Name: Kotapski
Your location(country,city): Germany, Cologne
Can you mention your biggest music career achievements in 2017?
Kotapski: 2017 was a great and exciting year for me. My biggest achievements are certainly the start of our label "Louder than Famous" in May which I am running together with my lovely wife Stephanie, who is also managing me until I find an agency. Stephanie came up with the idea last year in 2016 - Stephanie is great and I am so so so so so so thankful for having her at my side. Another big achievement recently was when Andrea signed my "Escalante EP" for Blufin. I know Andrea pretty much half of my life and having released on her Label Yellowtail Rec. in 2015 and 2016 makes her certainly to the second huge supporter in my music career efforts.
Can you mention your biggest personal life achievements in 2017 that make you extremely proud?
Kotapski: Starting our label "Louder than Famous" together with my wife Stephanie. Music has always been an important part in my life and being able to start developing my music career to new levels is a big personal achievement too.
1) Best Track from other artists:
"Cantina" produced by Philipp Staab from Hamburg is still one of my most favourite tracks. I love Philipps productions.
2) Your top 3 2017 personal productions
1) Gatika (Theremin Mix)
2) Escalante (Original Mix)
3) Revolution (Original Mix)
3) Best Artist (Dj & producer):
Huh, I can't really announce one artist. I could try to reduce it down to 2 or 3 artists. Pierce, one of my oldest friends, nailed it. Apart from being an awesome DJ he also rocks when performing live. And Pierces' productions are world class. He recently also started his new label "II.0" together with his good mate George Morel. You should check out his new single "House Music" on Blufin....love it!!!
M.in from Frankfurt is the second one I'd love to name her. Apart from being a lovely person his productions all have this dirtyness. They are filthy. They always rock like hell and people love his DJ Sets. ... and he gets me dancing, which means a lot. People who know me know its a tough task to get me on the floor dancing.
4) Best Remix from other artist:
Again...there have been so many great remixes this year. I hope its OK for you when I again name 2 or 3.
The remixes for my single "Revolution" are outstanding. Timid Boy and Ackermann both nailed it, each one in their own way.
M.ins' remix for Johan Mila & Danny Bs' "Diyataman". Just love it. Can't really say anything more.
5) Best Remix that you have produced?
My remix for Cybordelics' "Adventure of Dama" is quite good. It was such an honour having been asked by Chris Maico Schmidt ( aka Mike S.) who has produced the original. Adventures of Dama is probably also one of the records that had the biggest influence on my music. And in my all time favourites the original version is ranked #1. The other one I think is my remix for Johan Mila & Danny Bs' "Diyataman'. Its been a tough one - everybody that listens to the pumping but very minimal original will know what I mean.
6) Best Remixer:
M.in, Ackermann, Timid Boy
7) Best New Talent (Dj or producer):
8) Best Electronic Music Album:
There are so many great albums out there. I can't put it down to one. All the albums that I like are very special and unique in their own way.
9) Best Electronic Music Compilation:
Blufins' ADE Compilation and the latest Mini Compilation from My Favourite Freaks " Concept. Part 5"
10) Best artwork/cover of an Album or Compilation:
Haha, great question. Did you know that I have been working as an creative director in an international advertising agency before becoming a broke musician that I am now?
My favourite Freaks always have very nice artworks. Same with plotmusic, which also belongs to the freaks. Apart from the nice designs as such it is their entire corporate design and identity that attracts me. Lars and M.in have done amazing work in their branding strategy including artwork, language and corporate design.
11) Best Lyrics in an Electronic Music track (it can be your production or from other artists)
The vocals I found in a Sample Pack and that I used for my single "Revolution" are awesome. These vocals are also responsible for the name-giving of our label/brand "Louder than Famous", our "label" language, corporate design and the imagery we use. Pretty much everything started with this one sample. .... I know.....self-praising stinks. Stink.
12) Best Vocalist/Singer featured on Electronic Music track:
Unfortunately I don't know the name, but the female singer in Oliver Morgenroths' "Why" makes me get goosebumps. Hahaha, and M.in himself in his production "I'm a freak" ;)
13) Best Electronic Music Label:
There can be only one correct answer to this: Louder than Famous :o)
14) Best Electronic Music Video:
To be honest...I have no idea and will have to pass on this one, I am sorry. I hardly watch any music videos at all. Do they still exist?
15) Best Online Social media for communication with your fans:
Instagram and Facebook.
16) Best Twitter or Facebook message or Instagram message you received from a fan or friend or you have read on someone else’s account:
I think Kai Penns' response on Trumps' tweet threatening North Korea:
"Hey @Twitter, is threatening nuclear war not a violation of terms of service?"
