Born in a small town in Ural, Russia in 1963, DJ Goldfinger started deejeeing in the late 70s, playing eurodisco at school parties. He continued at the local club in 1980-1981, spinning new wave and reggae. In 1988, after studying economy in Moscow, he moved to Amsterdam, Holland...

After getting acquainted with the local situation, DJ Goldfinger became fascinated by the growing house/techno scene. In 1990-1991 – with support from the leading Dutch techno labels Go Bang! and ESP – he played under his own name Maxim in urban centers of the former USSR (Moscow, Riga, Kiev, Leningrad). Music was a mix of techno, new beat, acid jazz, rare groove and breakbeats. Already then his style was eclectic, reflecting a broad musical taste.

After a while, DJ Goldfinger appeared in Amsterdam under the name Shamax, mainly playing ambient/intelligent techno (labels: Warp, Apollo, Silence, Rising High). He avoided the mainstream dance/club/house scene, experimenting with the floating interaction of sound fields and human energies.

Always attracted to the more innovative and challenging edges of dance music, DJ Goldfinger readily embraced the appearance of Headz and abstract drum'n'bass, nu jazz, hedfunk, spacedisco, synth-electro-pop, dubtek and percussive ambient samba.

He continually searches for old and forgotten gems, some of it can be called stereo/mono age loungecore (hyped as easy listening), rare Russian and East-European groove, soft-porn soundtracks, loungepunk and smart-hop etc.

Real name?
Maxim Chapochnikov

DJ name?
DJ Goldfinger/Captain Cook (Radio 100), Dr. No (for discopunk sets).

How did you choose It?
James Bond movies always inspired me. One day my friend was covering nails with golden nail polish and I asked her to do it for me. When I saw my fingers covered in gold, the idea came to me. Goldfinger! Captain Cook was a famous traveller and my radio program 'What's Cooking' on Radio 100 is very much an exotic program with sounds from all over the world and other ages as well. Dr. No is a logical development from Goldfinger as a lounge DJ towards loungepunk attitude.

Vinyl junkie or CDs?
Vinyl junkie!

How many records/CDs do you have?
Never counted them, but I cannot walk in my studio without bumping into a pile of records. Maybe about 2000.

What style of music do you play?
Many, as long as there's the right atmosphere.

From film soundtracks, inspired collages and funky exotica, to 70-80's disco, to latin/ bossa grooves/ to punky stuff with a twist. I do some minimal techno sets as well. I choose tracks because of the musical/rhythmical composition as well as elaborated sound. Music should take you by surprise, like in a horror film or in a wet dream.

No style, but attitude. If you need a name of style, I'd call it loungepunk, the way I feel now

Where do you DJ?
In Amsterdam all over the place: Paradiso, Panama, Cafe Pakhuis Wilhelmina, to name but a few. I'm also a resident at Café Lux and have organised many parties for Salon USSR and KidNap Records.
I also do some international gigs: Antwerpen, Milan, Moscow, Cisinau.

Your ideal DJ gig?
A place for 200-300 people, where everybody feels at home. Setting? Botanic gardens, swimming pool, airport, or a bomb shelter.

Last record/CD you bought?
Xerac 'Everyone wants my sex' 12" is one special record I bought recently.

Current musical obsession?
Lesbopunk.

Top 3 all-time dancefloor favourites?
Donna Summer – Love To Love You Baby
Abba – Dancing Queen
Modern Talking - You're My Heart You're My Soul

(I don't take the 'favourites' polls too seriously...)

Worst request?
The last one was to play some Guns And Roses. I'd rather put Alice
Cooper on.

Favourite record stores in Amsterdam?
Distortion (messy,but still cheaper than others. Can always find
something surprising).

Favourite internet radio station
Radio 100, where I do a show twice a month on Thursdays from 22:00 to
24:00.

Do you have your own website?
www.salonussr.com