Today renowned German artist Jonathan Kaspar has stopped by to chat with us about his new release on Kompakt, studio things, and future plans.

Jonathan Kaspar, a native of Bonn, Germany, is a crucial player in the Cologne scene. He is a resident of the prestigious Gewölbe club in the city and one of the current key figures at the legendary Kompakt record label. His discography includes releases on some of the most prestigious labels in modern dance music, including Innervisions, Cocoon Recordings, and Crosstown Rebels, to name a few. He has also performed at festivals around the world, including Extrema Festival in Hasselt, NDSM in Amsterdam, and Watergate in Berlin. The Umfang EP demonstrates why Jonathan has recently emerged as one of Germany’s most promising artists, and with a standout year ahead, his chances are excellent. 

Hello Jonathan, how are you doing? What was the best experience you had this summer?

Hey, thanks for having me! It is a very special summer after Corona, and once again everything is full on. The music and events are amazing to play at! One of my favourite experiences this summer was swimming in the ocean in Barcelona, I have so missed the sea!

Let’s dive into your musical journey, how did you start producing music?

I was deejaying already for some years and felt like I would love to play out my own music and create music for my sets. I was very curious about the whole process behind electronic music.

Congratulations on your new EP ‘Umfang’. It landed today on Kompakt, and it’s one of the hottest releases this year. What’s so special about this EP, and how long did it take you to finish it?

To me, it is super special as it is my first EP on my home label with dance floors being open again. The first two EPs were released during Corona lockdowns. I’m super happy about the feedback so far and I like that every track is very different from each other, so everyone can pick their favourite tune – actually everyone apart from me, I still can’t choose my favourite one 🙂

Every track is unique with top-notch quality. Could you share one of your favorite ways to get a clean mix?

Listening to the demos and test versions on as many different sound systems and headphones as possible: Car sound system, Club, Festival, small in ear headphones, and studio headphones – each soundsystem will show you what is missing or too much in the mix.

We have noticed that every release of yours is extraordinary. How do you usually find ideas for your music, do you follow music trends?

I find inspiration everywhere, in nature during my running, when watching movies, or even in my dreams during sleep.

There’s a significant amount of analog synthesizers in your productions. What does your studio setup look like?

It is a good mixture between analog and software, I think it’s nice to use the best out of both worlds.

What do you like the most about being a musician?

Expressing myself through music, through my own tracks, and also to combine music from other artists with my own tracks during my DJ sets is a beautiful way to spend time with people and take them with you.

Lastly, is there something that you can reveal for this year?

I have my first solo EP coming up on Crosstown Rebels, a single track with Cocoon on their amazing yearly Compilation, a single track at this year’s Kompakt TOTAL, and finally a remix for Joris Voorn will also see the light this year.

Purchase Jonathan Kaspar – Umfang EP via this link

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