2 years of
Steyoyoke
STEYOYOKE RECORDINGS SECOND ANNIVERSARY 2014 BERLIN
“Steyoyoke is not only a record label... the entire crew believes in music as well as art and we really love this label.”
NiCe7
Life and Sound of Steyoyoke The Steyoyoke Seed Steyoyoke Artists in 4 Questions Steyoyoke Releases Golden Gate Steyoyoke In The Dark Azuldecobalt Exhibitions & Art Projects Steyoyoke First Anniversary Steyoyoke In Barcelona “Seven Kings of the Seven Worlds” A House Odyssey Steyoyoke In Brazil Steyoyoke Second Anniversary
Life and Sound of Steyoyoke BY MICHAELA PULLEN As a skilled network of talented artists, Steyoyoke has earned its place amongst some of the best deep house labels to date. Recognised and supported by a number of industry heavyweights, it is no surprise to see its success has continued to soar since launching in 2012. The unique foundations of this label are safely bound together, by like minded individuals who consider themselves a family. They all share the same values and beliefs which in essence, is the driving force behind their passion. As connoisseur’s, they will only bring you the very best music and art possible. The Steyoyoke family is a genuine collective of humbled people, who celebrate a love for all things creative and beautiful. It is this desire for quality and thurst for creative appreciation that holds the key to their success. All of Steyoyoke’s releases are consistently outstanding, along with their parties and exhibitions. Capturing a need to push new boundaries, the label strives to be considered as pioneers within their work. They source only the bravest of artists who can please even the most eccentric’s eye or ear of interest. Steyoyoke aim to sit high above the murky shallows of todays music industry and instead, choose to explore deeper waters. Their mission, “to create a nurtured music experience that really understands the heart and soul of good music”, is well and truly being conquered. It is not only Steyoyoke’s collective conscious of skills that brings them into the limelight, but also their relationship with their followers and fellow artists. People are drawn into their world of underground and other artists are inspired and excited to work alongside them. With an infinite desire and capacity to spread the word of art and quality music, Steyoyoke have launched a powerful ripple effect. It is genuine and it is pure ... and it will see the label evolve and make their mark on the deep house scene for years to come.
“Steyoyoke has a unique taste / feeling that they never run out of, making their releases very distinctive, creative and emotional.”
Mr. Deep Sense Editors Joshua Delport Michaela Pullen Contributing Writers Tara Waterhouse James Fish Art Director & Graphic Artist Azuldecobalt With thanks and much love to: Oxia NiCe7 Silicone Soul Lee Van Dowski Aki Bergen Pete Oak Patrick Podage Marc Poppcke David Jach Beatamines Larsson Nick Devon Mr. Deep Sense Simon Benro Electrocorp Talenthouse
THE STEYOYOKE SEED How did the Steyoyoke name come about? The concept behind the project was already well established, but we were yet to find a suitable name. Everything we came up with and tried to consider was already being used. Antonio Olivieri however, came up with a brilliant idea to make the process a little more fun. Myself, Antonio and my flatmate were all involved in creating this much needed label name. We each wrote a syllable down on a separate piece of paper and then passed it around making sure that the syllable was hidden from view from the next person. This process continued until each piece of paper had 4 syllables written down. The exciting part was to then put all the pieces of paper together, to see what words had been created. We discovered: STE, IO, IO, KE had appeared and our first thought was, “WOW ... that sounds like japanese” .... and then the suggestion to change the “IO to YO” was given. Within that simple suggestion .. STE.YO.YO.KE was created.
Soul Button
STE
+
IO
+
IO
+
=
KE
STEYOYOKE
How did you come up with the Steyoyoke logo?
First sketch of the logo...
The logo idea came about very easily. At the time, I was working on a University project related to Bamboo Bikes. The project had required me to created some logo designs and in the mean time I had started to work with Steyoyoke. One day, I added two vinyls on top of my existing project logo and in an instant, the Steyoyoke image was born.
Azuldecobalt
And then, the bicycle idea came about...
