Fast-moving times, in which popularity and quality are often equated or commonly confused with one another, aids and abets this imitation game some call conformity, others professionalism. In the end, both paths will end up in predictability. Heres where Stathis Kalatzis, aka Mr. Statik, comes to play. The resident at Athens’ multi-purpose cultural space Six D.O.G.S has not only been one of the scenes pivotal figures, but since he started to release his first solo releases in the mid-00s, the now Berlin-based Greek DJ has earned a reputation for being a trend-ignoring, unconventional producer. Whether his output for BPitch Control, Rotary Cocktail, or even last years debut EP Rogue Cherub for AWAY Mr. Statik enjoys thinking outside the box by crossing his diverse pop-cultural interests and pulling in expertise and perspective from beyond the usual functional formulas. After a decade of not staying in one comfort zone or sticking to one musical direction, he finds himself more comfortable in his producer shoes presenting his debut album Metamorphose. Housing a few film references in this for Mr. Statik typical nebulous fashion, the ten tracks not only carrying the narrative potential of an imaginary score, but primarily exploring a versatile array of influences, themes, and contradictions (which Mr. Statik as an illustrator also united on the albums artwork). Ranging from the sci-fi infused album opener Insomnia, the first non-dancefloor piece he ever produced around 7 years ago, over?
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Fast-moving times, in which popularity and quality are often equated or commonly confused with one another, aids and abets this imitation game some call conformity, others professionalism. In the end, both paths will end up in predictability. Here’s where Stathis Kalatzis, aka Mr. Statik, comes to play. The resident at Athens’ multi-purpose cultural space Six D.O.G.S has not only been one of the scene’s pivotal figures, but since he started to release his first solo releases in the mid-00s, the now Berlin-based Greek DJ has earned a reputation for being a trend-ignoring, unconventional producer.
Whether his output for BPitch Control, Rotary Cocktail, or even last year’s debut EP "Rogue
Cherub" for AWAY – Mr. Statik enjoys thinking outside the box by crossing his diverse pop-cultural interests and pulling in expertise and perspective from beyond the usual functional formulas. After a decade of not staying in one comfort zone or sticking to one musical direction, he finds himself more comfortable in his producer shoes presenting his debut album "Metamorphose". Housing a few film references in this for Mr. Statik typical nebulous fashion, the ten tracks not only carrying the narrative potential of an imaginary score, but primarily exploring a versatile array of influences, themes, and contradictions (which Mr. Statik as an illustrator also united on the albums’ artwork). Ranging from the sci-fi infused album opener "Insomnia", the first non-dancefloor piece he ever produced around 7 years ago, over "Êatastrophe", an homage to ancient Greek theater, to collaborate with others such as Beatrice Ballabile, Jan Niklas Jansen (Locas In Love), and RBMA alumnus Claude Speeed, who contributed synth work on "Soulfur".
"Metamorphose" succeeds in constantly changing its tones, while maintaining an emotional
frame, in which Mr. Statik’s melancholic, introvert, at times hopeful and euphoric, bottom end
inclined electronic music can elaborate.
MR. STATIK ON HIS ALBUM DEBUT:
"I have always tried to approach producing as storytelling exercises. This allowed me to
experiment finding myself in uncharted territories, more specifically in music that doesn’t
necessarily fit to a dance floor – unless it’s a very adventurous one. “Metamorphose’’ is loyal to that mindset. I usually draw inspiration from cinema and comic books and have always been fascinated with sci-fi, south asian culture, surrealism and the dreamworld. Initially the album was supposed to be a collage of the various influences that had shaped my life, but ended up being something very different. During the conceptualization and recording process a lot of things around us have changed, primarily for the worse. I became more and more sensitive and susceptible to pessimism and trendy visions of “dystopian futurism”, so that the LP emerged being an exercise in positivity: ‘Metamorphose’ is a verb describing the act of
conversion, but in Greeklish it is describes the urge towards others to start transforming their
environment, in this case for the better."