Jozef K plays Sankeys, Manchester, on 9th March, 16th March, 23rd March and 29th March.
The Mix
Talk us through the track selection in the mix.
Jozef K - "Started off with really deep and dreamy slow stuff, progressing into an old school Chicago/acid vibe, which in turn went into some techno and more tougher stuff, then and some more emotional, tense stuff to finish. We made a combined playlist of around 400 tracks and narrowed it down to our absolute favourites."
Where and how was the mix recorded?
Winter son - "We were playing around with the tracklist for a while, experimenting with that tracks worked well with each other. This process is as important to the actual mixing for us, as it's incredibly important for the listener to really understand where we're taking them during the mix. We do a lot of 'jamming' when it comes to mixes, playing around track structures and that kind of thing. Making sure we get the most from the tracks. We then hit the studio and take it from there..."
The Plug
What is keeping you both busy at the moment?
Winter Son - "I'm working on a lot of Winter Son and Ghosting Season material at the moment. I'm honing my skills as a DJ too, which has been a lot of fun! I don't come from a DJ background, I come from playing in bands, so this is all new and fun to me. I'm probably going to lock myself in the studio for a while soon and see what happens under the Winter Son name. Jozef has been teaching me a lot about DJing, he's been showing me the rules, and then how to break them."
Jozef K - "DJing every weekend, studio every week night. We (JK+WS) have an EP to finish and a few edits to do as well as an album so as you can imagine are very busy at the minute!"
How is Sankeys shaping up for the 2013 season Jozef?
Jozef K - "There are a lot more rising acts coming through; the line-ups are a lot fresher than previously, and the atmosphere in the club has changed a lot because of it, a lot of good energy! Also it is good to see a lot of British acts coming through now, the UK (mainly Bristolians!) has a good bank of hot artists coming through at the second."
What is the purpose of your solo project, Winter Son, away from Ghosting Season?
Winter Son - "I've been wanting to make some housey kind of stuff for a while, as it's become a big part of what I listen to. My influences come from artists like Bauhaus, Depeche Mode and The Cure, but I'm also into Larry Heard and Carl Craig!"
You have a weekend off. What do you do? Where do you go?
Jozef K - "Go to the Berghain... obviously!"
Winter Son - "As Joe says, Berghain. Or maybe to see my dad, who's my biggest inspiration. And he's a biker."
What plans are in place for the coming year?
Winter son - "Gigs, remixes, releases, soundtracks, everything music! We're hitting this year hard. We have our first release coming on Sasha's label Last Night On Earth, and we're booking our live show out too, which is a lot of fun!"
Jozef K - "Techno. Techno. Techno."
Tracklist
1 - Kulakostas – Bleed
2 - Jason Fine – Jack Yo Boddha
3 - Logic – Blues For You (Soft Dub Mix)
4 - QX-1 – Inject Me Love
5 - John Beltran - Aquatic
6 - Blood – Peace In The Nation
7 - Rhythum Composers – And All I Want 2 Say Is (M.D.’s Seduction Mixx)
8 - Chip E – If You Only Knew (Frankie Knew Mix)
9 - Ragtyme ft. Byron Stingily – I Can’t Stay Away (Power Pella)
10 - Jozef K – Midnight Silhouette
11 - Music Freaks – Tribal Trance (Tibal Mix)
12 - Rocky Jones – The Choice Of A New Generation
13 - John Heckle – Red Defender
14 - Inner City – Groovin’ Without A Doubt
15 - Da Posse – The Groove
16 - Jared Wilson – Office Analogue
17 - Jozef K + Winter Son – Aoekegahara Forest
18 - Jagdstaffel 66 – Alle Piloten Mit In Den Tod
19 - Daft Punk – Rollin’ & Scratchin’
20 - Joy Orbison – Big Room Tech House DJ Tool – Tip!
21 - Jozef K + Winter Son – Peace, Love & Empathy
22 - Daso – Meine (Lucio Aquilina Remix)
23 - Oni Ayhun – OAR0003-B
24 - The Other People Place – Let Me Be Me
Biography
Winter Son - I play live with my buddy Jozef K and also perform solo with my TR-808 drum machine and a bag of sounds. I am also half of Ghosting Season and write music for TV & films.
Winter Son was born from nights spent playing around with a drum machine and some of my favourite records. I started to play along with other people's music, jamming along to their beats and making my own rhythms that cross into theirs.
The name 'Winter Son' comes from those cold Northern English nights walking around Manchester to the sounds of Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, The Cure, and old Chicago house tracks.
It comes from immersing yourself in a darkened room packed with sweaty bodies moving as one to the sound of the bass drum and synth line.
Jozef K - In the past 12 months, Sankeys’ newest resident, Jozef K, has continued to build a glowing profile which has seen 2012 to so far include his own productions, remixes and a string of DJing dates. Aged just 23, Jozef K has quietly been crafting a name for himself, as one of Sankeys’ lynchpins as well playing at Croatia’s Dimensions festival, Ibiza, Berlin and Moscow this year.
Jozef has recently been signed to Sasha's label Last Night On Earth, One Records, (a collaboration with the American based DJ Aakmael) He also has released on the flourishing Canadian label Roots & Wings.
Jozef is resident at the legendary club Sankeys, [the 2010 voted the Best Club In The World by DJ Mag’s global readers] allowing Jozef to follow in the esteemed footsteps of the some of the venue’s past residents, including the legendary Greg Vickers, Mistress de Funk and Bucky. Jozef joins the elite ranks of a hand-picked pantheon selected to help embody the institution’s music manifesto, whilst carving out his own particular niche at the club, especially with his own party Continue. The wildly successful night as evolved from an occasional free party into one of the club’s most vibrant events. Continue’s success is a lot to do with Jozef, who, being the founder, is an integral part of its ethos; the bookings a reflection of his musical tastes.
Jozef says, “In terms of production, I am in the studio most nights with my good friend Winter Son, currently working on an album. DJing wise I have been playing across the UK every weekend, combined with my Sankeys residency. Also I am receiving more international gigs now having played in Ibiza, Berlin and Croatia recently, with lots more shows lined up, including Dubai & Greece and repeat shows in Berlin and Ibiza.”
Jozef continues to grow as a DJ; his regular crate-digging for obscure tracks has helped create his individual style, both as a DJ and producer who eschews trends, one for whom the future is looking very bright indeed.