The 3rd step was combining the cassette tape and the bicycle images together
And finally, adding the vinyl wheels gave the logo its old school ‘Berlin spirit’
STEYOYOKE ARTISTS IN QUESTIONS
4
1. What is Steyoyoke for you ? 2. How did you get involved with Steyoyoke ?
3. What’s the best/funniest moment you had with Steyoyoke ? 04. Can you share something interesting that happened whilst you were creating music for Steyoyoke ?
1.
Soul Button: Creativity, quality, communication and love. At the moment itʼs my life.
Dahu: It´s a collective of like-minded people creating music, art and experiences. Steyoyoke is the magic that happens when these elements are combined.
Sasch: I discovered Steyoyoke in a record shop and I fell in love with the sound. I was feeling excited and I immediately sent a promo. They answered me after a couple of days. Everything happens for a reason and in this case I gave it a little push.
2.
Sasch: Steyoyoke is a family. Together we are spreading our concept, music, art and style. More and more people discover our music everyday and they like us because we are simple and natural.
MPathy: I met Steyoyoke´s A&R during my audio engineering studies in Berlin. He listened to my music and I ended up doing the first Steyoyoke EP ´If I Were Music´. At that time I was known as I´m Fine. After the release, I changed my name to MPathy.
MPathy: I just love the idea and the concept of mixing art and music. The releases are fantastic and totally meet my taste of modern deep house music. Really happy to be part of this great project!
Dahu: I was introduced to the guys at Steyoyoke by way of a friend who did their A&R at the time. He pretty much heard my tracks by accident and invited me aboard in the beginning of 2012. I’ve been part of Steyoyoke ever since!
BLANCAh: Steyoyoke is my musical oasis and my musical refuge. All of the music released by this label is incredible. Besides, the boys of Steyoyoke became my second family.
Soul Button: Steyoyoke is my baby, an extension of myself and everyday I look forward to evolving with her.
BLANCAh: A friend invited me to go to a party in Florianopolis. I remember that I was standing behind the DJ booth and suddenly something happened. I heard a sound of strong bass and an elegant harmony. Soul Button had began to play. That night, I thought this man was special. Soul Button: A girl came up to me while I was playing. I thought she was asking me “could you please play louder?”, but actually she was asking: “How the hell do you pronounce Steyoyoke?” .. eheh .. it was funny.
3.
BLANCAh: Here in Brazil there is a very strong glue called “Super BONDER”. One day Soul Button needed this glue and he went to the supermarket to buy it. He asked the cashier: Do you have super BUNDAS? Of course she and the other people waiting in the line started to laugh hard because bundas means ass in Brazil. It was very funny. Sasch: I went to Berlin for the first time to meet the crew. The mysterious Soul Button came to pick me up at the tube station. I thought it was him, but I didnʼt want to ask. Then he told me it was him. Even now we are close friends and every day, I uncover mysteries that he doesnʼt want to reveal .. not even to me. MPathy: I will never forget when I played for “A House Odyssey“ at the open air in the afternoon and I had to play again at 8am. I went home to get some sleep, and at 6:30am my alarm rang. I needed 5 minutes to figure out why. Then I remembered, so I ran to the club and had to start playing immediately. I guess I was fully awake after my set was finished. I think next time, I will just stay at the club :) Dahu: Playing a gig in Bayreuth (Germany), everyone misheard and thought I was playing in Beirut (Lebanon)! Got lots of congratulatory emails until I cleared up the situation.
MPathy: When I worked on the track ´Serena´, I remember the track was not even half finished, but I liked it so much that I ended up dancing to it in my room for 3 hours straight, drinking lots of beer. Too bad, because the next day was the deadline. After my drunk dancing session I had to sit down to finish the track. At 9am it was done and so was I. I had never ever been so exhausted working on a track for Steyoyoke. Next time I´m going to be sober for sure :)
4.
