Chook has been producing electronic music since the late 90’s specializing in tech house, drum and bass and downtempo. Today we talk with him as he just released music on the Luxembourg-based label Lauter Unfug.
Electronic Groove: Hi Chook, thanks for chatting with us. Can you let us know a bit about your beginnings as a musician? Was music always at the forefront of your childhood experiences?
Chook: Hello, I always liked music as a kid, but I wouldn’t say it was at the forefront of my childhood experiences. I don’t come from a especially musical family either. At at the age of 14 I started to get into hip-hop. A year later I got my first student job. With the money I made I was able to buy myself one second-hand technics and a mixer. So I started scratching for hours and hours every day. That’s when music started to become a real passion.
EG: How about your connection with electronic music. Where did it all begin?
Chook: I’d say that hip-hop is electronic music so it started with that genre in 1994. Around the 96 we had a record shop in Luxembourg city that was selling all sorts of electronic music. The owner kept pushing me to listen to some drum and bass tunes. At the beginning I hated it, I thought it was way too fast but slowly got me hooked. Around the 98 I started driving to the massive raves in Mannheim, Germany. I gave up Djing hip-hop to produce and mix drum and bass for the coming 12 years.
EG: You just had a few releases on Lauter Unfug. How did you connect with them?
Chook: If I remember correctly it was Pierre from Lauter Unfug who asked me if I wanted to release something on their imprint, which I did 🙂
EG: That included an EP and a remix. Whats your regular process to record a track?
Chook: I always liked to design sounds. I can spend hours if not days on just the bassline, which certainly isn’t the most effective way to work. I want every detail to sound perfect, this actually makes me quite a slow producer compared to others who can just make a track a day.
EG: What are your plans for the rest of the year? Any new releases that you can share with us?
Chook: I have a few tracks in the pipeline for the rest of the year. A track and remix on Mango Alley, one track on Iconyc and another on Lauter Unfug.
EG: What’s your view on DJing versus production, and how do you keep a balance?
Chook: I’ve become a daddy last year, so Djing is not as simple as it used to be. I try my best to balance family life, Djing and producing. At the moment I produce more than I DJ though.
EG: So the summer is about to end. Can you share with us your stand out moments?
Chook: That must’ve been my two-holiday surfing in Portugal. I’m actually writing this interview from the plane going back to Luxembourg.
EG: What would you say is the best and worst of being an artist?
Chook: The best is living your passion which is music. The worst is having to try to survive in the ruthless world that is music business.
Find more Chook music here.
Follow Chook: Facebook I Soundcloud
