New York City's own Vicious Vic has been through the history of the scene. He has been playing professionally for nearly ten years, starting out doing parties and teen clubs, but moving on to such defining elements of the NYC scene as the StormRaves of the early '90s, and the infamous Caffeine, at which he spun alongside the likes of Frankie Bones, Heather Heart, Adam X and Micro. Vic brought his diverse style of techno, house, trance and breaks to Atlanta on April 29th at Outerlimits. I had a chance to catch up with Vic a bit later and talked to him about DJ'ing, what he does outside of spinning and, most interestingly, "The Mime Experience," which is an event that must be seen to be believed.

Lunar: I know your bio is on your Web site, but for those who don't know, how did you get started?

Vic: The way I got started was that my brother turned me on to the DJ world because he used to go to Manhattan. He'd hit places like The Funhouse, The Paradise Garage and the original Roxy. He used to tell me stories about how they used to stay open all night. He used to bring records, and I started saving money, doing stuff like cutting grass to get some tables...I started doing gigs at parties, I started at teen clubs and did a couple of promos for some radio stations and then I discovered house and then techno. And the rest is history.

Lunar: Who are your influences?

Vic: Everything I see in front of my eyes and everything I hear. Lunar: How long has your wife been performing with you?

Vic: Two years. Lunar: What inspired "The Mime Experience"?

Vic: She can spiritually sense what I'm feeling when I'm playing, and she interprets what I feel for the audience. Lunar: I noticed during your set the other night that your track selection flows between many genres, from house to trance to techno to breaks. Where do you see the current trends in electronic music moving?

Vic: I think that progressive sounds like trance and jungle are what's moving forward. Lunar: Whose works impress you recently from those genres?

Vic: From jungle...I'd have to say, my boy Danny tha Wildchild and Freaky Flow from Canada. From trance, I'd say Paul Van Dyk and Dave Ralph. Lunar: Have you ever had a night where you just broke with tradition and threw down something totally different, like a tech-y jungle set?

Vic: Once I went into a garage set. I decided to play some soulful house. Lunar: What have you noticed about Atlanta's scene in comparison to NYC or other cities?

Vic: Much love. Lunar: What was the last good movie you saw?

Vic: Seymour Butts Vol. 13. Lunar: What do you do when you have a break from DJ'ing?

Vic: Chill out and relax, y'know? I'll kick back, watch TV and take a breather. If I'm local, I'll check out a movie or hit the driving range and mess with some golf or something. Lunar: You used to play during Stormraves, which is an era that has been considered legendary in bringing raves to America. Do you get a lot of fame/notoriery from playing the Stormraves in the early '90s?

Vic: The only feedback that we've gotten was from Caffeine. Lunar: What was the most bugged-out thing you've ever seen when you were spinning?

Vic: A police officer came up to me and told me to turn off the music. Actually, that's happened a couple of times. Worst feeling in the world. Lunar: Do you have any parting words of advice for Atlanta?

Vic: Always be a real friend to your friends, and remember not to abuse the scene. Remember to never over-abuse the scene. Vicious Vic's new album, Capsule, is available on Journees music. You can visit his Web site at www.viciousvic.com.

• Vicious Vic Web site
• Beatculture.com Interview
• Team Hard Core Profile

Trance Voyages
Compiled and mixed by Vicious Vic
Record Label: Topaz
Track Listing:

1. Soul Force - Arksun
2. Blaxo - DJ Dan
3. Your Spirit Is Shining - Pulse Driver
4. Watching You - Eye
5. Disco Fanz 2000 - M-Pire Project
6. Insane - Franceso Zappala
7. Agrimonyer - Joy Kitikonti
8. Second Coming, The - Wavehead
9. Hysterie - Embargo
10. Where Are You - Phantom Sheriffs
11. What I'm Dreaming - D&A
12. Future Generation - Timriders
13. Exodvs 99 - Svnscreem