Het nieuwe talent aan de hardstyle horizon. Stefan Gold en Thomas Hofstätter, genaamd Concept Art. Ze brengen iets nieuws, iets verfrissends. Hoe verfrissend hun kijk op de zaak is, lees je hieronder
Hey, Stefan and Thomas, how are you guys doing?
Stefan: Pretty good thanks!
Thomas: Same here!
Back To Basics
For the people who don't know who you are, tell us a little bit how Concept Art was born?
CA: Well that's actually quite a funny and coincidental story. We actually met in a musicians online forum. Stefan and I started talking and eventually exchanged ICQ numbers (back then ICQ was still a thing hahaha). Stefan did some solo tracks back then and since nobody of his colleagues was online he sent his stuff to me. I did the same and we decided that our ideas and styles actually fitted together nicely. Concept Art was born!
How did your musical interests evolve over the years?
The longer you produce music the more open you get to other "well done" music. No matter which genre it is, if it's produced nicely it generates a certain kind of joy in you. Of course that also works the other way around, right? So no matter how well some ideas in a track are, if the technical execution is lackluster it's really hard to get into the song.
What can your sound add to the already very big dance music scene worldwide? Any specific sounds you are aiming for?
No, not really. We are always trying to make some 'different' stuff. Sometimes harder sometimes more melodic or a 128 bpm track like 'Twenty 4 Seven.' It really depends on our mood or ideas in that moment. Mostly we try to combine the melodic- with harder influences.
Back in the days, what has been your worst job (before your dj career)?
Stefan: Waiter in a shitty hotel working 12 hour shifts while earning a joke of a salary
Thomas: Working on a junkyard but I still do haha. I do it during the winter because my usual job is very season depended and in the end it's my uncle's company. It's really a hard job.
Have you ever been arrested? And if so, what for?
Stefan: No
Thomas: No
Stefan, what is the most irritating about Thomas? Does he have any bad habits?
Is drinking Red Bulls like a maniac a bad habit? Probably! But jokes aside, it's probably pretty much the opposite of what he's gonna say... sometimes not accepting that I AM in fact right hahaha.
Thomas, what is the most irritating about Stefan? Does he have any bad habits?
'He knows everything better' hahaha but of course everyone has his bad habits but that's not a big deal for me. It's like a relationship: you have to find the right way
Present
I've already mentioned your performance at the Beatbox area at X-Qlusive Frontliner! How did this magical moment happen?
We worked really hard on it. This was the 3rd time we hit the finals in an X-Qlusive Contest. We are always trying to take the listener on a journey through the magic world of hardstyle with all its styles. Finally it worked out well.
Production wise, do each of you have a specific task in the studio? Tell us how your typical studio day looks?
It's not like we have specific roles while working on a track but it naturally splits up in Stefan being the 'technician' while Thomas focusses on ideas and input for tracks, as well as managing the other tasks that being a somewhat public brand usually entails. Nowadays you are not only a producer or dj. You have to do a lot of social media tasks, get in contact with other producers or organizers, make interviews or premixed sets for some podcasts and book flights, hotels, or other kinds of transportation in some cases.We are working/studying both full time and try to invest every free minute into our music.
Do you have any idols or dj's you look up to?
Thomas: Noisecontrollers his sound quality is so amazing & Hans Zimmer
Stefan: Audiofreq as a producer and Kutski as Dj
When we take a look at your music library? What kind of music do you listen to?
Stefan: Rock, Highschool Punk and 90's music, Drum & Bass, Dubstep
Thomas: From Punk to Trance, House, Hardcore and Movie theme
If you get unlimited funds to organise a festival or a clubnight somewhere on the planet? Where would it be, and which dj's would you book?
CA: It would probably be in Germany since we feel like it has the potential to grow a scene but without public exposure that's a difficult thing to do. Regarding the dj's we'd book; it would probably be Noisecontrollers, Audiofreq and Kutski as stated above but pretty sure some locals and friends as well. Just to name some probably Omegatypez, Peacekeeper, Electronic Vibes and Energyzed. There're many more of course.
Future
Last year, you performed at Defqon 1 and Pumpkin. This year starts awesome with X-Qlusive Frontliner. What's up next?
We received a cool booking for the summer but we can't talk about it yet, sorry!
What can we expect this year, looking at tracks/collaborations etc from Concept Art?
Our latest collaboration together with Peacekeeper is out since March 2nd and we already finished another solo track, which is a little bit harder than usual. We are really excited about the reactions and feedback on those.
You are new talents in the business, but are you already supporting local dj-talent and in what way?
We started with a small project two weeks ago where other produces can send us their new tracks and we will give them some feedback. We know how hard it is to get some feedback from other producers and that's why we decided to do that. Of course if we like a track we will play it in our sets too.
This one is difficult… What do you guys think about Simon Cowell's (that's one of the judges in Idols, Britain's Got Talent etc if you didn't remember) DJ Talent show?
To prove yourself as a dj you need more than five minutes. It's all about taking your audience on a musical journey. We are not really big fans of shows like this.
Any last words for the Partyflock community?
Work hard on your goals, keep doing what you love and of course we want to thank all the people out there for their support.
De nieuwe track van Concept Art met Peacekeeper, 'Giddem Di Style' is nu verkrijgbaar op Hardstyle.com
