Partying for a good Kosa
You've seen him around. You've heard him (a lot) if you go out regularly and are a sucker for quality electro-house. This man with red hair is on fire, and his special mixing touch is what I'd qualify as unique.
Over the years mister Sean Kosa became a household name, a sure way to get a party started, rockin', and going 'til the wee hours of the morning. Sean took some time to answer a few of my questions.
- Let's start at the origin : why the move from Toronto to Montreal ?
Well it was so long ago I can barely remember, but I'm pretty sure that there were four basic reasons at the time : my girlfriend was studying at mcgill, readily available beer sold in depanneurs, delivery pot, and cheap rent.
- It took you a long time to get noticed in the city you relocated to, Montreal, and even after the release of your Dog City EP on Turbo in 2002, people in town did not necessarily associate the rap-a-genius behind tracks like The Rent is Due and that red-headed guy hanging out at Blizzarts, next to the DJ booth, every Saturday. Any idea why ?
Well yeah, I really hadn't dj'd much at all in Montreal prior to that, I was a bedroom hermit pretty much and really didn't know many people either. Of course it takes a little while to build up a name in any town so it took a couple of years of me playing steadily at well-respected events for people to really get to know me. I also worked at Moog Audio for four years starting in 2003, so I met alot of people during my tenure there.
- Whatever happened to Lipstick Music ? After a few releases and kick-ass "Blow Up" parties, it seemed so promising...
Basically Lipstick was Jean Michel's project and he had an idea of doing a label with a little more pop appeal, since his other labels were very stark and techno-oriented. Unfortunately he launched the label during one of the slowest eras of vinyl sales in the last ten years, and this trend continues today. Put quite simply, there was no way to make any money, however we did release some quality music together that has been licensed by some bigger labels since then, music that I'm still proud of, and still play to this day.
- Water Lilly charted one of your tracks back in the days, and your Jasmin & Jul remix appeared on the Tiga & Ajax double CD INTHEMIX.05 released in Australia... would you say it helped your carreer on a local level ?
On a local level maybe a bit, but I'd say it helps more on an international level because it gets your name out there, and it helps with press and promotion. In Montreal my name is already pretty saturated and that comes from playing local events more than anything else.
- Do you have something new in store production-wise ? A surprise nobody expects ?
Right now I'm working on a remix for an old friend of mine, Mike Milosh, who records for an experimental label called Plug Research. We've been doing very different things in parallel for a while now, so it's nice to finally do a collab for once... It's a bit of a different sound for me, but you'll still recognise my sound.
- Who & what are your biggest influences ?
In dance music I'd have to say my three biggest influences are Richie Hawtin, Dave Clarke and Green Velvet, but there are many many others.
- You seem hyperactive : Evening, These Jackets, The Marlon Jacksons, Cutthroats Republic... would that be a direct consequence of a hidden mental disease ?
I'm quadro-polar and I don't think that my disease is so hidden, in fact it's right out there in the open. The only hidden disease that right now I'm trying to come to terms with has something to do with my bizarre obsession with late eighties figure skating videos on YouTube... does anyone have a name for this affliction ?
- How did you make friends with the Party Owl ?
I bought him for 2 dollars at a garage sale before my Piknic gig last summer. The rest, as they say, is history.
- You have quite a reputation as being a wild, out-of-control party animal. Should we believe it ?
Ummm well I've definitely had my moments in the past, and I'm sure I still will in the future, but I'm a much tamer beast now. You are more likely to catch me at the supermarket readying myself for "Battle Fennel" than carousing and wasting my precious few remaining brain cells at a local gay strip club or local pub.
- What can we expect from the F.A.M.E. launch ?
Air raid sirens, auto fellatio, twisted sinister bass, steel wool calamari, fistfights, man-love, brutally honest conversations, vodka shooters, sexual innuendo, docking, and most of all, a big bag filled with mardi gras-esque good times.
*
Sean Kosa will appear in high physical & mental form at the F.A.M.E. launch party this coming Thursday, Feb. 8th, alongside fellow local legend Romeo Kardec, ass-kicking maximalist Omni, and Mirrorballs' resident often-too-drunk noisemaker Clifford Brown, at Academy Dancehall, 4445 St-Laurent. Those of you looking for the right place to have a blast will know where to head.
