Today we have Kolegos on the site, on the back of his recent release on Berlin Bass Collective.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into
music?
So both of us go a long way back, but never thought that we would end up starting a project
together. We kind of call ourselves a duo of broken synths. Genys comes from a background of
hip-hop, bass and reggae music, and Mountak - a long development of more 4x4 beats like
house, italo disco. We’ve been throwing parties in Lithuania since we can remember, but Genys
lives in Berlin now for quite some time, same for Mountak. This is where we established our
connection a bit more closer and decided to start exploring music together. I believe music
came pretty naturally for both of us, we both come from families of musicians.
How is your sound evolving? What artists and genres do you enjoy right now?
As a duo we are pretty new, so we are still in a bit of a search for the true sound, but the main
direction is quite determined. As artists we constantly try to find new ways to innovate and get
inspired. The main focus is Italo disco and house music. Nevertheless you can definitely feel
influences of 90s hip-hop, breakbeat or even dub. Music is a fluid thing for us, inspirations can
travel from style to style.
When it comes to artists... it is a pretty broad range from Spencer Parker or Alinka and Man
Power to Doja Cat, MJ Cole, Stormzy, Travis Scott, Letherette, Vanessa Da Mata and even
Ezéchiel Pailhès. We welcome all music, therefore there would be no need to completely single
out one music genre. From classical to techno.
Since we come from different musical backgrounds we each bring something different to the
duo.
How do you want your music to sound? How would you describe your sound?
We aim to make people dance. Goal is to create a mutual feeling on the dance floor so the body
would react naturally to music as it should - dance.
What projects are you working on right now? What can you tell us about your last job?
Currently, Kolegos is our main focus. We do have our separate DJ projects, but when it comes
to music production, we circle back to Kolegos.
Where are you based and what is life like there right now?
Genys lives in Berlin, which we all know is a city of sins, but as well as culture and electronic
music, clubs have just reopened, therefore the energy in the town is incredible.
Mountak, just moved out of Berlin to Vilnius, Lithuania - there are a lot of new things and great artists around here, clubs are blossoming, so it’s a perfect time to be back.
Has your sound changed a lot in recent years?
We mainly try to keep a recognisable signature sound in order to create our own style. Whether
it’s particular synths or drums, phasers... you name it! :) Kolegos is a pretty young project so we
are still in search of it. The vision is there, but it adapts.
Do you feel safe now to play a more experimental sound?
Absolutely, only this way you can push the limits and find out new things that you like, or don’t.
It’s all an exploration.
We all know that the digital revolution has affected sales, but has it affected creativity?
Not necessarily, we believe that it is more how you use the tools that you're given. Limits can be
a way to spark creativity and push your boundaries, but digital and technological opportunities
can alter those boundaries.
Where can we find you next?
You can meet Genys quite often at Panke, Berlin or somewhere in Prenzlauerberg around the
Bitwig office, or somewhere in Wedding between his studio and home studio :)
For Mountak, next is a party called “Tarp Dvieju Ausru” at Kablys Club, Vilnius.
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