.png){kind=small}
"Personally I love trance vibes, so I just wanted to show people how fun and amazing prog can be when done right"
The COYMIX project is the result of a friendship between Steffan and Tim, whose taste for art and progressive music led them to create a platform with sound that captured their attention and took their creative curiosity. Since then they have not stopped being recognized internationally, without losing their fidelity to the music and its message: raise the rhythm, lower the differences.
We had a chance to speak with Steffan, so enjoy your reading and check out his latest releases.
Hey Steffan, where can we find you right now? How did you start off your day?
Hi Alex, first of all thank you so much for having me on. I live and work in Estonia, so that’s where you’re most likely to bump into me. Actually my day started off really nice with a coffee and smoke in the garden, since I'm now working from home. I guess isolation has its benefits, in some sense.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I’m part Danish, part Montenegrin and grew up in Denmark. In my youth I was heavily impacted by both my grandfathers who introduced me to blues, soul, jazz, alt rock and punk. Electronic music never really caught my interest until 2014 when I started going to private parties where my friends were DJ’ing. A few years later I met Zeljko (with whom I co-run Gestalt Records) and he more or less taught me everything I know about house and techno - that guy is a walking encyclopedia! I actually think it’s fair to say that Zeljko got me into electronic music.
Who have been your main inspirations (Both musical and in ‘life’)? And how have they affected your sound?
There have been many influences and sources of creativity, so naming just a few wouldn’t be very telling. It's a kind of collage where I've ‘borrowed’ things from other labels and artists, and tailored it to my own needs. If I have to pick one name that's had the biggest impact on me, in terms of electronic music, it would have to be either Motorbass or Aqua Bassino. These two always stood out and set the bar.
How would you define the sound of Coymix?
When Timo and I started Coymix we just wanted to focus on straight-up club slammers, but quickly started to lean on the progressive revival theme. We both run other labels on the side on which we release a lot of diverse music, so we wanted to try a more distinctive approach. I guess I’d describe the Coymix sound as ‘colorful’, which kind of goes hand in hand with the packaging of the records as well.
How would you define your work? What is the concept and history behind Coymix? What are you looking for with this stamp?
Progressive house has become quite [insert negative adjective] since the turn of the decade, but in recent years a super interesting spin on it has emerged. Personally I love trance vibes, so I just wanted to show people how fun and amazing prog can be when done right. A few years ago Biodive sent me some demos for Gestalt Records, but for various reasons we weren’t able to sign them. The tracks were just too good to let go off so the only solution, really, was to start a new label. Effectively COY001 then defined the sound and concept of Coymix.
What can you tell us about your early work with Biodive and Dylan? What do you admire about these producers?
Terrence (aka Biodive) was just so nice to chat with from the very start and really appreciated why I wasn't able to release the tracks on Gestalt Records. So he kept the tunes aside for quite a long time, while I tried finding a way to sign them. Something I’m super grateful for to this day - and something that made me feel very trusted. He's just so modest and easy-going that you can’t help but like him. As for Dylan I can only say the same. He's taken off really quickly, which can sometimes give people a bit too much hubris - but thankfully he's been very susceptible of our feedback and attentive to our needs. They're both just very intelligent and pleasant beings, so it’s been a massive joy working with them. And I’d highly recommend other labels signing them up!
What projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently sorting out the next couple of EPs for Gestalt Records, plus a double album on my tape label Hidden Assets. Timo is finishing up the last two parts of his ‘Musica Australis Incognita’ series on Echocentric Records. I’ve also heard through the grapevine that he’s got a new sub-label in the works! COY003 is done and going to the presses soon and we’re already in the final stages of finishing 004. So there are quite a lot of balls in the air.
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
If you own a record you no longer listen to or play out then sell it. Music is supposed to be heard and enjoyed, not stacked on a shelf just so you can say ‘I own this’. One piece of advice to anyone thinking of starting a label would be to get a distributor you click with – mutual trust and open communication is key. On that note I’d like to send a shout out to our boys at Inch By Inch Distribution. Coymix wouldn't exist if it weren’t for the support and efforts of Oli, Reece and Matt!
Keep it coy!
Opmerkingen