With his unique style and creative vision, Oliver Koletzki has significantly shaped the world of techno and house music. His musical journey began many years ago. Since then, he has gained international recognition not only as a producer and DJ but also as a label operator at “Stil vor Talent.” KALTBLUT met Oliver Koletzki in his studio, where he is in the middle of preparations for his tour.
KALTBLUT: How many roles does your job involve?
Koletzki: During the production of my tenth album, it became relatively clear how many roles are involved in my job. First and foremost, I’m a composer and producer, and I wrote all the tracks on the album more or less on my own. I also run the label “Stil vor Talent” and I was and still am very busy on the label side. I also have to keep up my social media presence and produce entertaining content.
I thought I could also be a concert promoter. This concert tour is not organised by external concert promoters like other bands; we do it all ourselves. We approached all the venues ourselves, organised everything, rented trucks to transport the lights, and handled all the advertising.
KALTBLUT: What made you decide to do all this yourselves?
Koletzki: I enjoy challenges, and I often think that I’m the best at everything, which is actually a disadvantage of mine because that’s often not the case. But I like to learn, and experience has shown that this usually works. When I was 15, I told my parents that I was going to be a musician, they just shook their heads. Now, I’m a well-known musician. Ten years later, I said that I wanted to start a record label, which nobody really believed. Today, “Stil vor Talent” is one of the biggest independent labels in electronic music worldwide. So why not be a concert promoter as well?
KALTBLUT: Do you feel you can always do justice to all these roles?
Koletzki: I can’t do everything. For example, I can’t sing or write lyrics, which is why the lyrics you hear aren’t mine, but those of singers. When it comes to things that I’m confident about, I want to try them, and I know that it doesn’t always have to be successful. In the end, it’s not necessarily about the outcome, but the fact that I tried. I fulfil this role quite well.
Time management is another question, although I have to say that I’m now well-organised. I perform at the weekend, during the week I’m in the studio, and for everything else, I have a very good and stable team that has been with me for ten years and I can rely on 100 percent.
KALTBLUT: Your tenth album is very diverse and difficult to categorise. What has influenced you?
Koletzki: I’m interested in current political events and keep myself very well-informed. What is happening in our world at the moment depresses me a lot, and I often don’t know how to deal with it. That’s precisely why there are so many happy tracks and life-affirming songs on the current album, to give people something nice to listen to even in these difficult times. I’m the world-weariness type, and I’m not just trying to give something to others, but also to take some weight off my shoulders.
KALTBLUT: How much trust do you have in the sources of your creativity?
Koletzki: I can rely on it 100 percent, I still find that incredible. I know almost no artist, apart from myself in the electronic field, who have written ten albums. I always take a break after every album to travel and not make music, and that fills my batteries. The inspiration I draw from all this seems inexhaustible so far.
KALTBLUT: Your album is called “Trip to Sanity” and is a reference to Peter Maffay’s work “Tabaluga and the Journey to Sanity”. Why is that?
Koletzki: That was the first radio play I ever listened to. I remember sitting in my parents’ living room as a little boy, and my father arrived with this audiobook. Unfortunately, I was never a bookworm, and the concept of audio drama was still relatively new back then, but I was absorbed in it. I was drawn straight into the world of the little green dragon and experienced the adventures.
Now, with my tenth album, I’ve come full circle. My first album “Get Wasted” had a track called “Requiem for Reason”. My relatively turbulent career has come full circle with the fact that the journey is now almost certainly heading in the direction of reason and must do so.
KALTBLUT: What does this reason look like?
Koletzki: For me, sanity means living healthier, drinking less, taking fewer drugs, and no longer going to every after-party. On the other hand, there are an incredible number of levels that I would like to leave to the listeners themselves. On the one hand, this could be their own CO2 footprint, meat consumption, or the next elections. In these times, common sense is needed if we want to continue to exist, and so everyone can and should choose their own part of common sense.
KALTBLUT: What do people think about you that isn’t true?
Koletzki: Some people think I’m arrogant. I wouldn’t say that’s true. That happens because a lot of people write to me, and I can’t reply to everything. I always make an effort with selfies at gigs, but I also say no if it gets too much for me. It can easily happen that you come across as arrogant. But to all the people out there: please don’t take offence!
KALTBLUT: You once said that you try to tick off all the things that you think you should have done. For example, you finished your Abitur in your early 30s and got your driving licence at 40. What else is on your list?
Koletzki: I stopped taking drugs over three months ago, and today is day 36 without alcohol. I’m very proud of that. I’m rarely proud of anything, but I’ve been struggling with that for a while. Especially now, in the album process, on my journey to sanity, it feels like the right time for me. That applies to my lifestyle in general: I want to do more sport, eat less meat, and generally lead a healthier lifestyle.
KALTBLUT: What things in your life are you particularly proud of when you tend to find it hard to feel proud?
Koletzki: There are a few things that I am very proud of. On the one hand, it’s my grounding. This is largely down to my friends, who I am very proud of. They are good people who have been with me for 30 years and keep me grounded. On the other hand, I am proud of my life’s work. I am proud of the fact that with Stil vor Talent, we have enabled many young musicians to turn their hobby into a profession.
Stream Oliver Koletzki’s latest release “Trip to Sanity” below and follow him on Instagram at @oliverkoletzki to keep up with upcoming shows and releases.
Cover photo by Amy Reiter.
