The beloved German producer talks about finding inner peace, overstimulation and his new album on Pampa Records.
Mental health is a topic that comes up frequently in the music industry, but it's still not discussed enough among electronic music's top performers. In this RA Exchange, Stefan Kozalla—better known as DJ Koze—opens up about his battle with anxiety, self-doubt and rising expectations that come with being a long-standing, high-profile name. He talks about overstimulation, music as rest and the compromises artists need to make to have relevance and staying power.
Kozalla, a beloved and eccentric German artist who has developed a cult following over the course of his career, has productions on esteemed labels like XL, Kompakt, Cocoon, Warp, Ninja Tune and BPitch, which garner praise as soon as they're released. "Every time DJ Koze comes out of the woodwork to drop a 12-inch—or even just a remix—we usually end up hearing it everywhere for months on end," wrote former RA editor Andrew Ryce.
Kozalla talks to RA contributor (and former editor) Matt Unicomb about his production process and early influences—an uncanny combination of Basic Channel and Public Enemy—as well as his forthcoming album, Music Can Hear Us, coming out on Pampa Records on April 4th. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula
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EX.757 Ben Klock and Fadi Mohem
"We wanted to let go of everything we know." The Berghain residents talk about underground values, leaving behind expectations and their collaborative album, LAYER ONE.
Berghain residents and now frequent collaborators Ben Klock and Fadi Mohem have become synonymous with the classic, no frills aesthetic that's come to define the Berlin institution's sound, with one exception: their newest LP, LAYER ONE. The album sees them step away from techno in a listening experience that explores IDM, ambient and experimental electronic music with guest vocal appearances by UK artists Cobey Sey and Flowdan.
In this Exchange, they talk to Chloe Lula about this departure from their typical style, which imagines a post-human world where AI reigns supreme. They also reflect on building generational bridges in the music industry; how their respective ideas of success have changed; underground values and sensibilities; and why the ethos of an earlier era continues to inform their work.
Klock also revisits the decade that's elapsed since his last RA interview, including why he's chosen to return to the studio after years on the road, his unexpected career as a DJ and the key to long-lasting relevance in a scene that doesn't slow down. Listen to the episode in full.
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EX.756 Sonja Moonear
The doyenne of minimal reflects on Perlon, forgotten classics and the tracks that never leave her record bag in this live edition of Playing Favourites at Dimensions Festival.
Following the minimal boom of the '00s and early '10s, the sound has in more recent years flourished quietly in the smaller corners of certain scenes. It certainly, as some people like to claim, never died. In fact, if you were to discuss this with Sonja Moonear, the Swiss DJ would argue that the genre is as popular as ever.
Much like the other artists in the upper echelons of the scene—Zip, Raresh, Nicolas Lutz—Moonear made a name for herself by DJing rather than making music. She cut her teeth in Geneva as a resident at its key club at the time, Weetamix. Perlon label head Zip was a regular guest and, as Moonear recounts, he invited her to play in Berlin after she warmed up for him a few times. Moonear is now an in-demand DJ in her own right, with a style that takes in a broad cross-section of house, techno and minimal.
Recorded at last summer's Dimensions Festival, this edition of Playing Favourites sees Moonear select some of her favourite '90s and early '00s minimal classics and the records that never leave her record bag. She's truly obsessed with music and finding rare grooves, and her enthusiasm shines through. In between playing tracks, she talks about the squat scene in Geneva and how she spends hours preparing her bag every week. She reminisces about the first time she put her hand on a turntable; her transition away from the piano as an adolescent; and her primary goal in her career, which is "purely to enjoy herself."
@moonear
ra.co/exchange/794
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EX.755 Dennis Bovell
"I wanted to be at the forefront of the beat that would storm the world." The renowned musician talks about how reggae became the sound of resistance in the UK.
How did reggae become the sound of resistance in the UK? In this RA Exchange, the influential Barbados-born guitarist, bass player and record producer Dennis Bovell talks about moving to South London aged 12 and navigating its tense racial and musical landscape. Through the music he wrote and produced, he responded directly to racist rhetoric and colonialist attitudes rocking the UK. After the arrival of the Empire Windrush ship in June 1948—which brought a generation of Caribbean people over to rebuild post-war Britain—the UK experienced new social pressures as the diaspora assimilated to their new lives. But London also became a melting pot of creative and cultural diversity. Reggae became resistance music, and artists like Bovell became bandleaders.
Bovell speaks with writer and musician Tony Nwachukwu about music as social commentary, especially in his reggae band Matumbi, which was intentionally provocative, aiming to challenge the status quo and give voice to the Black British experience through its lyrics, themes and messaging. Matumbi was critical in developing the British reggae sound, and Bovell went on to record other musical projects that were key in shaping the early days of reggae, dub and lover's rock.
He also reflects on his time engineering for artists in different scenes, like the German electronic duo Saâda Bonaire, the Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Bovell's unique ability to bring together different musical styles at the peripheries of dub made him a highly sought-after collaborator with a knack for navigating delicate dynamics in the industry, especially for Black artists. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula
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EX.754 Virginia
"It starts within yourself." The DJ, vocalist and producer talks about self-improvement, moving to rural Portugal and working alongside long-time partner Steffi.
There may be no voice as rich, vibrant or easily distinguishable in today's house and techno scene than that of Virginia. The Brazilian-German DJ, producer and singer has earned a name for herself as a hybrid house vocalist and a resident at Panorama Bar, where she plays sets featuring her own live vocals. Born in Munich to a family of musicians, she became enamoured with the soulful singing of artists like Sade, Whitney Houston and Tracy Chapman, who became her early guiding lights. It wasn't until her adolescence, when her sister took her to a nightclub, that it crossed her mind to begin blending these two musical worlds. By the mid-2010s, Virginia had relocated to Berlin to earnestly pursue a career in electronic music and create a new, house-focused musical vocabulary that's become completely her own.
It was around this time that Virginia met her long-time partner, fellow DJ and producer Steffi. In this week's Exchange, she speaks with Chloe Lula about their personal and creative relationship, and their love of collaborating together in the studio and behind the decks. After more than two decades in Berlin, the couple relocated to rural Portugal in 2020, a move that's opened up a world of abundant rest and opportunity. They opened up a studio and residency called Candy Mountain (so called for its veritable candy shop of synthesizers and hardware), where they've found a new appreciation for taking things slow: going on walks in the countryside, engaging in botany and inviting friends and collaborators over to work on music. She reflects on what it means to step away from the demands of Berlin's bustling music industry and why her voice has remained such a powerful source of energy and inspiration over the course of her career, and her forthcoming album with Steffi on Dekmantel, Patterns of Vibration. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula
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