Over the years mister Sean Kosa became a household name, a sure way to get a party started, rockin', and going 'til the wee hours of the morning. Sean took some time to answer a few of my questions.
- Let's start at the origin : why the move from Toronto to Montreal ?
Well it was so long ago I can barely remember, but I'm pretty sure that there were four basic reasons at the time : my girlfriend was studying at mcgill, readily available beer sold in depanneurs, delivery pot, and cheap rent.
- It took you a long time to get noticed in the city you relocated to, Montreal, and even after the release of your Dog City EP on Turbo in 2002, people in town did not necessarily associate the rap-a-genius behind tracks like The Rent is Due and that red-headed guy hanging out at Blizzarts, next to the DJ booth, every Saturday. Any idea why ?
Well yeah, I really hadn't dj'd much at all in Montreal prior to that, I was a bedroom hermit pretty much and really didn't know many people either. Of course it takes a little while to build up a name in any town so it took a couple of years of me playing steadily at well-respected events for people to really get to know me. I also worked at Moog Audio for four years starting in 2003, so I met alot of people during my tenure there.
- Whatever happened to Lipstick Music ? After a few releases and kick-ass "Blow Up" parties, it seemed so promising...
Basically Lipstick was Jean Michel's project and he had an idea of doing a label with a little more pop appeal, since his other labels were very stark and techno-oriented. Unfortunately he launched the label during one of the slowest eras of vinyl sales in the last ten years, and this trend continues today. Put quite simply, there was no way to make any money, however we did release some quality music together that has been licensed by some bigger labels since then, music that I'm still proud of, and still play to this day.
- Water Lilly charted one of your tracks back in the days, and your Jasmin & Jul remix appeared on the Tiga & Ajax double CD INTHEMIX.05 released in Australia... would you say it helped your carreer on a local level ?
On a local level maybe a bit, but I'd say it helps more on an international level because it gets your name out there, and it helps with press and promotion. In Montreal my name is already pretty saturated and that comes from playing local events more than anything else.
- Do you have something new in store production-wise ? A surprise nobody expects ?
Right now I'm working on a remix for an old friend of mine, Mike Milosh, who records for an experimental label called Plug Research. We've been doing very different things in parallel for a while now, so it's nice to finally do a collab for once... It's a bit of a different sound for me, but you'll still recognise my sound.
- Who & what are your biggest influences ?
In dance music I'd have to say my three biggest influences are Richie Hawtin, Dave Clarke and Green Velvet, but there are many many others.
- You seem hyperactive : Evening, These Jackets, The Marlon Jacksons, Cutthroats Republic... would that be a direct consequence of a hidden mental disease ?
I'm quadro-polar and I don't think that my disease is so hidden, in fact it's right out there in the open. The only hidden disease that right now I'm trying to come to terms with has something to do with my bizarre obsession with late eighties figure skating videos on YouTube... does anyone have a name for this affliction ?
- How did you make friends with the Party Owl ?
I bought him for 2 dollars at a garage sale before my Piknic gig last summer. The rest, as they say, is history.
- You have quite a reputation as being a wild, out-of-control party animal. Should we believe it ?
Ummm well I've definitely had my moments in the past, and I'm sure I still will in the future, but I'm a much tamer beast now. You are more likely to catch me at the supermarket readying myself for "Battle Fennel" than carousing and wasting my precious few remaining brain cells at a local gay strip club or local pub.
- What can we expect from the F.A.M.E. launch ?
Air raid sirens, auto fellatio, twisted sinister bass, steel wool calamari, fistfights, man-love, brutally honest conversations, vodka shooters, sexual innuendo, docking, and most of all, a big bag filled with mardi gras-esque good times.
*
Sean Kosa will appear in high physical & mental form at the F.A.M.E. launch party this coming Thursday, Feb. 8th, alongside fellow local legend Romeo Kardec, ass-kicking maximalist Omni, and Mirrorballs' resident often-too-drunk noisemaker Clifford Brown, at Academy Dancehall, 4445 St-Laurent. Those of you looking for the right place to have a blast will know where to head.
posted by Clifford Brown at
Saturday, February 03, 2007
<< Home