Baggi Begovic on His War-Torn Past and the Influence It Has on His Music
Meet Baggi Begovic. He’s a staple on Tiësto’s Musical Freedom Records, an icon of the Netherlands, and a revelation on the knobs. We caught up with Baggi in preparation for his blow-out set this weekend at Beyond Wonderland to talk about how he and Tiësto used to work at competing record stores, his recent collaborations with Team Bastian and Tony Junior, and his tragic, war-torn past and the influence it has on the music he makes today.
“As an artist I feel grateful for what I have. As horrific as my experience was, I’m lucky to have survived and be making music.”
Before you became the show-stopping DJ you are today, you went through more hardships than most people ever experience. If you’re comfortable talking about it, what happened in your youth during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early ’90s?
I don’t mind talking about it because it has helped shape who I am as a person and an artist. As a 15-year-old in Bosnia, I was caught up in a conflict in which there were no winners. It was a complex and devastating war with many layers. I specifically witnessed my father dragged out of my house and shot to death. My uncle was kidnapped, and that’s the last we heard of him. It was chaotic, scary and depressing. My mother, sister and I were sent to a detainment camp, where we lived for a year until being freed in a prisoner exchange. Eventually, we were able to sneak out of the country with false identities to Croatia, and from there, the Netherlands.
How did you survive during the conflict?
I learned to be tough and resourceful during this period of time. I have an amazing mother who is the bravest person I know. She kept us strong.
Looking back, how did those experiences shape your music? Is it a form of escape or a protest of what happened?
As an artist, I feel grateful for what I have. As horrific as my experience was, I’m lucky to have survived and be making music. If something doesn’t go my way at a show or in a deal, so be it. I’ve survived far worse. Musically, you’d think I’d be interested in making dark and depressing tracks, but quite the opposite. I wanted my music to celebrate life and, like you suggested, be an escape for people’s hardships.
So after the war you moved to the Netherlands, and that’s where you got your start making music?
We settled in Rotterdam after the war. My sister made friends and was old enough to go out to some clubs. Even though I was underage, I would try to come along. One night, a bouncer who happened to be Bosnian took a friendly liking to me and introduced me to a club owner who gave me a job as a bar-back. I collected and washed glasses. I used to watch the DJs enviously and knew immediately I wanted to DJ. I found some old turntables—without pitch control—that someone had thrown out. They weren’t matching, but they were enough to practice. I taught myself to mix by watching DJs at the club. I practiced secretly on the club’s equipment and the owner’s records when he wasn’t at the club. Eventually, I convinced him to let me have a half-hour set on a Sunday. No matter what happens now, I’ll always think of that as my best set. It led to a residency. Eventually, bar-back became DJ, and I was off to the races with a job in a record store on the side.
And that’s how you met Tiësto, correct? Tell us about that chance encounter.
In Rotterdam, Tijs and I were clerks and buyers in rival record stores on the same street. We used to compete and talk about new records and trends that we were buying. That was a good time. Eventually he became Tiësto, and I really admired him and his production. He was a major influence in convincing me to start producing my own music. I reached back out many years later online nervously—he’d become a national icon—and he couldn’t have been warmer. He asked me to send him tracks, and the rest is history.
What’s it like working with him now?
He’s so incredibly generous and insightful. He’s got great advice, of course. It’s been really cool to have a show on his Sirius Channel, Baggage Claim, which airs on Club Life Radio Fridays at 6pm ET. The Musical Freedom thing has been amazing as well. We had a great collab with “Love & Run,” and he’s obviously been very supportive of other tracks I’ve had on the label. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting his family. They couldn’t be any nicer.
Any nuggets of knowledge you can offer us from him about making music?
There are some guys that have been doing this for a minute that are envious and bitter about the next generation of talent. Tijs embraces them, supports them, and collaborates with them. It’s a wonderful symbiotic process that I really respect.
How about from yourself? What have you to pass down?
Don’t be afraid to let your taste evolve.
Let’s talk about some of your recent collaborations. What was it like working with Team Bastian and Tony Junior?
I’m really pleased with the reception of my collab with Tony, “Plur Warriors.” It’s a very cool tribal track on Sander Van Doorns’ label that has been really exciting in my sets. Team Bastian is an artist I mesh really well with creatively. We’ve done a bunch of tracks together this year and found a great groove. “Sleep Till I Come Home” and “I Know,” which were both Musical Freedom releases stand out particularly as great progressive vocal tracks.
If you could collaborate with any artist in history, whom would you want to make a steamy track with?
Teddy Pendergrass! I’d love to have his vocals on a deep house record.
You just did a mix for us for Beyond Wonderland. Tell me about some of the tracks you picked and why you added them to your party list essentials.
I’m going to play a deeper set, and I wanted the mix to reflect that set. I have a couple Don Diablo records in there because he’s an incredible producer that’s clearly on fire right now. Also, he is a great guy in general. I also have some Oliver Heldens because he’s leading the charge for deep house’s mainstream comeback right now. Also, listeners should keep their eyes open for a preview of some new Baggi, with formal info to be determined.
Speaking of awesome mixes, how about some throwbacks? What are some of your favorite tape mixes from back in the day?
We could do a separate interview about this altogether. I’ll tell you what, one of my managers, Hosh Gureli, uploads his old DJ sets from the ’80s and ’90s on his Mixcloud account, and they are amazingly flush with great throwback cuts. Google these and listen!
How about now? Who’s putting out some of your favorite tracks and mixes?
There are a lot of artists doing interesting things right now. I’m feeling this new Oliver Heldens & Sander van Doorn record. Some of the younger, melodic guys like Arty and Audien are very inspiring. I’m also a big fan of Fedde [Le Grand]. I’m always interested in what he‘s up to.
We are all excited for your set this weekend at Beyond Wonderland. What sort of awesome debauchery should fans expect?
I’m going to take Beyond Wonderland to church. Expect some soulful records!
How about your plans for after the festival? Anything earth-shattering coming down the pipe?
Working on a couple tracks that will take me back to my roots, which I’m really excited about. I’m also looking forward to ADE this year in Holland. I’ve got a couple shows but plan to see a bunch as a fan as well. It’s always a great week of catching up with friends and colleagues across the industry.
Follow Baggi Begovic on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
