The ace production duo from Germany drop in for another DMCWORLD exclusive
Interview by Ian Fleming
Following their latest offering ‘Triphoria’ which landed earlier this month on the Hommage imprint, production duo Kotelett & Zadak called by DMC to give us a deeper insight into the creation of this EP and what is in store for the future…
How has your year been, what’s been good, what’s been bad?
Heiko: It started off not too well: the plan was to bring out the album in the spring, but then we had to wait till autumn, and waiting is something I don´t like to do. But as the year is coming to an end, everything is looking really good: we had some interesting gigs this year, our album is out now and we have a lot of new stuff ready for 2016.
What season do you prefer, summer or winter, and why? Do you make and play different shit in each season?
Martin: We like them both equally because we like to play different styles in different seasons
What’s an average week in your life like? Do you have set studio hours and set routines?
Heiko: Monday is Sunday, on the other days we are usually in the studio to make a little music – unless we have to answer interview requests. It’s mostly a daytime job during the week, but when good ideas strike me during the night, I have to pursue them right away.
Tell us about your new one for Hommage – what inspired or influenced it?
Martin: Our new album is inspired by all the music we love. Triphoria is a little trip through different styles of music. It covers the range from trance and techno for the dancefloor, to experimental sounds to groovy jazzy tunes for the living room.
Are you hardware or software guys? Which do you prefer and why?
Heiko: I´m a big hardware fan and we have hardware elements in every track. But we also use a lot of software elements, the technology has developed quite strongly the last couple of years. To me the crucial difference lies in how you create a sound. I guess with hardware I´m experimenting more and the sound is more individual, dynamic and with no preset.
Have you got any key bits of gear in the studio that really define your sound? Can you talk us through some of these if so?
Martin: We don’t have that magic synth or gear that we always use. We have a lot of different stuff for different music and every track we try to approach in another way.
Can or should house music have a social or political conscious? Should it have a message?
Heiko: House and Techno music are a subculture for me and every sub culture has their own values, building up their own little world. So if you´re living and staying for that value, house music is a political thing for me (???). But I don´t like shouting messages, if you want that go to a political organization. Living the culture is the message.
How has your DJ style evolved over the years you have been playing, are you still learning every time you play a set?
Martin: It was the time of minimal when we started the project Kotelett & Zadak and we played a lot of loop based vinyls. After a couple of years we both changed to Traktor and now we try to make our sets more complex with effects, loops or vocals. The electronic music scene is changing extremely fast so we have to continue to learn in order to stay up to date and keep getting better and better.
What hopes and dreams have you for 2016? Do you set any targets or goals for yourselves, musical or otherwise?
Heiko: Oh yes, we´re still working on a live set, that will be ready in 2016.
What’s next, where do you go from this interview? What you up to?
Martin: Going to the studio of a buddy of ours, Benno Blome, to produce a great track…
Triphoria is out now on Hommage, pick up a copy here…https://pro.beatport.com/release/triphoria/1627877
https://soundcloud.com/kotelettzadak