Soul Button: I think the most interesting thing I can share is about the time I spent to produce the 3 original songs of “Play Again” EP. All of the 3 songs that I produced took less than 2 hours each. Of course I spent a lot of time to mix and master, but the main ideas were extremely fast. That EP was pure inspiration. Sasch: Usually I make lots of coffee and buy lots of chocolate. I waste too much time on bullshit and I always complete the songs in the last 2-3 days before the deadline. I normally feel the “artistic” stress and that actually really often helps me with flashes of genius. Dahu: My production process is rather long and arduous, but it’s always been worth it in the end. I try not to think too much and let the track develop it’s own flow as it goes along, but it’s usually a few weeks until I can get it where I want it to be. I started “North” on a vacation in Stockholm, developed the bassline and melody at home in Berlin a few weeks later and finally mixed it down in Soul Button’s studio. BLANCAh: So far, I have only done vocals on 2 songs for Steyoyoke, even though my first EP as producer will be released in early April. It was a great experience to spend one day together with Soul Button in my studio in Brazil. He asked me to use my studio to make the remix of ‘Treibholz’ but we ended up recording my vocals to use in his remix. I was super excited!
STEYOYOKE RELEASES BY JOSHUA DELPORT
“Nice, ‘Come To Me’ and ‘Play Again’ are the ones for me.”
Oxia
“Love the tracks, love the label, love the artwork ! ... ACE”
Hot Since 82 When I was asked to pick out some of Steyoyoke’s top releases from the last two years, I knew I faced a tall order to single out the one´s that screamed just that little bit louder. During the last two years I have been fortunate enough to experience a lot of these tracks, from rough unmastered edits, to rolling my head back and dancing like I am possessed in Berlin clubs, to the final polished product. It would be easy for anyone to list the top tracks by which ones have sold most, but I think everyone involved within the Steyoyoke family would agree, that its a little more than just checking out the Beatport charts. Dahu’s ‘Deep In The Woods’ is a track widely argued as having propelled the label into the spotlight, setting off a chain reaction of promising releases to set the label up as a force to be reckoned with. A brave track full to the brim with distinction and mystery, it earned
chartings from the likes of renowned DJs such as Markus Homm and Quenum. There are even rumours that the track was used by industry heavyweights Tale Of Us, to open their set at Melt Festival 2012. Sasch´s ‘Marian’ was an early gem. It was a track where we see the passion for making music with a big heart first come into play for the label. To this day, Steyoyoke still shines a light for music where we can escape and dance as if no one is watching. ‘Marian’ is one of those numbers where most DJs whilst playing it, will look out into the crowd and see half of the dancefloor with eyes closed, hands in the air. Another bold track that stands out is Soul Button’s ‘Come To Me’. Label frontman Soul Button has seen a string of assured releases and has worked hard at establishing a name
for himself. Storytelling has always been a focal point for the artist’s work and the dark mysterious vocals used to cradle this story have sent and still do send shivers down the spine of the Steyoyoke family. I don’t think any of us can deny being a little partial to a track that tantalizes and teases our more provocative nature. Since taking his own direction, MPathy has made strong headway in forging a sound of his own. ‘I’m Yours’ features the vocals of the very talented singer Amy Capilari and the remix from Soul Button has
confirmed that we all enjoy indulging in our naughtier side. Dahu’s latest release ‘North’ is perhaps best testament to the evolution of the labels philosophy and sound, a strong heart with a devilish underside. Dahu has suitably followed up ‘Deep In The Woods’ with a track that is set to underline the young man’s talent and once again reaffirm the spotlight on Steyoyoke. The Steyoyoke artists, fans, friends and various media editors have all had their say in picking out the tracks that
have defined the label and its philosophy. Certain tracks, however, have really captured the steps in development that the label have made since launching back in 2012. We’ve all had our fair share of moments to all of these tracks, although I am sure there are some of you who would feel certain songs have undeservedly missed out on making the list. Never fear though (and please don’t shoot the messenger) because there is still plenty to come from Steyoyoke. So don’t worry there is always next year ...
“Marian!!! Nice music, very energetic and promising ... Congrats!”
Osunlade
SASCH - BACK & FORTH EP
“Amazing ... deep trip from one of Djumas favourite deep labels!”
Djuma Soundsystem
SOUL BUTTON - PLAY AGAIN EP
“What amazing music Steyoyoke is releasing, with this second EP ... I am already a fan.”
AFFKT
“Steyoyoke´s music became an inherent part in nearly all my DJ-sets.”
