It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that in 20 years of creative work – largely under the eyes of the public – a lot has happened in the life of Dorian Concept. Starting with the first self-written short biography that was brimming with modesty, the first professional press releases to make the incomprehensible a little more understandable, through to ephemeral sound bites that were broadcast live on air, sophisticated long reads in periodical print works for lasting distinction or some adjective salads that has been prepared over the years by overambitious journalists.
But did you know that Dorian Concept also performed with an electric bass on stage at his de facto first concert (Planetarium Vienna, 2005)? Did you also know that his first YouTube upload (“Fooling around on Micro Korg”) went viral more than 18 years ago, before the term “viral” even existed? And speaking of Microkorg: Did you also know that Dorian Concept toured the globe for years on his “signature instrument” with a missing key?
And that a magneto-optical storage medium (that’s right, we’re talking about the MiniDisc) played a significant role in early performances? As a “Dorian Concept Ultra”, you of course know about the influence of John Coltrane on his work. But did you know that the place where he once bought one of his first CDs, “Live at Birdland” (note: Red Octopus Records, Vienna-Josefstadt), now repairs cell phones?
And that his rave anthem “Trilingual Dance Sexperience” was finished in 2 hours or that the URL of his first social media channel (myspace.com/dorianconcept) is still available? Did you also know that at the very beginning of his career, Dorian Concept once played in London directly in front of hip hop legend Q-Tip (“A Tribe Called Quest”) and that he also turned down a business offer from a similarly well-known producer at the time, with the corresponding reason “he had to finish his studies first”? And did you know that he chose his artist alias as a teenager based on the Dorian scale? Well, of course you know that, it’s on Wikipedia.
Dorian Concept, born Oliver Johnson in 1984, lives and works in Vienna. Over the past 20 years, he has shared the stage with Cinematic Orchestra, Flying Lotus and the musicians of Jazzwerkstatt Wien, among others. Between 2004 and 2024, Dorian Concept released his music in various formats on labels such as Ninja Tune, Brainfeeder and Affine Records. He continues to do so to this day, but has still not acquired a taste for adjective salad.
Listen back to “20 Years of Dorian Concept at Wiener Konzerthaus” via Radio Ö1:
oe1.orf.at/programm/20250316/788343/20-Jahre-Dorian-Concept