Scene
In a selfless attempt to keep all the information regarding the progress, impact and evolution of Croatian electronic music scene, three individuals have come together and created a new platform called Culture, imagined as its official archive. Dino Egredzija, founder of Groove Protocol and Rhythmic Beatz Records, Tihomir Andrić from Kisses of Techno, with the support of Markus Axelsson, known as MarAxe have created a new platform that follows the timeline of Croatian DJs, producers, clubs, festivals, promoters and collectives throughout the years.
We had a chat about one of its founders, Dino Egrezija, regarding the platform’s idea, vision, mission and sources that help them recreate the history of Croatian electronic music scene.
“The idea for Culture stemmed from a very specific issue: the electronic music scene here and in the region is rich in history, venues, people, events, clubs, labels, collectives, and local stories, yet much of this has not been systematically documented. A great deal of it exists only in memories, old event announcements, social media, private archives, and fragmented sources“, Dino explained, adding that the Balkans are home to exceptionally talented artists, producers, DJs, and alternative figures who maintain a very high standard of quality in this music—often without institutional support or a platform that truly recognizes its value.
According to the founder, the issue of the domestic scene is not just about the accessibility of the materials and actors that shaped the scene, however, the mere problem also covers the public conception of electronic music itself. “Here, electronic music is still too often superficially reduced to a repetitive beat, a night out, or club scene stereotypes, rather than being viewed as a form of contemporary culture, artistic practice, and a space for community, sound, production, identity, and creative work. That is precisely why Groove Protocol Culture was created—as a first concrete step toward documenting and gaining serious recognition for electronic and club culture”.
That being said, Dino explains that the mission is not just to create just another promotional channel, but a digital archive that treats electronic music as a relevant part of contemporary culture and preserves elements that would otherwise easily be lost.
The Research Process
The evolution of the platform was built throughout the years, slowly connecting the scene and networking with its participants. “From the very beginning, Culture has thus combined local and regional archival ambitions with hands-on experience in the scene, music publishing, production, and the international underground techno context”, Dino explained.
The platform evolved gradually within the broader Groove Protocol infrastructure, including the Signal, showcasing interviews and promoting Croatian electronic music. “Work on a proprietary music platform, publishing programs, and a digital system was already underway, so Culture emerged as a natural extension of these efforts—albeit with a focus on archiving, culture, and documentation“, he added.
For Culture, the research process is not conceived merely as a list of names. Each entry is first mapped across categories such as clubs, festivals, artists, pioneers, collectives, labels, venues, and regional context. The content then moves to a draft database where sources, links, and biographical and historical data are verified; publication follows only after editorial review.
“The ability to make additions and corrections is also a crucial part of the process, as an archive of this kind must remain open to the scene and the people who shaped it!”, the founder pointed out while the goal was not to create a closed or definitive narrative, but rather a living, editorially curated, and technically sustainable archive.
Road to Recognition
Attempting to fill in all the gaps, the founders are continuously working on discovery of all forgotten events, actors and parties that took place on the Croatian scene, but according to them, the long-term plans do not end there. “The initial goal is to steadily develop Culture Archive within the Croatian and regional electronic music scene, emphasizing verified sources, editorial standards, and long-term utility. The plan is to expand the database through new entries, interviews, archival materials, photographs, documents, conversations, and thematic dossiers”, Dino said.
However, in the long term, Groove Protocol aims to develop Culture into a broader cultural and educational platform, including workshops, public talks, listening sessions, and training for young artists, DJs, and producers, as well as documenting local scenes and collaborating with media outlets, clubs, festivals, institutions, and associations. “It is particularly important to us that the project does not remain merely an online archive but evolves into tangible cultural infrastructure for electronic music. The electronic scene deserves to be discussed seriously and with proper documentation, free from superficial stereotypes”, explained Dino, stating that Culture represents their first step toward ensuring this culture gains the visibility, context, and recognition it deserves.