Marc Poppcke
STEYOYOKE IN THE DARK
O
ver three separate nights, between September and December of 2012, Steyoyoke partied up a storm at the notorious ‘Golden Gate’ nightclub in Berlin. We lifted the roof off the place and ran a concession of quality gigs with plenty of marathon feet stomping, big smiles and a vibe that carried our love of deep house with pride. On the 29th of September we arrived at the club, at around 10pm to set up. Five minutes before we arrived, the owner warns us that we had to enter the club via a back entrance. We had no idea why and did not understand his request. Little did we know, but the club was still pumping from the party the night before!!
Having the club packed with people already made it very difficult for us to set up and decorate the place for our own party. It was a crazy to start to the night and pretty funny too, especially knowing, that we were playing for people who’d already been partying for almost 24 hours straight. The ‘Golden Gate’ club, as every Berliner knows, is extremely dark. Taking any photos was impossible and strictly not allowed (in case you are wondering). The only photo we have from that night is of Mat.Joe playing with our big wooden Steyoyoke logo in the background. :) The maestro’s responsible, for taking party goers to dizzying heights of pure house music,
were Steyoyoke’s very own Soul Button, Sasch, Antonio Olivieri, Dahu and I’m Fine. Alongside the Steyoyoke crew, were appearances from special guests Marc Poppcke, Larsson, Mat.Joe, David Pher and Fumée Grise. On all three nights, the ‘Golden Gate’ was packed to capacity. Every person there enjoyed the flowing positive energy and the pleasant atmosphere. Party goers were also given the opportunity to view artwork, done by the amazing Azuldecobalt. Whose captivating illustrations and sculptures at that time were becoming synonymous with the label.
“It´s always fun to play alongside the Steyoyoke crew! Great vibes all around !!”
Larsson
“It was a pleasure to play at the ‘Golden Gate’ party. Everything was well organized. Actually, all the Steyoyoke parties I’ve had the chance to play at were just great.”
Marc Poppcke A memory: Our third ‘Golden Gate’ party was held on the 8th of December and it was on this night, that the Steyoyoke family met Sasch for the first time. He arrived from Rome on the very same night of the party. We were in anticipation of hearing him play and all wondered if he was any good at spinning some decent good quality deep house ... he sure was! :)
STEYOYOKE LABEL NIGHTS Marc Poppcke Larsson Mat.Joe Soul Button Sasch Antonio Olivieri Dahu I’m Fine David Pher Fumée Grise
29TH SEPTEMBER, 2012 17TH NOVEMBER, 2012 08TH DECEMBER, 2012
AZULDECOBALT EXHIBITIONS AND ART PROJECTS How did Steyoyoke and Azuldecobalt connect? Steyoyoke never intended to be just another label. We wanted a balance of art and music from the start, so incorporating art branding was the logical next step. We needed a strong graphic artist and Antonio Olivieri had already met Azuldecobalt in 2009, at an art exhibition in Berlin. A few years later, Olivieri contacted the artist to tell him about the Steyoyoke project. At the time Azuldecobalt was studying in Spain. He forwarded us some of his artworks and we used them for our website banner. Then we sent a long and detailed proposal to Azuldecobalt, to which he replied days later with a simple: “Yes”. A few months later, Azuldecobalt moved to Berlin to join the family.
What was your impression of your first correspondence from Steyoyoke? Whilst studying in Spain, the first contact I received looked like they were asking me for logo & web banner design. At this point I didn’t realize the full potential of the relationship, even though I sent them some of my illustrations which they decided to use on their website. I failed an exam at school, which was the last opportunity I had to get my art degree. With this I decided to move to Berlin, where I became more involved with the project. Today, Steyoyoke is a big part of my life and I go to bed thinking about it.
Azuldecobalt
“Azuldecobalt’s work on graphics is simply amazing.”
NiCe7
The Exhibitions Tacheles - Berlin For me, this was the most important event that we did because it was my first collaboration with the Steyoyoke family. I was still living in Spain and I came to Berlin especially for our first exhibition.
Mein Haus Am See - Berlin I will never forget this exhibition because I had to carry 14kg of carton box models from Spain to Berlin. It was an awesome exhibition though!
Ritter Butzke - Berlin This was the first time we displayed a pre-party exhibition and I showcased the handmade life sized wooden cutouts of my ‘monsters’.
