Interviews
Interview | Questions & Answers With Kēvens
There is nothing new in the fact that greedy corporate interests represent a threat to our Mother Earth. Climate change is a critical issue that will get worse in the next years if we don’t take action and protect our planet. In this interview, I had the pleasure to chat with Kēvens, who worried about the environment, created a music video entitled, “World Is Burning”. Open your mind to his words, and let’s raise awareness together for the conservation of nature. Learn also about the artist’s career below.
1 — Do you really feel the world is burning?
I certainly do. I learned long ago if your neighbor’s wall is on fire, it’s your problem too. What happened in Australia will happen again somewhere else, I pray not but it’s up to us to be vigilant and do everything in our power to reverse global warming. That window of opportunity is closing fast.
As a Florida resident, the last few hurricanes we went through have gradually intensity and I have a nauseating feeling that’s not going to stop.
In 1992, I experienced my first cat 5 hurricane and it was devastating. Now due to increasingly careless human activity on the planet, primarily the burning of fossil fuel that pump (CO2) in the atmosphere, methane, and other greenhouse gasses, the atmosphere and oceans have been heating up, glaciers melting way faster than originally predicted. Yes, World Is Burning 🥵
2 — Why is it important to create awareness through music?
Music is a language everyone can speak, it is the best platform for sonic expressive communication I know. If you have something serious to say, put it in a song.
3 — How do you respond to those who deny the reality of climate change?
I simply tell them the climate crisis is real, whether they believe it’s manmade or the Earth’s natural cycles, climate change is happening. In the end, no matter what, Mother Nature will heal herself, but we may not be able to recover.
4 — Where do you find the most inspiration to write your lyrics?
I’ve been asked this question the most over the years. My source of inspiration comes from The Almighty through life’s experiences.
5 — Can you tell us more about your life’s mantra?
My life’s mantra is “Positivity is a Necessity “ When I was much younger I had a best friend, Anthony Booker, who died tragically. I felt at a loss since we had plans to take our band Le Coup at the time to higher heights.
Years later after countless trials and errors in the music industry in addition to personal failures in love relationships, I discovered meditation. Through that new outlet, I came to know the power of positive thinking.
In 1997, a gentleman by the name of Jason Donavan (of Zenfest) hired my group, to perform at The Florida Zen Music festival. After my performance, DJ and Producer, Francisco Mendez said to me, there is trouble brewing by the main arena, the audience is being rowdy due to the heavy police presence. He urged me to get on stage and “do my thing”. Mind you, this is the rave era when parties got shut down regularly.
I went on that stage, while a member of Rabbit in The Moon (DJ Monk) was spinning. I did a little toasting to the drum and bass track he was spinning to get in sync with the audience before I decided to address them. I told the masses, “Most of us have travelled from far to be here. We don’t want to cause any trouble with the authorities, we just want a chance to dance and celebrate life!” They responded with loud screams of joy, to my surprise.I went on to say, “We don’t want this party to get shut down, so let’s raise our voices and tell the Police ‘Positivity is a Necessity’ “. At this, the crowd started chanting along with me — there was little to no music playing, just me and thousands of “strangers” raising their voices in peaceful resistance. That was the first time I used my motto in public and saw its effect. After that, things cooled off, and the event continued without any more tension with the authorities.
6 — Would you describe your musical style as drum and bass?
I would say that drum and bass is the foundation of my musical style. The drum and bass I am talking about is not the modern one but from the early reggae dub days.
7 — Over the years you’ve performed in different music festivals. Which one is your favorite? Why?
I have three special moments that comes to mind and want to share them with your audience.
A.- Being the closing act at the Ultra Music Festival Soundstage in Miami back in 2003 Bringing an all live band to an EDM scene was a challenge back when I did it in the rave days and it’s still is today. Closing that night validated me as a headlining act and changed the way I promoted my brand.
B.- Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in New Mexico. Over 500 tribes come together to dance, I had never seen anything like that before, so many spiritual dancers with costumes and songs, a treat for the mind-body and soul and experience of the Native Americans no books can teach you. To have been invited to perform in that arena was a true honor, one I will always carry with me.
C.- My all-time favorite to date is in a little town called Takamatsu Japan, the festival was One Love Fest. It was the very first time I performed in a foreign country as a Headliner. Although it was a small arena, I will never forget that experience. I ended up doing three encores, on the last one, the people in the front row rushed the stage, lifted me, and attempted to carry me. It was surreal, I never experience fans with that loving intensity until that point.
8 — What would your pre-show ritual be before performing alone on stage?
There are a few things I always do:
A.- Pray for a strong spiritual connection with the audience, that’s most important to me always.
B.- I like to be alone and silently visualize my intro, a strong intro set the pace.
C.- A quick check with my stage manager making sure the band is dialed in, dancers ready and my wardrobe person is the last person I interact with before walking on stage.
9 — What are you most excited about right now?
At this very moment in time, I am very excited to have lent this song to The Creative Youth Community Development Initiative (CYCDI) with the support of United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos, Nigeria in a campaign against Climate Crisis to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of United Nations.
