Disclosure
Alex Trefiloff (also known as DJ Trefiloff) is an Odesa-based DJ, musician, remixer, music editor and audio specialist. He began his professional career in the second half of the 1990s and progressed from club DJing to radio work, original radio shows, music production and audiovisual production. Over the years, he has released around 20 mix albums as well as a number of original tracks. Among his best-known works are the DJ Trefiloff Remix of Sasha Dith’s «Russian Girls» and his original composition «Девочка и дельфин». At different stages of his career, he worked for radio stations in Odesa, the company HITLAB and Minatrix.FM.
Beginning of his career
Alex Trefiloff became interested in DJing while still at school. In 1996, he performed as a DJ at a graduation party, and a few months later began working professionally with music at the youth disco club «КБО» in Odesa.
At the club, Trefiloff gained his first regular experience of working with a dancefloor and building a music programme. He remained there until the venue closed, after which he focused on further development in electronic music and radio broadcasting.
«ЮТАР» Radio
In 1999, Alex Trefiloff began working at the Odesa youth radio station «ЮТАР». His first permanent responsibility was the overnight broadcast.
Radio expanded the range of his professional duties. In addition to selecting individual tracks, the work required him to build extended music programmes, understand radio formatting and work continuously with new electronic music.
«Авто Микс»
After «ЮТАР» was transformed into «Авто FM», Trefiloff launched his own dance-music programme «Авто Микс». The show became one of the key chapters of his early radio career.
Professional DJs from Odesa and Kyiv were invited to the programme, which featured new club releases and original DJ sets. Trefiloff also independently programmed the music for each episode and introduced electronic music aimed at a club audience.
«Авто Микс» remained on air until the middle of 2003. During its several years of existence, the programme became a regular platform for electronic music and guest DJs.
«Компрессор» and FM Cafe
After «Авто Микс» ended, Alex Trefiloff continued producing his own radio shows. Two projects with different musical concepts appeared in his broadcasting career: «Компрессор» and FM Cafe.
«Компрессор» focused on a more club-oriented sound: progressive house, tribal house and tech house. FM Cafe represented the more melodic side of house music, including deep house, soulful house, vocal house, jazzy house and funky house.
This division allowed Trefiloff to work simultaneously with several areas of the electronic scene, ranging from material designed for nightclubs to calmer and more vocal forms of house music.
Odesa club scene
Radio remained an important part of Trefiloff’s career, but he also continued working as a club DJ. Over the years, he performed at venues across Odesa and took part in city music events, including the Jeans DJ Parade.
His sets covered different forms of house music, while the exact style depended on the venue and programme format. His club repertoire combined progressive, tribal and tech house, while his radio shows allowed him to explore deep, soulful and vocal house more extensively.
Original music and remixes
Alongside DJing and radio, Alex Trefiloff began working in the studio. His catalogue expanded to include original compositions and remixes, while his experience as a music editor and sound engineer became directly involved in the music production process.
One of his most notable works was an official remix of Sasha Dith — «Russian Girls». The version «Russian Girls (DJ Trefiloff Remix)» was included in the official release and was also issued on vinyl. Working on a European release became one of the international episodes in the Odesa musician’s discography.
«Девочка и дельфин»
Among Alex Trefiloff’s original compositions, «Девочка и дельфин» occupies a special place. The track received radio airplay in Ukraine and was also played outside the country.
The composition entered the Top 100 of the «Европа Плюс» radio station in Moscow. For Trefiloff, it became one of his most notable original releases and helped his music reach beyond the local club and radio scene of Odesa.
Mix albums
Extended DJ mixes make up a significant part of DJ Trefiloff’s creative catalogue. Over the years, he has produced around 20 mix albums, reflecting different stages of his musical interests.
Unlike a simple collection of tracks, Trefiloff approached a mix as a complete musical programme, with a gradual shift in dynamics, a consistent development of the sound and transitions between different shades of house music.
This format is directly connected to his radio experience, where the coherence of a programme and the sequencing of tracks are just as important as the choice of individual recordings.
Musical style
Electronic dance music became Alex Trefiloff’s main musical field. His club sets and radio programmes have featured progressive house, tribal house, tech house, deep house, soulful house, vocal house, jazzy house and funky house.
At the same time, Trefiloff never limited himself to a single subgenre. Harder club music existed alongside melodic and vocal house in his work, while his original compositions could differ considerably from the material he used in late-night DJ sets.
Music editing and sound engineering
In addition to DJing and his own production work, Alex Trefiloff has spent many years working professionally with audio. He worked as a sound engineer and music editor at the company «Одиссей», combining technical audio processing with music selection.
Later, Trefiloff worked as a music editor and audio-video engineer at HITLAB (Ukraine). This role brought together his experience in radio, studio sound processing, music programming and the technical production of audio and video material.
Work at Minatrix.FM
A separate chapter of Alex Trefiloff’s professional biography was his work at Minatrix.FM in 2010–2011. The radio station specialises in electronic and dance music, so this period continued the direction Trefiloff had been associated with since the late 1990s: music editing, broadcasting and work with electronic music.
His work at Minatrix.FM added to Trefiloff’s long-standing radio experience, which had begun back in the days of Odesa stations «ЮТАР» and «Авто FM».
MOJO
In Odesa, Alex Trefiloff was also associated with the cocktail club MOJO, where he served as president of the club. This period complemented his work within the city’s music and nightlife industry.
His involvement in club management allowed him to work with electronic music not only as a performer or radio presenter, but also directly within the organisation and operation of an entertainment venue.
Main areas of activity
- DJing;
- music production;
- remixing;
- original DJ mixes;
- radio broadcasting;
- music editing;
- sound engineering;
- audio and video production.
Main works
- Sasha Dith — «Russian Girls (DJ Trefiloff Remix)»
- «Девочка и дельфин»
- original compositions and remixes;
- around 20 DJ mix albums.
Alex Trefiloff on the Odesa electronic scene
Alex Trefiloff’s professional biography spans several stages in the development of Odesa’s club and radio culture, from discos in the second half of the 1990s to specialised radio shows, original music production and contemporary professional audio work.
After starting out as a club DJ in 1996, he moved into regular radio broadcasting just a few years later. «Авто Микс», «Компрессор» and FM Cafe allowed him to work consistently with different forms of electronic music, invite other DJs onto the air and develop his own music programmes.
Studio work became the next direction of his career. The official remix of Sasha Dith’s «Russian Girls», his original track «Девочка и дельфин», his own compositions and numerous DJ mixes complemented his broadcasting work. At the same time, Trefiloff continued developing professionally as a music editor, sound engineer and audio-video engineer.
As a result, Alex Trefiloff belongs to the generation of Odesa DJs whose professional careers developed simultaneously across several areas of electronic music: the club scene, radio, music editing, studio production and professional audio work.