Confraria Hall - Brazil It was great to exhibit all of the winning artworks from the ‘Steyoyoke In Brazil’ contest. We received beautiful art from people all over the world. All the 36 participants were so excited about this exhibition.
Azuldecobalt
Tell us about the ‘Steyoyoke in Brazil’ Illustration Contest Talenthouse.com contacted me and offered me the opportunity to do a contest. This was a new concept for me, I didn’t have any experience in group events or contests. I didn’t even know how to invite people to participate. What I liked most was having the chance to get in touch with lots of artists from all over the world and at the same time show my works and my projects. The results were much better than I expected. For the book competition, I was planning to publish 4 winning illustrations together with my work but the competition was more popular than anticipated and in the end I decided to choose 50 illustrations instead of 4. I gained networking skills from this initiative. I got in touch with a lot of artists, invited them, organized the exhibition and personally met some of them.
Azuldecobalt
Steyoyoke posters around Berlin I will never forget the night we decided to stick 5 big Steyoyoke logos around Berlin. Every logo was made of 6 sheets of A2 paper — quite big. There was 4 of us in total. I was shooting the video and taking pictures. Azuldecobalt and another friend were sticking the posters to the walls and someone else was keeping an eye out for the police or any complaining civilians. It really was a funny night.
Soul Button
“For me Steyoyoke is one huge canvas which I started to paint two years ago. There is still a lot of empty parts and hopefully I will never finish it.”
Azuldecobalt
“Those guys have very good musical taste which is sure as hell, so I gladly accepted to be on board ship when they called me for remixing one of their very famous tune. Big up.”
Aki Bergen
Where did the idea of building 3D monsters come from? I was in Soul Button’s studio and we were discussing the main concepts and ideas that we wanted to develop for the first anniversary. I had the big character (the king) in front of me and I imagined it in a huge size. After this first thought, I imagined the ‘King’ made of wood. Soul Button loved the idea and a couple of days after we bought lots of wood.
When did you start to make 3D mapping and which was so far the most interesting experience and why? I started to think of animating my illustrations to give them a different perspective by layering depth and a different visual approach. Steyoyoke gave me the opportunity to utilize this idea at the label nights. The funniest moment was when I was with some friends and we were carrying a huge mapping installation through the metro to the club.
Azuldecobalt
STEYOYOKE FIRST ANNIVERSARY 22ND FEBRUARY, 2013 RITTER BUTZKE - BERLIN
The Night The First Anniversary event at Ritter Butzke was something special for us. It was the first time Steyoyoke had organized a pre-party art exhibition, something which has now become a standard ‘secret recipe’ for all our successful label nights. The night kicked off early with Azuldecobalt’s exhibition. After many sleepless nights preparing handmade gifts, decorations and frames for his showcase, Azuldecobalt was finally rewarded for his efforts. The exhibition was a complete success and people were enthralled by his talent and skill. With over 200 people attending the exhibition, the night was well underway and Ritter Butzke was already quite full by midnight. Having the likes of Oxia, Aki Bergen and Marc Poppcke all together up behind the decks was an exhilarating experience for both the crowd and for the Steyoyoke crew.The whole night was truly outstanding, just incredible really! Oxia even brought a crew of friends with him. It was unfortunate however, that the bouncers at the club weren’t so keen on letting some of his friends in, which of course was a little upsetting for him. However, he still nailed it and we will never ever forget the energy he brought during that set. The most exciting moment of the night, occurred around 3am. Oxia was smashing out the tunes hard and the Steyoyoke masks had started to spread, all around the club. It was very moving and quite emotional to see so many people wearing a vinyl bicycle on their face.
Oxia Aki Bergen Marc Poppcke Mat.Joe Soul Button Sasch Dahu Antonio Olivieri Nick Devon I’m Fine Fumée Grise
“Everybody was smiling. Everyone I met was simply saying: ´Amazing Party´.”
Soul Button Aki Bergen definitely did not spare any secret ‘dancefloor weapons’ that night either. At one stage, he even jumped up onto the decks, dancing and shaking to the music. Hahahaha, he had the time of his life. Marc Poppcke came on quite late as he’d played at another gig the day before. When he finally arrived however, he could not believe how packed the club was. He explained he’d never seen
“I still can not believe how packed the club was. The vibe was simply amazing. It really was an unforgettable birthday party.”
