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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
72
Deniz Koyu
9

In a recent interview for Plugin Alliance, Deniz Koyu mentions a few of the places that he’s played: Ultra in Miami “a couple of times”, Australia’s Future Music Festival, Creamfields and the main stage at Tomorrowland, just to name a few. He tosses off the list of highlights casually, as if it’s not such a huge deal.

But, of course, those gigs were actually massive deals, and you don’t get to play dates like those by slacking, even during a time when festival fun is impossible. “I’ve been in the studio most of the time, focusing on my productions and trying to push my personal boundaries,” Koyu says. “Besides the music, I’ve also started working on a new side-project this year, which is based in fashion, something I have been wanting to do for a long time but couldn’t dedicate time to during the usual crazy tour life — more news on this will follow next year.” Also, it seems, congratulations are in order: “I got married this summer!”

What three things have most helped you through Coronavirus Lockdown?

“Spending more time with my family and friends. Staying productive in the studio. Self-educating myself on new hobbies such as photography, cooking and latte-art.”

What lessons should the industry learn from this crisis?

“The most important one should be that we, as a community, need to be supportive of each other and realise that we are all sitting in the same boat.”

What steps need to be taken to address the racism in the dance music scene?

“Since my parents are Turkish and immigrated into Germany when they were young, they have raised me with a very open mindset towards all other cultures and ethnicities, embracing equality, respect and tolerance as some of my core values. Thus, I make sure to surround myself with people who share those same core values, whether it’s the people I choose to work within this industry or private friends. If I do come across racism within the dance music scene, which I have personally experienced rarely, I raise my voice and don’t remain silent.”

What industry changes are you personally pushing for to make the dance music scene more inclusive?

“I personally try to support any newcomer talents that I come across in whichever way I can. I also love to share my knowledge in music production and regularly shoot tutorials, which I hope can help people to get their first release on one of the influential dance labels and push their careers.”

 

What’s the greatest dance music track of all time?

“Daft Punk ‘One More Time’.”