Exclusive Oliver Koletzki interview

Ahead of Saturday’s Familia party we sit down and chat to headliner Oliver Koletzki. In this exclusive interview he talks about his label Stil Von Talent, playing Awakenings this Summer, and the last time he appeared Egg London.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us - how are you today and what you've been up to? 

I'm good, thanks. I have just come back from a little US tour, where I played in San Francisco, New York, Miami and then had a gig in Santo Domingo, which was really great. Then I played three gigs on Germany the Sunday I returned. I took the last weekend off though, so I am well rested. 

Its been a decade since your first release - 2005's "Der Mückenschwarm" on Cocoon. Did you ever think back then that you'd be doing this for as long as you have? 

Since I wrote my first tracks with 13 but only released Mückenschwarm with 30, I knew that I would be making music for my whole life – I just didn't expect this level of success.  

The scene is very different now from when you started out. What's the most significant change you've noticed? 

Primarily the technology has changed – both for production and when DJ'ing. Generally speaking, the music and the crowd haven't changed too much, but the amount of clubs and events has grown a lot in recent years. 

For those who'd like to follow in your footsteps, what one piece of advice would you give them? 

Learn how to play an instrument and/ or play in a band for a while to really develop your musical skills. 

You dropped 'Iyewaye' back in March - your first solo single in a while, and one of your hardest releases in recent times - what inspired you to go in this direction and can fans expect more of this approach in the future? 

Of course you can expect some more stuff along those lines. The last years I have pretty much only played deep house and I have grown a little tired of all the vocals, melodies and saxophone sounds. 

Its been another very active year for your label - what else have you got planned for Stil Vor Talent in 2015? 

This year Stil vor Talent has it's 10 year anniversary, which we will celebrate with many open air parties this summer all over Germany. We will moreover release a big compilation with exclusive tracks by all of our artists towards the end of the year. 

How about personally: what are you looking forward to this summer? 

This summer I am particularly looking forward to numerous festivals, such as Awakenings in Holland, Garbicz Festival in Poland or Balaton Sound in Hungary, as well as a wild summer in Berlin with my friends. 

You're set to play at Egg London for the first time on Saturday - how are you looking forward to it? 

I have actually played Egg before, but it was a really long time ago. Since I had an incredible night back then, I am really looking forward to be playing again! 

What can fans expect from you on Saturday? 

The crowd can expect a driving techno set with a nice narrative arc and a bit of melody. 

Do you often get to come to London? Any favourite spots over here? 

I absolutely love London! If I have a free weekend I sometimes fly over to go shopping and enjoy the great food. 

To finish: you must be very busy, touring, production and label management. What do you do outside of music to unwind? 

I'm really into gardening actually. I have a big rooftop terrace where I grow plants and chill out.