imported, maybe something many people don’t know about you?

Hi! Thanks for having me. I’m a senior Curation Director at DI.FM which means I have an overseeing responsibility for the content that we stream throughout our 90+ channels. Personally I started, and still run, 9 of those, including the Techno channel.

Many people might not know that I also do business intelligence analysis for DI and I have been with the company since the year 2000 (when it was just a hobby project of the Ari Shohat, founder & CEO)


02. What are your first memories of Electronic Music?


Hmm, had to think on this one a bit. Perhaps theme music from TV-series and arcade games would be the very first one but an early memory is also loving Jean-Michelle Jarre type of stuff. Of course, I knew it as ‘synthesizer music’ back then and one of my very first CDs was a Synthesizer’s Greatest Hits Compilation.

03. Where do you see the techno scene in 10 years? 


  This is hard as we have been dealt a complete curveball out of nowhere with this whole Covid-19 business. I think it has changed the trajectory of the scene for the coming years. Personally, I hope for a resurgence of smaller club events (once we are passed the pandemic stage) instead of mega-events/festivals and an end to the super-inflated DJ fees

04. Where do you most enjoy?

Crowded festivals or the more intimate clubs?
I have enjoyed my fair share of big crowd events but nowadays I must say I’m all for the more intimate club environment.

05. Do you play live/DJ?


I used to DJ a fair amount back in the day, even internationally, but at some point, I got a bit tired of the hustle to get gigs so I slowly scaled that down. I’d still play if someone approaches me and the circumstances are right but it’s not very often these days. Usually, it would be at the occasional local underground rave.

06. Tell us some of the proudest moments of your career to date?



I think, last year, when DI turned 20 years old that was a great moment. I have been involved with DI since the beginning and has helped this service not only survive but grow throughout two decades felt huge. Especially considering the radio streaming business where very few of those who were around when we started still exists today. 

It’s been a lot of work and many bumps on the road, but we are still here, bigger than ever, and not going away anytime soon!

07. What music genres do you listen to when you’re at home?



I still listen to a lot of electronic music at home. It’s my life but when it’s not about electronic music it tends to be jazz, classical, or just whatever is on the local radio.

08. What parties/festivals should we not miss this year?


Probably not going to be any parties this year or most of next I suppose. But the live streaming space is exciting these days and I can recommend searching for your favs and see if they have any to tune in to.

09. Do you have any does or don’ts regarding tips for aspiring DJs?


Do’s: 
My first rule is hard to do these days but that would be to go to a lot of clubs and events and get a feel for what works and doesn’t work on a dancefloor. It is a different experience than listening in your headphones at home and other rules in building your set will apply.

Secondly, you must network. A lot. It is a cliché but very true: it’s about who you know, not what you can do, necessarily.

Don’ts:
If you get a warm-up slot don’t go nuts with peak time music. It’s not what you are there for and usually, it’s too early in the night to get anyone excited about it on the dance floor.

10. Lastly, can you tell us what plans you and di.fm have for the rest of 2020?



We hope to build and release more of the features our listeners have been requesting our services. I can’t disclose any details, but we are working hard behind the scenes to expand the number of ways and platforms listeners can use to access the very best in electronic dance music!

For more 10 Questions 2: https://technoscene.eu