Music producers, we are giving away a DJOKO Sample Pack courtesy of PIV Records!
Johannes “DJOKO” Kolter is one of the fastest rising talents from the ever-innovative German music scene. He has been steadily on the rise with his fresh take on house music through labels such as PIV, Berg Audio and Whoyostro. He is currently one of the bestselling artists in his genre and is laying the groundwork for its future with his forward-thinking music.
DJOKO’s sound is influenced by funk and soul, garage and deep house and everything in between that is both underground and raw. His DJ sets vary from breakbeat to house and electro maintaining the typical raw 90s textures that keep the body moving.
It is with his eclectic and yet carefully-crafted signature sound in mind that DJOKO was selected as the first artist to be involved with PIV’ Samples Series. The Amsterdam based crew, known for their leading record label and international showcases, are releasing a series of sample packs from some of the scene’s most respected producers.
PIV SAMPLES 001 contains blistering pads, ethereal atmospheres, and hypnotic grooves. The audio was recorded through high-quality hardware to preserve the analogue sound. Files are organized by type, key & bpm labelled.
To celebrate the launch, we not only had a chat with DJOKO to discuss his involvement with the project, but are also giving away a sample pack to a lucky 6AM reader via a special Instagram giveaway.
Thanks for chatting with us here. It’s been an interesting year but here we are! How are you doing?
Thanks for having me! Indeed it has been an interesting year! I’m doing very well despite covid and knocking out every gig in sight.
I know it’s a loaded question but how has your 2020 been?
It’s been a good year I would say. There was a lot more time to spend with family, friends and of course music compared to the last years. My music reached a level I would never have imagined when I started out 7 years ago.
What is the most exciting thing you got into this summer?
Moving into a new place! Luckily, I took the step just when covid came around, so I needed to spend a lot of time into building the new place anyway. Apart from that working on my first official sample pack!
You have been busy in the studio and we just heard about the sample pack you are releasing via PIV. How did the relationship with PIV first begin?
Jesse Maas and Chris Stussy were playing back to back when Jesse played a track of mine. Stussy (label manager of PIV Records) couldn’t believe it was mine as he knew me from back in my tech-house/techno days. From then on, I started to play for PIV events and released my own EP on the label. It hit no.1 and I became part of the family and signed with the booking agency.
Why did you like the idea of being involved with the PIV Samples project in the first place?
I made 3 sample packs in the past which I only sold privately. I always loved the Idea of creating a pack I could use myself to start Ideas. When PIV asked me to work on the first official one, it was an instant YES for me.
What makes a good sample pack?
On the one hand, I want every synth loop to be inspiring with chord variations or crazy filter elements which you can then cut in your own style. It’s as if you would sample a break from a track you really like and try to give it another twist with your MPC. On the other hand, I want people to create a whole track from just single hits as well. Some Drum & Synth hits have reverbs or delays on them, and others are completely dry. A good sample pack has variety. Taking inspiration from a lot of genres, not just one. Also, having a good mixture of crazy creative samples and classic sounds which always work or give the freedom to get creative with.