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PURE Guest.019 Kasper Marott
A progressive tour that rises between bright and gloomy.
In the past few years, a prominent name has emerged among DJs/producers working within the realms of trance and progressive house — Kasper Marott, from Denmark, who created the breakthrough track "Keflavik" in 2018, one of the most supercharged anthems to emerge from Copenhagen's electronic music scene in recent years. While most of the Copenhagen scene channeled energy through pure speed, he layered analog synths upon digital synths in a style that drew on Italo Disco and 90's Trance, releasing euphoria from the melody and tone.
Marott's "Forever Mix" and "My Space" EPs on Courtesy's label Kulør exemplify his dreamy and euphoric moods, ravey, percussive, driving proggressive yet housy trance style. His debut album "Full Circle", released last year through his label Axces Recordings, utilizes many previously unused elements, expanding his stylistic horizons and taking his music into very emotional and nostalgic territory.
"The mix is an excerpt of one of the best parties I've played recently. It was the re-opening party in Ved Siden Af this february. I played upstairs-floor which is my favorite! The mix contains a lot of my go to tunes at the moment which I've been playing out a lot the last year in between lock downs. A lot of percussive old-school trance, some emotional 90's hitz and some demos." – Kasper Marott
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What makes Danish nightlife so unique from other places for you?
Copenhagen's electronic music/club scene is rather small so it's hard to compare it with bigger cities with a strong club scene like Berlin or Paris. But I feel like it is rather unique atmosphere. Everything feels very dedicated - the crowd, the few good clubs we have and the organizers - It creates a kind of wild and very giving experience at the parties. A stand out club right now is definitely Ved Siden Af (formerly Et Andet Sted). I really feel like there has been a big change there - more dedicated people are showing up, both dancers, organizers and DJs and also new producers are popping up because of this. I recently attended the bimonthly queer friendly party at Ved Siden Af called Group Therapy with Nathan Micay and Roza Terenzi as guests and it was really amazing! A great example of how the club scene in Copenhagen is evolving into a space where everyone can let loose without being afraid of
how they fit in. We are right now in an era where inclusion and "safer spaces" are in focus and I think it has changed parties for the better and I think that it is one of the main keys to throwing great parties. For me a great party is a party where you feel safe, treat each other with respect,
and most of all a crowd full of diversity gathered on the dancefloor.
In your experience, did you ever attend the "ultimate" party or will there always be a better one? Is there something that really stands out?
Tough question. But yeah, there are stand out parties. One of them is waaaay back when I was in high school throwing parties in an old pig stall at my childhood home. My friends and I built it into a small nightclub. It was one of the first prober dance parties I experienced - I remember how the dancefloor turned into this coherent vibe where everyone had the same experience with the music and the energy was great. You could fit around 35 - 40 people in the room, the soundsystem was great and the room had this very special weird homemade vibe to it. This party stands out for me as my first experience with the power of a good party where the dancefloor is coherent, it melts together and you lose track of time and the world outside.
Another stand out party is my first time playing at Panorama Bar in Berlin - it was a Monkey Town Records birthday party - I was playing the morning slot and the dancefloor was quite empty in the beginning and somehow it turned into this coherent party with a special energy in the room.
Could you guide us through three tracks you're regularly reaching for during sets at the moment?
Narcotik – Blue
I've been starting my sets a few times with this on, it's a great emotional journey to kind of lure people into it. It has a lot of suspense which I love about good club music.
Replex Blue – Solar
I feel like this is the most energetic and funcional tune I'e ever played haha - everytime I play this one the energy in the room explodes.
Hippiehaus – Halfmoon (AM Synaptic Edit)
Full peak time on this one - the production is great and it sounds so good everytime I play it out, even though it's maxed out with sounds - impressive peach of club music.
What can you tell us about "Full Circle"? After this album, what direction do you plan to explore in the future?
The album as a whole is a mix of music I've been producing the last 5 years before the release of "Full Circle" and it challenges my understanding on how wide the diversity can be on a record without losing its coherence. All the traxx on the album kinda reflects my life. I can always track down a feeling or a fascination I've had or still have in life whenever I hear the tunes.
It's a release that kinda ended an era for me - ever since the release I kinda felt like I needed a break from producing and I needed a clean slate when getting back into producing - during the pandemic my main focus was to have a great everyday life, stay healthy and not really plan anything regarding the future - that's what I did and now I'm productive as never before and I'm looking forward to release new music the next couple of years. I feel like DJing more in the future, exploring other club cultures around the world and that is a thing I'm aiming to do.
What were some of the main challenges and goals when starting out as a DJ and how have they changed over time? What is it about DJing, compared to producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?
Djing has always been a very excited thing for me since I was very young - I had two uncles who worked as DJs in Roskilde and Copenhagen and they introduced me to it when I was around 10 years old - I've been playing at parties around my childhood area at schools and family parties since then and I loved it and how music could gather people. I'm unsure about my main goals at that time, I've always just used my experiences and emotions to guide me - I loved club music and the way to create a vibe and energy on a dancefloor. In some ways I still approach DJing the same way - I'm still doing it because it’s satisfying to play music in club rooms and it's a way to have this energetic emotional and social ride with other people surrounded by great music.
I love to DJ because you are working on creating a vibe at the moment, and for me it's a social thing - everyone is a part of the creation, it's not just the DJ. To build a special moment in a club is not something you can prepare - I feel like it's a culmination of everyone participating in the party - it's important that the party and the room feels safe and secure for you to go be yourself and let the party be an emotional and bodily experience! That is really what I like about clubs and DJing - for me it's not a performance like a concert - it is somehow a social thing even though you don't necessarily have to interact with others. It satisfies me that DJing is a profession where I have to use my emotions to play the music right for the night and to take people on a musical journey. The ability to read a party, catch a vibe in the room and go somewhere musically without ruin the party is something I've learned during my residency at Jolene in Copenhagen – when you are playing 8 hours straight in a club and you continue to do so for years, you
learn how to move musically and to go into different stages of moods to keep the party alive. But also by experiences other club cultures outside of Denmark. It's an ongoing process and it keeps on changing all the time and that's satisfying and something I will continue to keep up with and push for the better through my DJing, my music and playing in clubs that are constantly working on making the nightlife better for people.
What kind of tiering system do you use for track construction? Will one folder put all samples, versions, VST presets, etc or are things located in different folders?
It's a mess… hahah.
I have folders with samples and I somehow know how to navigate in them. Nearly all my productions are all made in the box.
2022.04.16