Holbrook & SkyKeeper (Dmitriy Akkerman and Ilya Bezlepkin) are DJs and producers from Ukraine and Russia.
Releases on Infrasonic Recordings, Saturate Audio, Fraction Records, Freegrant Music, Iji Recordings, Darkpload Records, Mistique Music, Baroque Records, Reworck
Influences from Apparat, M83, Telefon Tel Aviv, KLF, Scooter, Faithless, Prodigy, Depeche Mode
Name: Holbrook & SkyKeeper
Location: Ukraine, Russia
Dimitri: Can you mention your biggest achievements in your music career in 2014 as dj & producer,label owner,radio host and your personal life if it is something that you wish to share with our readers?
H&S: The best moments in 2014 for us are the first experience performing as a DJs and emotions which we've received from the crowd at the same time. Production wise, we continued to work on tracks and improve the quality, make tracks more and more complex, trying to add to the compositions a unique atmosphere.
Dimitri: 2014 was packed with releases from so many different styles, which Electronic Music style you believe is the absolute Electronic Music Style Of 2014 in the mainstream indifferent if you like it or not. Why you believe this style became so successful in 2014?
H&S: Bigroom house continues to be on top in 2014 with uncomplicated melodies and vocals. But most likely in 2015 this wave will calm down and we will see something new replacing it on a top. This can not be good or bad, we just can accept it. There are already a lot of new different genres and everyone can easily find something for himself.
1) Best Track:
H: Martin Merkel Feat. Fe Malefiz - Voyager
S: Basil O'Glue - Will To Believe
2) Best Artist (Dj & producer):
H&S: Guy J, he was just outstanding this year with his productions and dj sets!
3) Best Remix:
H: Vitodito - Salty (Solid Stone Remix)
S: Caribou Can't Do Without You (Tale Of Us & Manno Le Tough Remix)
4) Best Remixer:
H: Andre Sobota
S: Henry Saiz
5) Best New Talent (Dj or producer):
H: Andre Sobota
S: Rodg
6) Best Electronic Music Album:
H: Sons Of Magdalene - Move To Pain
S: Nuage - Prints of you
7) Best Electronic Music Compilation:
H&S: There were some lovely compilations this year and tbh it's difficult to choose, but we can definitely tell you that Saturate Audio "Immersed", Solarstone "Electronic Architecture" and Hernan Cattaneo "Balance 026" were one of the greatest!
8) Best artwork/cover of an Album or Compilation:
H&S: Guy Mantzur & Sahar Z - Time, the most beautiful work on the cover this year!
9) Best Vocalist/Singer featured on Electronic Music track:
H&S: Fe Malefiz
10) Best Electronic Music Label:
H&S: Saturate Audio
11) Best Electronic Music Video:
H&S: Jamie XX - Slipsound
12) Best online Funny video related to Dance Music:
H&S:
13) Best Online Social media network:
H&S: Facebook
15) Best Twitter or Facebook message you received from a fan or friend or you have read on someone else s account:
H&S: One more complicated question, cause we always receive nice messages on our stuff on social networks, but sometimes we get some soulful ones like this: "Stunning compositions !!! Your music allows me to live! Thank you for these positive emotions !!! Good luck and wins !!!"
16) Best music composition software:
H&S: Ableton, FL, NI Massive, Reveal Sound Spire, Rob Papen Blue 2, u-he Zebra
17) Best Event or Open Air Festival:
H&S: Burning Man, which we've never visited.
18) Best personal Dj Gig:
H&S: Trancewave @ Apelsin Beach Club, Kherson (Ukraine), it was our first performance and we got massive support from the crowd!
19) Best Dj set of the year from other fellow Dj:
H: Moderat - Sonar 2014 @ Live. The music, the soul, spotless bliss!
S: Grum - Essential Mix, abstracting from the boundaries of genres this set leads me into a pure trance!
20) Best Radio show:
H: Pete Tong - Essential Selection
S: Pete Tong - Essential Mix
21) Best Radio station:
H: BBC Radio One
S: Frisky Radio
22) Best Online Record shop that you purchase your music:
H&S: iTunes
23) Best Website that you visit frequently:
H&S: Probably is a twitter, cause this year it became the greatest way to get fresh news from all over the world!
24) Best Dj equipment (software or hardware):
H&S: Ableton Live + Tracktor Pro is a nice bunch for a great performance for sure! What about hardware - Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus + Pioneer DJM-800.
25) Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career in 2014:
H&S: As the wise people say: "Keep calm and be patient!"
26) Best hobby or activity that you spent a lot of time in 2014:
H&S: We spent a lot of time this year making music, running, and taking the photos, so these ones are our hobby.
27) Best holiday destination for 2014 that you manage to visit this year either to relax or to perform in a club or festival:
H&S: Prague, Dresden, Goa and Greece. We spent a great time with our girlfriends and just enjoyed the life.
28) Best Book of the year preferably related to Electronic Music:
H&S: Tobias Rapp "Lost and Sound: Berlin, Techno, und der Easyjetset"
Dimitri: Finally, 2015 is ahead of us would you like to tell your plans with your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, Dj gigs.
H&S: There are a lot of new our stuff coming in the beginning of 2015 including original tracks and remixes! Also we are looking forward to our performances which will be revealed pretty soon!
Thanks to Basil O Glue from Saturate Audio for organising this interview
Additional info:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/holbrook-skykeeper
TopDj: http://dj.topdj.ua/46075/
PromoDj: http://promodj.com/HolbrookSkyKeeper