17) Best music composition software:
18) Best Club Event or Open Air Festival:
There have been heaps of big and/or great events throughout the year. The ones that really remain in my memory are the "Waldstrand"-Open Airs that a bunch of Cologne-based people organized. Awesome location, great party people, a lovely atmosphere and the organizers put huge efforts into the "interiour" of that place. I have never seen people putting this huge amount of love into an illegal event series. Obviously the city council and the land owner "Deutsche Bahn" sooner or later noticed what was going on there and as a result they forced them to shut it down.
19) Best personal Dj Gig:
I think this one goes out to the Shakerplate Rec. anniversary party in Marburg where I have been playing alongside Skober, M.in, Gunman, Andree Wischnewski and others.
20) Best Dj set of the year from other fellow Dj:
Puh, tough question. I think it was Pierce playing live at Odonien in Cologne.
21) Best country that you have played in 2017 and where did you met the best festival/event crowd:
As I have only played gigs in Germany this year there is only one answer: Germany.
22) Best Radio show or Artist Vlog?:
"Record Case" on 674.FM, hosted by Ezekiel and Oliver Hess and "Mike-Like" on Evosonic Radio. Yes, Evosonic Radio is still alive and out there. Most people probably won't remember Evosonic, but in fact it was the first radio station broadcasting electronic music 24/7 via Satellite and Cable. It started back in 1997. Chris Maico Schmidt, program director and now owner of Evosonic, has even been awarded with an MTV Music Award for the best medium in 2001.
I am really proud to host our monthly show "Louder than Famous - Live & Wired" on Evosonic Radio once a month. I always wanted to do a show on Evosonic, and when applying there back in the late 90ies Chris Maico always rejected my.
Back then I always took it kind of personally...and today Chris Maico is probably me best friend ever.
23) Best Radio station:
Evosonic Radio and 674FM. Evosonic for everything it was in the past and for what it still is now.
674FM is also a really awesome radio station.
24) Best Online Record shop that you purchase your music:
I still favourise Beatport but looking at how traxsource and how it developed in terms of usability, design and the entire look and feel I could imagine that next year it could become close between these two shops.
25) Best music related website that you visit frequently:
I honestly think you guys are doing great and I hope you will keep up your awesome work. Apart from you I quite often find myself reading stuff on amazona.de. Its more about studio equipment and so forth.
26) Best Smart phone or smart phone application:
Fatdrop is an app that I really appreciate. Listening thru all the promos one gets while sitting in the train or being somewhere, where you normally wouldn't be able to sort out this stuff, is a big time saver.
27) Best Dj equipment (software or hardware):
My preferred hardware is still just a mixer and 3 Technics turntables. Just the good old way of mixing music with no need for laptops, audio interfaces, etc.
But I also like mixing with pioneer cdj 2000nxs. The new ones are fantastic.When it comes down to a controller dj set then Traktor is still my choice of software. But to be honest, I'd rather don't use computers in my sets.
28) Best new sound or sample that has been used in Electronic Music this year perhaps introduced first by you?
Best new sample from my point of view are the vocals I used for my single "Revolution". I never heard them anywhere before - but to be honest, I hardly did any research on that.
29) Best tip that you learnt this year for your Djing techniques or music composition:
Sometimes less is more.
30) Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career in 2017:
Keep on working.
31) Best hobby or activity that you spent a lot of time in 2017:
Surfing. Surfing is more than a hobby for me. I started surfing in New Zealand, where I have been living for 5 years and which still feels like home to me. It was there when I got addicted to riding waves.
32) Best holiday destination for 2017 either to relax or to perform in a club or festival:
Northern Spain area at the Atlantic Coast. I am in love with the Bilbao area. Lovely people, great food, good waves and affordable. But most importantly...not much tourists there.
33) Best Electronic Music magazines in printed form not online:
I hardly get to read printed magazines, so nothing to name here.
34) Best Movie of the year that may inspire you to compose a track:
My life is my favourite movie with all my friends and family playing the leading roles.
35) Best online/PC/video game of the year that you have played this year?
36) Best soundtrack for video game of the year:
I am not into playing video games. I rather enjoy the beauty of life.
37) Best electronic music related joke you heard this year and make you still laugh:
I am not a humorous person...nah, just kidding. To be honest...I can't really remember any jokes.
38) The saddest electronic music news you heard this year and still makes u cry:
There have been a lot of sad news this years. So many great musicians passed away. A lot of them composed music I grew-up with.
Dimitri: Finally, please tell our readers your plans with your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs.
Kotapski: Just today I finished working on a remix for an artist called "Elektrifzierer" which will be released early next year on Evosonic Records. Also on Evosonic Records there is an EP coming-up in December. Next year will be exciting for me. A couple of nice events starting with Odonia Noire at Odonien in Cologne in Mid-February. In terms of productions there will be a new "Kotapski & Schmidt" EP which we will start on working early next year. Collaborating with Chris Maico Schmidt is always a lot of fun. And he is a great tutor. Everything I know in terms of production techniques etc I've learned from him. There will be a couple of remixes as well. I think my remix for Mikerobenics' "Julika", a hard trance classic from back in the 90s, will be released next year.
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