German-born Deniz Koyu, known in the music industry as KO:YU, has been gracing the behemoth party destinations of Tomorrowland, Ibiza and Sensation, pumping out his fresh and riveting tunes of progressive house. On June 3, Hyderabad’s music lovers can revel in his epic bass-drops as he comes to Rendezvous.
Having done his first club shows in Cologne, Germany with a crowd of 1100 people who very much into house music sub-genres. It taught KO:YU a lot about playing warm-up sets which is a key skill for DJs to have. After the release of Tung!, he made the leap to a big show in Berlin where he played with Tiësto for a crowd of nearly 30,000 people.
The build-up
KO:YU, who has been in the industry since he was 18, has been a firsthand witness to the biggest fluctuations in prog house, “When I got started, house music was not on any commercial level, especially in the US markets. It was really an underground scene in Europe and then in 2010, I experienced the whole hype, when it really took off quickly. Around that time, I started to see some success from my productions — I was there at the right time and in the right place. In the past two years, the US became oversaturated. In 2015, a lot of clubs, like Pacha, started closing and stopped making that revenue. At the same time, Asia started to prosper; more artists transitioned their attention there. That shift in equilibrium was so clear. These cycles in the industry are common.”
Earlier this year, KO:YU released A Way Home with Swedish duo Don Palm , which featured a new trajectory. He explains its inception, “He describes its inception, explaining house music usually ranges from 126 to 128bpm, “I felt ready to try something a little bit different when Don Palm sent me a rough demo of the sound with vocals of the singer on it. It was a very typical prog house track with a simple melody structure. So I pitched it up to 140bpm with more of a future bass structure and the vocals sounded great in that range and vibe.” I didn’t think about it too much.” Inspired by long-time idol Australian musician Flume and by the latest Martin Garrix songs while also melding in his reputed creativity, the track has been well-received by fans and new listeners across the prog house board.
KO:YU states that navigating through a packed summer schedule is no small feat, “I always prepare special edits of my own songs, which other people don’t have. I usually don’t want to play my very old songs or original mixes as that can become staid. I, of course, have my new tracks and I also create an intro-production, and that always depends on the show. So for example, I’m playing at Tomorrowland in July and that will have a special, longer intro with more tension. When I’m at a club, I want to make it pretty tight and not too epic and anthemic– it doesn’t fit the club scene. But it doesn’t make it any less profound. I’ll be playing some new matter that I’m currently working on in the studio, one in particular for sure — and Hyderabad will be the first to hear. That’s exciting for me, and hopefully for the crowds too.”
Anticipation
KO:YU is no stranger to India’s party scene, “I’ve been at least five or six times and each time has left a great impression. India’s has been really unique in an appreciation for any type of set, any direction I want to take. The crowds are so energetic and completely into the vibe of the party, which is amazing.”
Abhinav Reddy Palle, managing director at Rendezvous, shares the event will be a cornucopia of audio-visual awe, “We’re expecting 2000 people so the hype is real. It’ll be poolside, and the event will feature cold pyros, a massive LED set-up, CO2 jets and confetti blasts. Additionally, those who are unable to attend won’t be left out; we’ll be running a live Facebook video. There’ll also be 360 degree cameras and once that video is ready, we’ll be posting that to Facebook too.”
KO:YU will be jamming tonight in association with Ministry of Sound at RendezVous, Gachibowli. Tickets are available online and at the door.
