An Eye For Music – An Interview with the Janka Volf

Who r u, where r u from, & wtf do u do?
Hii, I’m Janka, I’m from Hungary but grew up in Hamilton—now mainly based in Cambridge & Raglan. I love to take photos, particularly on film.

What’s the music scene out in rags like?
I would definitely say it depends on who you ask (things have been a little turbulent at times), however, I would say there is a steady wave of creativity from both emerging and established artists who are consistently producing and evolving.

How do you capture the vibe of live performance?
Shooting on film you never really know how your images will turn out until they’ve been developed. Lighting plays a huge role, the settings on your camera and, honestly, the timing of when you choose to take the photo really defines the final image. Also, shooting with or without flash creates an entirely different feeling. I think as you develop your particular taste and style as a photographer you’ll find how you like to shoot as well.

You do a lot of film photography, what’s the set up?
Depending on what and where I am shooting will determine which camera I am using. For shooting gigs, the camera I usually reach for needs no extra gear—it has a built in flash if needed, and the lens I usually use is great for most of the shots I want to take. Other than that, you definitely need a film roll in your camera, and patience!

Fave lenses?
I love my 28-80mm lens, super standard but I love her. Also, love a good wide lens.

Do you edit your photography much or focus more on the camera settings/lenses etc.?
I don’t edit my photos in post, however, this does depend on what I am shooting for and how the images turned out. I like to concentrate on my settings to convey the feeling and atmosphere I’m going for. The settings you use are essential—the difference between a photo shot on auto settings and a photo shot completely manual is massive, and that goes for both shooting on film and digital. Shooting in manual gives you so much more control, auto just can’t match that level of intention.

If you do edit, which software are you using?
Adobe Lightroom.

Fave camera setting to fuck with?
Currently, I would say shutter speed.

Who are some underground artists we should be looking out for?
Mudflat Recordings (@mudflatrecordings) —they are a collective of 4 artists, Cory Blaikie, Joe Blaikie, Jackson Mayes and Finn Jackson. They play a range of electronic music, a light description would be deep, groovy house/techno. They also host a bunch of artists on their Soundcloud.

Best drain gang member?
Bladee & Ecco2K (love them all though).

Nexus have heard rumours of some underground raves, how rad are these getting?
Haha! Not sure if rave is the best word, but they are suuuupppeeerrrr fun. There’s a huge range of artists that play—big names alongside emerging artists, either way it’s so much fun. Most of the time it’s a super intimate set up; the dj booth is right there by the dance floor and people get so into it. People are just there to party to some good music, get sweaty and dance.

Are cops & old folk messing up the scene?
Cops, no. Sound control, yes. Old folk, definitely not. If anything, the old folk can get more into it than the young.

How does promotion & payment work in an underground scene like this?
A lot of the time it’s invite only, and word of mouth. If you know, you know—that sort of thing. It’s kind of a trust system when it comes to payment, they ask for koha/donations only to help cover the costs of putting the party on—the dj bookings, the audio and lighting equipment, the security working, etc. They are not asking for much, especially considering the work that goes into it, the names that play and how much fun it all is.