The Journey

DJ as Özgür AKŞAN, artist name Doctor Zagor.

1993: Analog beginnings

I started DJing in 1993. As a kid, I loved music—mixing cassette tracks by recording from one tape to another. First gig in 1994 in Trabzon, under the name “Techno Hamsi”, playing to 300-350 people. Then many university parties followed.

Access to popular tracks was hard: mostly cassettes, some CDs, and rare vinyls. Finding a specific spot on tape required patience; we spotted worn areas and used a pencil to cue for mixing at the right moment.

Name story: from “_ZG_R” to “Zagor”

In 2002, DJ software exploded. I discovered Traktor DJ and then Ableton Live. Typing “Özgür” gave _zg_r. After “Dj Free” then “ZGR”, my sister read “ZGR” on screen and said “Naber Zagor”. The name stuck: Doctor Zagor.

Beatport Top 100 success

The digital revolution helped a lot. I learned from DJs abroad and released my first track “Right Now” on Anatolian Records via Beatport.

The real breakthrough came in 2010: inspired by the World Cup Vuvuzela, I created “Fly Buzz” mixing a mosquito buzz. It hit #33 on Beatport Minimal House Top 100 and stayed in the chart for a month.

Style & concepts

Productions never stopped. Well-known producers like DJ Liven Up (İlkay Şencan) and DJ Jerf (Necati Kocabay) remixed my tracks.

My sound ranges from Progressive House to my passion: “Retro House” (mixes from the 1920s-1960s). Under “Retro House Party”, I’ve delivered ~50 live shows. As a neurosurgeon, playing in 2005 at the spinal surgery summer school was a unique moment where both careers met.