Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with KOPS
Introduction of the project
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My mom always sang a song called Solen Er Så Rød, Mor, which is a Danish lullaby with a very melancholic melody that always gave me a deep sense of loneliness, but in a very calming way as if we were the only two people that existed.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I once snuck into my big brother’s room and “borrowed” his laptop, which had Logic 9 installed, and tried to create some hip-hop beats. They were probably absolute dogshit, but I really enjoyed making them and have been ever since.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I felt so stuck making the type of music I was the most commercially successful with, mainly because it rarely felt like it wasn’t coming from a real place. I didn’t feel like it was made with the right intention. I then released an EP called Family Walk Extravaganza, which was (let’s be honest) not received the way I hoped. Shortly thereafter, I ran into some health issues and was diagnosed with arthritis. Something I’m still learning to deal with. Later, I was also diagnosed with autism, and the freedom that came with that helped me to make music that was way more instinctive and brought me the same happiness and meaning that I felt when I first started out with my brother’s laptop.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Energetic, impulsive, and heavily inspired by Disco and the late 00’s and early 10’s electro scene, especially Daft Punk and Justice. But disguised as pop music.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I learned how to program analog synths. The way you have to commit to a sound is arguably the foundation that my current music is built on.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
My Moog Matriarch. It’s my absolute favorite piece of gear, and I’m still learning new things about it after owning one for almost 5 years (I don’t read manuals if I can help it).
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Reply
MEKDES!!! He’s absolutely incredible.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I think music is created as a product of our victories and the way we see ourselves positively, as well as our flaws and insecurities and that even the tiniest difference in our past would have made everything completely different, a kind of butterfly effect. I also think the current mindset of the artist plays a huge role. For example, when I can’t get anything done at home, it’s almost impossible to get anything done in the studio. The things we create are a reflection of what we’re made of and who we are on the deepest level. A lot of times, I don’t even know what’s bothering me when I’m sad or off until I write something, and in the middle of that process it sort of clicks, and I realize: oh, it’s this and this, and that’s why that and that. So in many ways, making music is (for me) a way to find out the secrets of my own emotional life.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I just hope they feel like dancing and saying hi to strangers. I want people to feel positive.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. There is only so much space, you can’t have every little detail be the star of the show all the time. Pick your battles.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Nighttime on the Arena Stage at Roskilde Festival, in the middle of the crowd, has been on my bucket list since I saw James Blake there in 2016.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would give several fingers to work on an album with Thomas Bangalter. I would love to pick his brain.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website, Spotify, IG, links)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialkopsdk/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kops_with_the_ice
All DSPs: https://lnk.to/KOPS_DanceAlone
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
It would of course be nice to have huge amounts of commercial success, but my main goal is to keep making music with the amount of joy that I do at the moment and that it finds people who get the same joy out of listening to it as I have felt making it.