10 — Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
With guidance from The Most High, in 10 years my brand will be well established globally for years, inspiring young and old towards taking positive action in improving the human condition.
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Paul Mayson‘s first-ever album, ‘One Life,’ is like a special mix of his love for House music, blended with different kinds of sounds and cool collaborations from artists all over the world. You definitely don’t want to miss this interview!
1 — With the release of your debut album ‘One Life,’ what are your expectations for how listeners will connect with the music?
My goal was to showcase my story and my sound. And for it to be an uplifting, positive, and summery album. Hopefully, it feels like that! It’s a collection of songs made at the moment, to make you feel happy and free. It’s about embracing life, the good things and the bad. And about doing what makes you happy.
2 — You’ve teamed up with a diverse range of international artists on this material. Please let us know how these collaborations came to be.
It was really exciting taking elements from different genres, working with a group of great artists who come from very different backgrounds, and bringing all of these sounds and flavors together on one project. A lot of artists I meet myself, reach out to the people I’m interested in. I often travel abroad to work on music together and do sessions in London or LA. Sometimes collabs can also happen through the label or the publisher, but ultimately it’s great to have an artist-to-artist relationship.
3 – What compelled you to emphasize the themes of life, freedom, and diversity in this album?
I’m very passionate about House music culture and the way it started. Which was all about positivity and celebrating life together. I love that message and think the soulful, feel-good element of House music is what always really attracted me to the genre. And to music in general, including other genres like Soul and RnB.
4 – Can you share more details about the process of integrating experimental elements into the music production of your album?
A few of the songs (like “Tell Me How” and “I Want You”) were basically made during one big jam session. It’s me just trying out completely different sounds, textures, and rhythms and experimenting with live drums, guitars, and whatever I feel like. Letting go of any rules connected to dance music allows for a really fresh approach to the album songs.
6 – How does the artwork complement the album’s concept?
It emphasizes the feel-good element and the overall message of the album. Life is in front of you, it’s there for the taking. You’re in the hallway, step into the light and embrace life.
7 – Will there be another amazing music video like “Have It All,” dropping in the near future?
We released a really cool art piece and visualizer for the album which I’m very excited about!
8 – Given your ambition to push boundaries within the Dance genre, do you think the bunch of producers already out there could make it tough for you to really stand out?
I think individuality is key. Doing something you’re passionate about. Telling your own story. If you go into that process, the outcome will be unique. Not following trends and doing my own thing is what helps me stand out and allows me to be ahead and I try to keep pushing myself.
9 – Among your studio essentials, what’s the item that you consider the cornerstone of your setup?
Quite a lot of my work is digital. I carry my laptop around and can produce and write anywhere with it, whether it’s my home studio, the studio in Amsterdam, a hotel, or even an airport. That’s what makes it flexible and international! Just being able to work anywhere and get the creative process going. At home I also love my Adam A77x monitors and I also use a Prophet synth.
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In this exclusive interview, Swedish producer Tobtok discusses all the details about his latest single as part of the ongoing countdown to the upcoming ‘My Friends’ EP. This is a collaborative effort with farfetch’d that you definitely shouldn’t overlook.
1 — Congratulations on the release of “My Friends.” Please tell us more about the influences and musical style that shaped this cool track.
Thanks! This tune has taken inspiration from bits and pieces of tracks I’ve been into over the last 10 years, everything from Daft Punk to Fred Again. It contains a lot of micro samples and vocal lines that are in a similar vein as old French House records, but we also wanted to experiment with the current UK rave sound, which we think ended up in a pretty unique and interesting way.
2 — How did you and farfetch’d navigate the creative process together, especially when faced with differing ideas or disagreements?
We were kind of on the same page with most things to be fair. Jerry from farfetch’d is a very creative guy and he loves to bash out new ideas, which worked well for me to develop into full songs. We worked on every track together in my studio and finished them off together. Of course, we had some different ideas about certain things but since none of us had a big ego, we just compromised. I think when you like the same kind of music, you usually think quite alike.
3 — What sets this collaboration apart from your previous singles?
I think this is possibly the strongest single from the EP. It feels catchy and is super simple yet not too boring. It also has Jerry’s voice in it which is unique to any other of our tracks.
4 — Can you share any funny anecdotes about specific moments while crafting “My Friends”?
We have hidden a few wacky voice notes in it as a sort of ambiance. It can be heard in the second verse or whatever you wanna call it. You clearly hear Jerry laughing about something, but I can’t remember what it was.
5 — Is this tune part of an upcoming album or EP?
It’s track no.3 from our ‘My Friends’ EP which has a total of 6 tracks. It was released via Perfect Havoc on 29th September.
6 — What are your emotions when your music receives recognition and praise from other producers in the industry?
It’s always so much fun to get praise from your peers and colleagues. These people live and breathe music and probably hear way more stuff than the average listener, so I guess they tend to be less impressed by music.
7 — Has your signature sound as Tobtok undergone changes over the years?
Haha most definitely. I started out with French House which evolved into Nu-Disco. I later jumped on the Tropical House train (quite early on in my defense). Left that and tried something cooler with my track “ABER,” and from there, it’s been more of a mix between UK and Deep House.
