There must be something in the water in Luzern, the town that label regular Khainz calls home. The Swiss producer has been churning out tremendous, polished dancefloor bombs for over a decade, and this effort has culminated in his third studio album and first since 2012: Fingerprint, out on Yoshitoshi on June 28th, 2019.
If you’ve heard Khainz’s music, you know his tracks are equal parts heavy groove and brilliant sound design. Fingerprint shows the scope of Khainz’s skills with track after track of heavy, club-focused composition that flirts with both delicate, beautiful melodies and savage techno sounds. In a world where many believe that the dance music album is increasingly irrelevant, Khainz proves the contrary with a stunning body of work that sounds like much more than just a collection of tracks.
Hi mate, thanks for taking the time to chat. How is life in Luzern?
Hi, thank you for having me!
I just got back home from Brazil yesterday and summer just started here in Switzerland, so life’s great!
Where did you grow up by the way?
I grew up in a small town (10,000 citizens) in the east of Switzerland, called Buchs.
How did you discover electronic music there?
Through my older brother, he started playing electronic music on turntables and it got me interested.
How would you describe the local scene in Luzern?
It’s not a huge scene but big enough for Lucerne (80,000 citizens). We have like four good clubs with electronic music and international lineups. And quite a few open-air parties during summer. Also a few very talented artists are living here.
Nice. Congrats on the forthcoming release of “Fingerprint” on Yoshitoshi! What does the title mean?
I always found it quite important to have a recognizable style, so I guess that style is like a Fingerprint. So each track an artist produces he puts a fingerprint on it!
That makes sense! When did you first hear of Yoshitoshi and what does it mean for you to release on the album?
I heard of Yoshitoshi the first time when I went to a vinyl store and looked thru new releases, I guess around the time when Eddie Amador released the track “House Music.”
For me, it’s a big honor to release on such a great label with a very long history in the electronic music scene and I’m really glad to get their support!
How did your relationship with Yoshitoshi begin?
I got an email from Nick (label manager of Yoshitoshi) where he told me that Sharam really likes my music and if I would be interested to do a remix for his upcoming remix Album.
A few weeks later I signed my first EP, “Collider,” with them.
Do you have a favorite track on the album?
Not really, I’m very happy with all of the tracks. Would you name one of your children as favorite? (laughs)
Fair enough! (laughs) Let’s talk about the rest of your 2019. Do you have any exciting gigs you’re looking forward to?
The next few weeks I have some album release parties in Switzerland and a few festivals that I’m really looking forward to.
One of the year’s highlights will probably be Universo Parallel in Brazil, I played there many times already and its always a highlight!
What do you do in Luzern when you’re not touring?
Spending time with my wife, working in the studio (almost every weekday), chill on the lake or go to the mountains for some time out. I really like to cook and also playing video games.
Skiing or snowboarding?
Snowboarding, but I broke my knee a few years ago while skateboarding so the past few years I haven’t been snowboarding.
Ouch! Ok… last but not least: tell us something about yourself we don’t know about.
I wear Shoe size 44.5 (10.5 U.S. size!)
Thank you!
Khainz’s Fingerprint LP is out June 28th on Yoshitoshi Recordings and available on Beatport
Connect with Khainz: Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
