Andrey Sirotkin talks to 6AM about his musical journey, creative process, work across multiple aliases, label projects, and views on underground club culture.

 

Hi Andrey! Thanks for talking to 6AM group. How are you?

Hi, and thank you for this conversation regardless where it will take us. I’m good and I would say I’m super thankful that I have, cause many many many people are affected with these global horrific events of couple last years till now.

 

For those that don’t know you’ve been part of the electronic scene since 2004, releasing on labels like Diffuse Reality, THISBE, and Brique Rouge while steadily shaping a sound that blends acid, techno, and beyond. Along the way, you’ve also received support from major artists such as Richie Hawtin, Maceo Plex, Joris Voorn, Marc Romboy, and John Digweed. Looking back, how did you first land on a style that felt truly yours, and how has it evolved with that kind of recognition behind you? Which of these milestones stands out as the most meaningful to you personally, and why?

In 2004 i started with drum and bass under alias I Wannabe. From all the electronic music I was in till that time I already new that it was “mine”. I’m still in love with that genre of music and of course it affects everything in my production even now.

Global wave of dubstep arrived to Kyiv in 2008 and already listen to drum and bass for 8 years and producing for 4 years I tried myself in this genre as I felt very new and very open to experiments in sound. Which actually lead me to 4x4 music. So in 2012 I ended up with Shade Of Drum alias as strictly techno alias. 

Since that I had inner personal transformation of my relationship with life and music and I decided to make my pain “project” Andrey Sirotkin (my birth name) under which I would like to release techno/acid based music so to be much wider in genres and styles. And now I’m here.

 

One of the unique things about your workflow and artistry is “recycling” tracks, where you take something written in a techno or acid style and reimagine it as a drum & bass cut under I Wannabe, or the other way around. Why did you decide to go this route with your music?  What does each alias let you express that the other can’t, and how do they balance each other creatively?

Oh yes, this idea was mainly one of reasons to start my latest alias. And of course through this time I haven’t stopped making drum and bass. So first of all I started to release different versions of track – electronic version, club mix, ambient version, breakbeat mix etc.

 

I’m Eve (original mix)

I’m Eve (break beat mix)


I’m Eve (ambient mix)

Next step was to make drum and bass remixes of own tracks by other alias and vice versa. While doing such remixes I found huge difference from makin remixes for other artists – I have full working project of original track instead of just audio and midi tracks. 

Andrey Sirotkin – Woman He Loves

Andrey Sirotkin – Woman He Loves (I Wannabe remix)

Owning projects allowed me so much possibilities that I could basically do another version just but changing original idea in project, like i’m producing track, not remixing it. 

And so from callin other version as “I Wannabe remix” I started to name tracks exactly the same but to release them under different aliases.

Andrey Sirotkin – I Got The Blues

I Wannabe – I Got The Blues

 

You’ve been releasing new tracks every three weeks for over three years now, which is a pace most producers can’t imagine keeping up with for that long. What fuels that level of consistency, and how does such a tight rhythm shape the way your music comes out?

First of all it’s not that big count. In 2024 i released 29 tracks, in this year so far it’s 22 tracks. It’s not that big count for an artist – it’s one album per year. Ok.. but I don’t count released tracks under other aliases… which leads to point number two.

Which is i think the main driving force – it’s the feeling that I don’t make music from feeling of getting bored, procrastination or aesthetics. I do music cause I express all emotions inside me and the most strong, bad, heavy or inconvenient emotions I express in this language so not to put them on my loved ones, family and people around me. I do music to express sadness, grief, anger, irritation, fear and many other unpleasant ones. I do not wait for inspiration, i just do. I cannot not to do. 

The third thing is circumstances, environment or format which allows me to operate quickly. I just do many different music genres – techno, acid are the main but also it’s dub techno, electronica, indie dance, deep house, tech house etc. Even inside one subgenre tracks can have very different ideas and vibe so to be absolutely not compatible in one release, which lead me to huge showstopper with gathering similar sounding tracks in one release which can took me a looooong long time to or to produce similar tracks which let me to making track from exact idea which confronting with my main feeling to express myself now via music. So… I decided to release music with singles – one track at the time. If at the time of release I will have 2+ similar track or the ones that sound good together as one release – great but it’s not mandatory.

Voila! All 3 things work together for me pretty good.

 

Beyond producing, you’re also the owner of Vyrii Records and co-owner of Deviant Drums, which adds another layer to your role in the scene. How do you balance the responsibilities of curating and running labels with keeping your own music raw, high-energy, and aimed squarely at the dance floor?

For the time of running both it was almost fully dedicated to releasing own music for Andrey Sirotkin and I Wannabe in accordance with small amount of collabs and featurings here and there. My goal was to establish the sound of labels, to give a strong vector.

And only now I have some good offers of tracks to sign which are really fitting the sound of label. Also I would like to invite artist that I really love and respect to work for more collaborations with me and to remix my track. 

All things go organically to be honest. For me all these are one big thing.

 

Listen now: 6AM Guest Mix: Andrey Sirotkin

 

Your schedule has taken you to clubs like Sisyphos in Berlin and stages across Europe, with more dates lining up. From all the places you’ve played so far, which gig has left the deepest mark on you, and what made that moment stand out compared to the rest? Any particular venue/event that you’re looking extra forward to play in the near future?

As you may know the nightlife or lets say club culture in Ukraine shifted to evening or daytime events which are not my favourite and I mostly cannot relate to them. 

Global commercialization, making events pop and i would say making events for everyone, i mean understood for all people who are even not into electronic music, makes them look overmarketed and sterile starting from forming the lineup and running ads for event to design and vibe of venue.

My love is underground. It was the most attractive thing besides music – alternative to pop with all of that superstars and all-around-music monetisation and audience reach. Underground beckoned me with strict music oriented idea. And that music was the one I enjoyed the most.

So any venue which keeps this spirit for me is awesome. Especially it’s Sisyphos in Berlin and Luzztro in Warsaw. 

And i’m really wondering which are places like these are there. 

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us. Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you! I hope I was not too boring, to long or hard to follow… but I am who I am. 

And I would like to finish with words from “Truman’s show” movie – "In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night".

Connect with Andrey: SoundCloud | Instagram | Bandcamp