8 — Is there any specific music genre you’re eager to explore?
Old School Disco and Soul. I’m a big fan of the 70s as a whole, that’s why I’ve bought a few vintage Roland pieces in my studio and a Rhodes Piano.
9 — Considering the global nature of music today, are there any international artists you’d love to collaborate with?
I love Jungle right now, for reasons made quite obvious in the previous question. They’ve mastered this cool retro 70’s/Motown sound and yet managed to make it sound fresh somehow. I’d love to just hang out in the studio with them and see what they do.
10 — As we conclude, do you feel that there’s a certain formula that artists can follow to produce chart-topping hits?
Nowadays, it’s all about doing something that stands out from what everyone else is doing and probably also adding a sprinkle of nostalgia and familiarity into something. A good example is the new Peggy Gou record which is a massive hit that takes inspiration from ATB but puts it in a new and interesting context. It doesn’t hurt to have a massive TikTok following either lol.
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You must read this interview with Kouss! He used to rock it as a badass drummer in the Stellar Revival band, but now he’s spilling the beans about how he switched things up and got into making electronic dance music (EDM). The spotlight is now on his latest track, “Can’t Go Back.” Learn more here.
1 — Putting your sound into words, how would you convey the mood and sensations that your music evokes to someone unfamiliar with it?
My music aims to be an uplifting and thoughtful blend of Progressive House and Dance-Pop. Even though the music is very dancefloor-friendly, the songwriting is very Pop-forward. I also love mixing live instrumentation with electronic production to create layered recordings. As a drummer, having live elements mesh with the electronic really brings out a unique texture.
2 — Your transition from Rock music with Stellar Revival to EDM is quite remarkable. Can you tell us more about it?
The transition from Rock to EDM is an exciting and natural creative evolution. I’ve always been passionate about electronic music, so finally being able to fully immerse myself in the genre as a producer and songwriter has been fulfilling. My background as a touring Rock drummer also gives me a unique musical sensibility that I try to incorporate into Kouss Records.
3 — As a drummer, you had to adapt to a different genre. How did you translate your rhythmic background into this new realm?
When approaching any genre, especially Dance music, I’m utilizing my background in percussion to create grooves and drum patterns. The drum parts still come from the same creative place whether I’m sitting behind a drum set or drawing with a MIDI controller. I will say that with EDM I find myself focused more on groove and restraint.
4 — In what ways have Illenium, Zedd, and David Guetta played a role in shaping the sound of your new single “Can’t Go Back”?
Illenium, Zedd, and David Guetta definitely influenced the melodic and atmospheric vibes in “Can’t Go Back.” Their music motivates and challenges me to produce massive soundscapes on the highest level. They’re all melodic magicians, and I continue to be inspired by their work. I also feel like I put my own spin on “Can’t Go Back.” It’s almost like the line between EDM and Pop became blurrier on this track.
5 — What’s the story behind the song title?
“Can’t Go Back” is generally about moving forward and not dwelling on the past. For me personally, it’s about evolving as an artist and person.
6 — Anna Kline’s presence on “Can’t Go Back” adds a unique dynamic. How did this collaboration come about?
I was introduced to Anna soon after starting the Kouss project by “Can’t Go Back” co-producer and dear friend Phil Barnes. The second I heard Anna sing I knew I wanted to work with her. She’s an incredible songwriter and an awesome human. It was an organic collaboration that we’re both stoked about. Definitely be on the lookout for more collaborations with Anna in the future!
7 — How do you aim to connect with listeners on an emotional level through this single?
I aim to connect with listeners on an emotional level through the authenticity and musicality of “Can’t Go Back.” It’s about delivering that special feeling to the listener. We crafted this recording from a place of passion as artists. The lyrics are relatable and cathartic, and Anna’s vocals draw you into this sonic world we created. We also tap into some nostalgia with the Big Room House vibe. But overall the goal was to give listeners an authentic musical experience that resonates with them, regardless of what genre they usually listen to.
8 — For “Can’t Go Back,” did you experiment with a combination of electronic elements and live instruments?
Yes, “Can’t Go Back” mixes electronic production with live drumming and live guitars. The live instruments give the song a dynamic texture and human feel. Not every Kouss song will have live instruments, but it’s definitely a major part of the debut EP coming in 2024.
9 — Looking ahead, how do you envision your music style evolving?
I want to continue bridging the gap between organic and electronic. Creatively, I think there’s a lot of meat on that bone. I also don’t want to limit myself to a single genre or style. I love all types of music and ultimately hope to develop a sound that draws from those diverse influences and experiences.
10 — Lastly, reflecting on your journey so far, what’s been the most memorable or rewarding moment of your music career?
Working with talented musicians and creators who are excited about my music has been humbling and inspiring. I didn’t expect it, but the reaction to “Can’t Go Back” has been both unexpected and validating. It’s so cool to see the song played in clubs, gyms, and cars. I’m truly fortunate to share my passion for music and connect with listeners who share the same passion.