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Podcast: SPTL170: Zohki & Roozlee

This German duo have a new EP in June and are regular selectors for Steve Lawler's Viva Warriors party. Check this exclusive mix.


The Mix

Talk us through the track selection of the mix.

"This is a mix of our current favorites and new promos that we have got from friends and labels..."

Where and how was the mix recorded?

"We mixed this mix in the studio using Pioneer CDJs 2000 and our real;y old battle mixer Ecler HAK 320! That mixer is a leftover from hiphop times...!"

What are the musical influences that have allowed you to arrive at this podcast?

"Simply #Ibiza."


The Plug

So, you're both on a bumper season on Ibiza this year. Where can we expect to find you guys playing?

"Season startet for us with the guys from 'Emergin Ibiza' as we played at Benimussa Park opening and that was fun. But, we are really looking forward to our new residency at Sankeys. Sundays at Steve Lawlers 'Warriors' party. Thats gonna be great!"

You've been championed by the Viva Warriors team this year in particular. How does it feel to have the support of Mr Lawler and the guys?

"It feels very nice to know you are in a good and experienced team. After releasing our first EP on Viva Music called 'Hustlaz', which was a great succes, the guys from Viva offered us to join the Viva team and we were glad and were proud to join them!"

You've a new EP out on Viva around the 9th June, tell us about that.

"The New EP is called 'The Satisfaction EP' and it's a really typical Zohki & Roozlee piece of work. Including 5 tracks with lots of hip-hop influences as you can tell by our samples that we used and they style how we create the tracks. 4 Tracks are more the clubbing type of track, and one is a very deep track thats represent our feeling about Ibiza. Also, we are working also again on new videoclips to promote our work and the EP, like we did last time with our track 'Braka' from the 'Hustlaz EP'."

You've both been involved with the new-for-this-year Emerging Ibiza Festival, playing at the Zoo Project last night I believe. How was the gig?

"The Idea of EI is great. We were into it from the beginning. The people from EI are very nice and professional people and we felt good about the whole thing. About Zoo Project - we can just say that it's a really amazing place, all the bodypaintings and and crazy people... you have to see it, it's more a festival kind of a experience."

Do you think it is important for projects like Emerging Ibiza to help discover and promote new talent on Ibiza?

"Yes indeed. There are only few clubs that have a good mix of the big names and upcoming new artists. It's always the same line-ups, nearly everywhere. To using the force of the bigger names and the well known clubs to give talented artists a chance is great, plus you have something new for the fans, the people."

This ‘Davicii' video has been circulating a lot recently, we even all watched it at the IMS conference last week. Do you think the video will have a negative effect on the scene, to the point people will think that is what the scene is like? Or will nobody care?

"The video was funny. And thats it! We are not that much about dissing others for what they do. All this twitter dissing, and bashing and stuff - sometimes it's funny and sometimes things have to be said. Thats ok. But most of the time people writing or blogging or twittering stuff against EDM people, or sometimes even people of our scene dissing each other, is really childish..."

"I have the feeling people are more dissing others to become populare themself. Don't forget - this guy from 'The Lonely Island' who made that DAVICII video, don't even think that he knows something about differences of our scene to the EDM scene or whatever. I guess he just took this name because he only knows them - but I guess he makes fun of all of us laptop and modern kind of 'DJs', not only EDM, not knowing that DJ'ing starts at home or a studio - not in the club. Where we produce stuff, listen to new demos for hours and hours. DJ'ing is about experience... about understanding the crowd. The club, the atmospehere."

"DJ'ing is not to 'beatmatch' something... so the Davicii video is funny, nothing more."

Lastly, you have a few days off on Ibiza. What do you do? Where do you go?

"Unfortunately, we dont have much time to relax, we were shooting videos for the new EP on the island – and when we are back in Germany we get straight to the studio. We have to finish some premasters for our next EP coming on Natural Rythm with remixes from our friends and Circoloco residents DJ Sossa and Cirillo. And besides, we have to remix stuff for our friend Khaan, he is going to release on an sublabel of Blufin records."

"June 14th to June 16th you can find us in Barcelona for the Sonar festival as we are playing 4 gigs. It's gonna be big fun hanging with our friends and after that we are going straight back to Ibiza to stay for the season there... and hopefully have some free time to see the sun!"



Tracklist

1. Mind Against – Avalon – Life and Death
2. Matthew Herbert - Its Only (DJ Koze Remix) – Pampa
3. Redshape – It`s in Rain – Running Back
4. John Tejada – Mono on Mono – Palette Rec.
5. Zohki & Roozlee – Caught Up – VIVa Music
6. Leigh D Oliver – Reductio Ad Absurdum – Inner City Rec.
7. Kerri Chandler – Sunday Sunlight – Apollonia
8. Patrick Topping – Get Beasty – Hot Creations
9. Kareem Cali - Killa Beats – bouq
10. Gruia,Viorel Dragu – Sarah On The Hill (Hermanez Remix) – Natural Rhythm
11. Jesse Rose, Brillstein - Good Wife (O&A Remix) – Play It Down
12. Sabb – Feelings – Saved Rec.
13. Katal – Play That Again – Sanity Rec.
14. Andrea Oliva, DJ Le Roi - Feel On You – Objectivity
15. Zohki & Roozlee – Satisfaction – VIVa Music
16. King & Johnston – Pre-Fade (Ozzi Remix) – Underground Source
17. Zohki & Roozlee – The Whistle – VIVa Music
18. Sergio Sergi – Viliunm – Sanity Rec.
19. R plus L – The Dumpster – Moan Rec.


Biography

Zohki & Roozlee have gained international recognition since starting their endeavour in the electronic music world. Steve Lawler, Matthias Tanzmann, DJ Sneak and Nic Fanciulli are just a few of the artists known for supporting the duos productions and career. For Zohki & Roozlee though this attention was by no means an overnight success story.

It was fifteen years ago Zohki & Roozlee began their journey in music. From Essen in Germany the duo initially crossed paths in the Hip Hop scene around Ruhr in the nineties. With both of them deejaying, Zohki organising parties and Roozlee producing tracks and running a label, it was an unstoppable collaboration from the beginning.

One night at their resident club, Flamingo, the house DJ didn't show for his set, Zohki & Roozlee upped the BPM on what they were used to playing, took the opportunity to fill the slot and immediately realised their calling in life.

The years of refining their electronic music production and deejaying skills finally led them to meet the founder of Moon Harbour, Matthias Tanzmann. The three individuals clicked and Matthias realised the duos potential when he saw the reactions their productions received in the clubs. Following this Matthias took them onto Moon Harbour's booking agency and released their debut EP in August 2012, their well respected “One Way Out” EP. All four tracks from the EP charted on Beatport with “Work It (On And On)” remained in the Top 3 for several weekends. Pete Tong & Reboot also licensed “My Swag” for the “All Gone Pete Tong & Reboot Future Sounds” compilation.

Since then Steve Lawler's VIVa MUSiC released their well recognised “Hustlaz” EP and following this they were signed up to VIVa MUSiC Management to further help develop their career. As part of this Zohki & Roozlee will be a featured resident at VIVa Warriors Ibiza 2014 as well as other VIVa MUSiC and VIVa Warriors showcases worldwide.

2014 is set to be a ground breaking year for the duo so be sure to keep your eyes on their progress.


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