Johannes Vimalavong

Johannes’ story started with a journey into a completely different world. When his father came to Leipzig to study in 1978 he didn’t know what to expect. He left Laos in 1978, shortly after the Vietnam War and couldn’t have guessed that the girl who was sitting next to him in math class was soon to become his wife. Despite all the difficulties, the two came and stayed together. Their son Johannes Vimalavong was born in 1990, the year of the German reunification. He grew up in the Thuringian hinterland that is Küllstedt, near Dingelstädt, near Mühlhausen, near nowhere, basically. In this remote paradise Johannes started to play music. Initially with a guitar and any other instrument that fell into his hands, until a Technics MKII changed his life. He began to spin records. But since there were very few opportunities to do so in the surrounding area he just started to organize the parties himself. That’s where he first showed what the people who know him personally love about him: He gets things done. He’s a Person with ten ideas at a time, of which at least five are realized. The party series he started when he still went to school is called „Fettes Geknarze“ which roughly translates to fat creaking. He would get DJs like Sascha Braemer, Raumakustik, Marcapasos, Gestört aber Geil, Pretty Pink and Ostblockschlampen to play at the events. At the same time he started to remix songs from popular and not so popular artists catching the attention of up-and-coming house producer Vitali Zestovskih. Vitali saw the potential in the young DJ from Thuringia and took him under his wings. The first official releases from Vimalavong were not long in coming: Wincent Weiss’ „Musik Sein“, Dua Lipa’s „Hotter than Hell“ and Mats Heilig’s „Fliegen“ all came in rapid succession and created the increasingly strong trademark of the „Vimalavong Remix“ Vimalavong now carries on what has started with a journey from Laos to the GDR with his very own voyage. In search of beats, memorable moments and soul mates this trip has only just started. VIMALAVONG DJ, Producer, Remixer //Booking @ www.dusteddecks.de