Marc Poppcke Ritter Butzke so full on a friday night before. It was beautiful to see his happy face, his love and genuine support for us. Wandering through the club and seeing so many people smiling and jumping to the rhythms of the Steyoyoke beats really made our hearts swell. The party at Ritter Butzke will never be forgotten, as it is the first most impressive moment in Steyoyoke history.
EXHIBITION
How would you describe your experience during the exhibition for Steyoyoke’s First Anniversary event? It was my first big exhibition with the Steyoyoke family and of course, I only recall lovely memories from that night. I really am a humble person but I have to admit, I enjoyed all the compliments I received. As an artist the biggest satisfaction for me, was having many people present at the exhibition, who were smiling and appreciating my work. It was a stressful long night but after the exhibition, we had lots of fun. It was so nice to see everyone in the crowd wearing their Steyoyoke masks.
Something funny? At the start of the night I was required to fix one of the projectors, which was displaying a big Steyoyoke logo onto a building. I had to do this from the second floor of the club. Suddenly the bouncers locked me in, leaving me all alone for about half an hour and I ended up missing out on the first part of my own exhibition.
Azuldecobalt
“The whole concept and idea of the exhibition was perfect. Listening to electronic music and viewing some of the most distinctive hand drawings I’ve ever seen, all at the same time, was something I had never done before.”
Nick Devon
HANDMADE GIFT
How did you come up with the idea to create handmade gifts for the First Anniversary? The idea was to create a handmade gift, something special and unique for the attendees of our First Anniversary event. Unfortunately it was impossible to make one for everyone, so I decided to gift the first 250 guests that arrived.
Was there a funny experience you encountered, whilst making it? The funniest moment for me happened when I arrived in Berlin, some days before the party. I realised I had forgotten all my tools and had left them behind in Spain. All the shops were closed and there was no time to spare, as the gifts had to be ready the very next day. Together with my friend, we spent hours and hours cutting wood with small kitchen knives. I will never forget my tools again!!
Azuldecobalt
STEYOYOKE IN BARCELONA SONAR OFF FESTIVAL 2013 15TH JUNE BY JOSHUA DELPORT
B
ack in June 2013, the Steyoyoke family were all set for their first label night outside of Berlin. A week of sun, sea and nothing but pure Steyoyoke bliss was the mission for Off-Sonar. As if mercenaries preparing for battle, the guys packed thousands of stickers, masks, t-shirts and posters ready to shower Barcelona with everything they had. Bags packed and ready to go Steyoyoke set off to catch a tan, though judging by some of the pink faces, for some suntan lotion was an item missed off the itinerary. Upon arriving in Barcelona it was clear that building sand castles was not the only thing on the agenda. All staying together in a private flat meant the guys really got to know each other before the night. It also meant mischief was never too far away, as I am sure there are certain stories which would be better left behind in Barcelona. The party took place in a beautiful open air architectural museum, perched high up above the city and saw the likes of industry giants such as Loco Dice and Jamie Jones perform prior. The heat was on (and not just from the weather) for the Steyoyoke team, as they had the difficult job of dodging over indulged revelers from the previous party to get the venue ready for the night. Transformation complete the night was set for Steyoyoke to have one of its finest parties.
The little trip to the Catalonian capital turned out to be a real adventure and one which ultimately brought the family closer together. Followed up adventures to Brazil have set a broad eye for the future of Steyoyoke, but Barcelona will always hold a place within the hearts of every Steyoyoke member.
Memories I will never forget when the cleaning girl threw away Sasch´s socks and once he discovered this, he started to search for hours in the rubbish saying that he had gotten the socks from his girlfriend and he couldn’t lose them. So sweet !!!
Soul Button We saw a large crowd of people with the Steyoyoke t-shirts running around Barcelona. I was proud to see people wearing a shirt with my artwork on it.
Azuldecobalt I was talking with Craig from Silicone Soul, in the middle of the dancefloor. After more than half an hour of intense talking, I had to tell him that I didn’t understand anything, because of his scottish accent and the super loud music. His reply was, “me neither”.
