Lowtemp’s first release of 2017 comes from a new face on the label, an emerging artist out of Canada’s Vancouver Island, Kotek.
Real name Michael Mlikotic, Kotek is a producer and DJ who burst onto the scene last year when he won Splice’s remix competition and earned himself a slot at Mysteryland festival that following June. The track competitors were working on was “Anima Mundi” from Gramatik’s 2016 album Epigram, and Kotek’s unusual arrangements and dynamic progressions immediately caught Gramatik’s attention. Now six months later, Gramatik has signed Mlikotic’s debut full-length project, ‘Aurora,’ to his label Lowtemp.
The six-track release showcases Kotek’s diverse range of musical skills which are by no means limited to simply “pushing buttons on a computer.”, He started his musical career playing piano at the age of seven and when he turned 12, he started playing drums and studying jazz full time. It wasn’t until 2009 that he was introduced to Ableton Live and the idea of creating electronic music.
“I spent most of my time writing songs, so naturally I had always wanted to have an orchestra of sound at the disposal of my fingertips. After making the switch to Ableton Live I decided to see how far I could take my ideas and create as much new music as possible.”
-Kotek
Kotek is on a mission to inject some fresh ideas into electronic (dance) music and help to blur the divide between organic and electronic sound. “For me, music production is the definition of freedom and expression and my only goal is to connect with the community and create something we can all enjoy.”
