The latest exciting and highly promising club talent to come across our Inflyte Radar arrives in the form of Manchester-based DJ, producer, and soon to be label owner. Kalcagni.
Following the release of his ‘Manners’ EP with Distrito 91 earlier this year, the British artist will return to our feeds at the end of this month for his ‘Lost In The System’ EP, which will also be the inaugural release from his own Cosmoba imprint.
We spoke to him about the new release, why he wants to become a label owner, what we might see on the label in the near future, and more. Get the full discussion with Kalcagni below.
Hi Kalcagni, you’re on our Inflyte Radar, tell us how your week has been so far?
Not bad at all to be honest. I’m currently in Mexico City, it’s my last week here of a 2-month spell, so I’m trying to find time to fit in all the stuff I haven’t got round to yet in the city.
You’re currently planning the launch of your own label, Cosmoba, how has that been going?
It’s taken a while to get things going, considering I’m doing vinyl releases, a lot of research went into finding a plant that could not only turn around the vinyl within a reasonable time frame but could also produce great quality records.
I’ve been focused on ensuring everything sits right with the ethos of the label, rather than trying to rush things. I had some really great masters done, I wanted to make sure the artwork was in line with the sound of the label, all of this stuff took a while to get right.
The first release will be your own ‘Lost In The System’ EP, which includes four original tracks, what can people expect to hear on those?
I like to think this EP is a good representation of my sound, it’s very much electro but still flexing my other influences, like classic deep house chords, wonky modular sequences, and retro synths, but at the core, the sound is definitely electro and breaks.
And who else might we see on Cosmoba in the coming months?
More of myself, of course! And additionally, whilst I’ve been over here in Mexico City I’ve been collaborating with DJB2B, working in his studio in Satélite, on the outskirts of the city. So, an EP from the both of us is forthcoming in the new year. In fact, the process has reminded me of how great it is to work with someone else in the studio, so expect to see more collaborations on the label in the near future.
You’re based in Manchester, who are some Manchester based artists, DJs, and record labels that have inspired you up to this point?
What inspires me most in Manchester are the clubs and the nightlife in general. I’ve been living there, on and off, for around 20 years now, and the underground electronic scene in terms of decent events and venues has always been really strong. I always return from a night out inspired and motived to jump in the studio and create.
Do you have a ‘bucket list’ label that you would love to release on at some point?
Not at the moment. One of the reasons I ended up doing my own label was because I was struggling to work out where my sound would fit. The idea behind Cosmoba is it’s whatever I want it to be. This means I can write and produce freely without having to think about whether the music will work with another labels remit.
Is there anything else you want to plug before we go?
Huge shouts to anyone who’s taken an interest in my music, and of course massive thanks to you guys for having me!
Kalcagni – Lost In The System EP is out November 28th on Cosmoba.