Soul Button I ended the night with at least a dozen Steyoyoke stickers stuck all over my body.
Antwan (Electrocorp)
“SEVEN KINGS OF THE SEVEN WORLDS” AZULDECOBALT ILLUSTRATED STORY BOOK 28TH SEPT, 2013 RITTER BUTZKE - BERLIN
I
n September 2013, Azuldecobalt launched and exhibited his first book, called ‘Seven Kings Of The Seven Worlds‘.
It is a metaphoric story about seven kings who had money, gold and comfortable lives but they never had the chance to understand the true meaning of happiness since they´d never felt the feeling of unhappiness. In addition to this event, Azuldecobalt also organized a competition, which was held in association with Talenthouse.com. Illustrators from all over the world, had to submit a painting inspired by the story of the seven kings. The winning entries were then included as part of the exhibition at Ritter Butzke, in Berlin. For Azuldecobalt, the hardest thing was to do everything in a short time. The book had to be finished within two months and he only slept three hours a day to finish the whole project in time. You should have seen his face and how excited he was when he opened the book for the first time.
How did you come up with the idea to print your book? I cannot say the idea of printing a book just came to my mind. It’s a process from the beginning until the end. I was reading lots of eastern philosophies, especial books about ancient turkish history. Starting from there, I wrote small stories and created several characters. I then used them for the Steyoyoke artworks and randomly selected the King character, that I had drawn for the 7th Steyoyoke release. From there, the idea of the “Seven Kings of The Seven Worlds� came out.
Azuldecobalt
“A HOUSE ODYSSEY” ´A HOUSE ODYSSEY ´ NIGHTS 13TH JULY, 2013 16TH NOVEMBER, 2013
´A
House Odyssey’ is the party concept invented by Steyoyoke especially for the up and coming underground nightclub Kosmonaut, in Berlin.
The first event in July 2013 began with a sunny open air at 3pm. A live drawing performance from label illustrator Azuldecobalt took place in the beautiful surroundings of the Kosmonaut garden. Large wooden cutouts of the Steyoyoke ‘monsters’ added to a special atmosphere. Both parties were set to be full of surprises to entertain people throughout the night. Live light shows, innovative kinect and 3D mapping, all guaranteed a great and memorable event. It was a big pleasure to have Lee Van Dowski, Silicone Soul, Mario Aureo, Beatamines, Larsson, Marc Poppcke among the guests playing alongside the Steyoyoke crew Soul Button, Sasch, MPathy, Florian Rietze and Dahu.
Lee Van Dowski Silicone Soul Mario Aureo Beatamines Larsson Marc Poppcke Soul Button Sasch MPathy Dahu Florian Rietze
Something funny? Before the open air started, we constructed the monsters inside of the club but when we tried to move them into the garden, we discovered that the doors were smaller than the monsters. We had to construct everything again. Life is full of experiences :)
Azuldecobalt
“It was really an amazing party with live drawing performance by Azuldecobalt, beautiful decorations, a pleasant crowd and great music.”
Mario Aureo
“Great lineup, sound (Function One) and huge visuals! It was an honor to play alongside Lee Van Dowski from Cadenza. It was a great party!”
Beatamines
NEXT ´A HOUSE ODYSSEY ´ 16TH MAY, 2014 KOSMONAUT - BERLIN STEYOYOKE OPEN AIR AND INDOOR STRAP IN AND GET READY FOR WHAT IS SET TO BE ‘A HOUSE ODYSSEY’ LIKE NO OTHER.
Solee [Parquet Recordings] Stefan Biniak [Dusted Decks] Soul Button [Steyoyoke] Sasch [Steyoyoke] MPathy [Steyoyoke] Dahu [Steyoyoke]
STEYOYOKE IN BRAZIL
M
ore than 6 months ago, we decided to organize a tour / working holiday whilst in Brazil. The main idea was to relax, enjoy the beautiful landscapes and to avoid the tough german winter. We spent 2 months in Jurere, which is in the north part of the island Florianopolis. We went to many private pool parties and usually, lots of alcohol was involved. We enjoyed the nature and peacefulness of one of the most beautiful places in the world and we met a lot of nice people. Our label night at Confraria Hall was simply amazing. People totally enjoyed the music and Azuldecobalt’s 3D mapping installation. The Brazilian experience so far, has been the most extraordinary and important, for both the label and for the careers of our personal artists. Everything was new for us. Brazil is a country full of surprises and that’s why we loved it. Even the weather was unpredictable, with strong rain falling out of nowhere in the middle of hot sunny days. We look forward to the next international Steyoyoke experience.
Memories It was incredible to celebrate new year’s eve on the beach. Everybody was dancing and singing traditional brazilian songs. Seeing Santa Claus on the beach was a special experience too.
Soul Button We met a guy who was insisting to teach us how to dance samba. He was really funny because he told us that the fastest way to learn samba is to walk barefoot on the beach around 1pm when the sand is super hot.
MPathy We were at an open air party and the party finished because the electricity was gone. We took a friend’s car to continue the party in another place, but we ran out of petrol and got stuck on a sand hill. No more party that night :)
Sasch The best memory in Brazil was when I met BLANCAh’s small dog Bernardinho. It’s the most funniest dog I have ever seen in my life :)
Azuldecobalt
Steyoyoke In Brazil music and art contest We decided to make an EP called ‘Steyoyoke In Brazil’. We asked each artist to use a sample pack containing brazilian sounds which we had collected together. After this, we organized a contest together with our partner Talenthouse. com. Reflecting the concept of Steyoyoke, we planned two competitions: one for producers and one for illustrators. The producers could download our sample pack and create a proper original song using these specific sounds. Together with NiCe7, we finally chose three winners: Andro V, KatrinKa and brazilian duo nierMINT & Mister Deejay. The winning songs were featured on the ‘Steyoyoke In Brazil’ EP, which was out on the 23rd of December 2013. The entrants could listen to the original songs created by the Steyoyoke artists and create an illustration inspired by these songs, which was to represent the Steyoyoke Brazilian experience. 36 winners were chosen and all were exhibited at Confraria Hall in Florianopolis, on the 7th of January 2014. They were also featured at Ritter Butzke, for Steyoyoke’s Second Anniversary, on the 14th of March 2014.
“After I came to Brazil, I understood that there is a huge, super attractive world going on and we are just wasting our brains in this modernistic and soulless world. I formed many new impressions and I became more relaxed about many things in life.”
Azuldecobalt
STEYOYOKE SECOND ANNIVERSARY 14TH MARCH, 2014 RITTER BUTZKE - BERLIN
PETE OAK PATRICK PODAGE SOUL BUTTON SASCH MPATHY DAHU NICK DEVON BLANCAH STEVIE R
Imagine ... if today was the 15th of march and it’s the day after the anniversary party. If someone were to ask you about your thoughts from the night, what do you think you would say? “The party was beyond amazing! I had a really great time and all the people there, including the dj’s and promoters were so nice! I love Berlin and I’m looking forward to coming back!”
Pete Oak
“It was one of the best nights I’ve taken part in. Steyoyoke rocks !!”
Patrick Podage
“The energy was incredible, there were lots of women around me :) !”
Soul Button
“The Steyoyoke birthdays are always special and memorable.”
Sasch
“I remember the energy of the first anniversary gig. I had thought that it was a one in a lifetime experience, but this party was even better!”
MPathy
“A party full of smiles and good energy. It was the first time I played in Berlin and I will never forget this experience.”
BLANCAh
“I had played an insane set and enjoyed the chance to see some of the other artists tearing it up... all whilst making a tons of new friends. But most of all I hope you won´t be able to ask me this question because the party is still raging.”
Dahu
“The party was a total blast. The combination of art and visuals, along with quality electronic Deep/Techno sounds, was just perfect. Steyoyoke organised it well and created a place, where it was worth every second, to be on that dancefloor!”
Nick Devon
“Really excited to have been part of today’s events. It’s always such a great vibe when you bring beautiful people all together. Well, that’s what I call a night to remember. Big ups to Steyoyoke for standing out of the white noise, for one more time.”
Stevie R
“The party is still not over for me. As always, tomorrow I have to return to the club to take all my tools, illustrations, mapping installation etc. etc ...”
Azuldecobalt
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