KOCHAM opens up about his origins and reveals upcoming releases: Interview

Emerging French record producer and DJ KOCHAM has caught the attention of a lot of eyes in the electronic music industry, especially in the past few months when he has boosted his solo project to a staggering level. Having previously been a part of the duo Lumberjack, the artist has witnessed a massive amount of growth during lockdown due to the covid pandemic. Supported by industry heavyweights like David Guetta & Bob Sinclar, the artist is destined for a lot of success in the coming years where he will be crucial to the evolution of house music as a genre. We here at We Rave You had a chat with him where he explained his origins and talked about a lot of interesting releases which are set to be unveiled soon.

How long have you been a producer/ DJ? Tell us about the origin of your music. What inspired you to pursue your career as an artist?

“I started DJing and producing music 15 years ago in France, inspired by Daft Punk, Bob Sinclar and David Guetta #FrenchTouch. The type of music I produce as KOCHAM is a feeling, a mood. I produce what I want, when I want and nobody can tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. But I’m truly inspired by house music, from Chicago to the world. House is a feeling.”

Who do you consider to have been your biggest influences throughout your career?

“From Marshall Jefferson to Dennis Ferrer passing by Kerry Chandler, they have been my biggest influences throughout my career with KOCHAM. Because when I listen to this house music, I feel special. I just express myself with my style.”

Congratulations on your new record ‘Your Body’, What’s the story behind this record? What were the inspirations behind this track?

“Thank you so much. To be honest, I’ve been producing between 5-6 tracks a month since January. I didn’t know about the record label called “Groove Bassment” – they sent me a beautiful message about my music (as many people did), and asked me to send them a track. I started listening to the music from the label to find the right song from my music box that was a perfect fit. I sent ‘Your Body’ and they said yes. Loads of new stuff is coming soon with “Groove Bassment” and I’m really happy to see my music talking’ because I have one personal quote: Let the music speak.”

Covid-19 had a devastating impact on the live events industry, and the fate of upcoming festivals still remains uncertain. On the other hand, our beloved producers and DJs had a productive lockdown period where they spent most of their time inside their home studios and kept our playlists fresh by releasing a lot of new stuff. Here’s what KOCHAM thinks about the pandemic and its effects.

Looking at the whole Covid-19 situation and its impacts. How did the pandemic affect you as an artist? Did quarantine encourage or damage your creativity?

“As half of the Lumberjack duo, Covid-19 affected us a lot. From more than 90 gigs a year to nothing, from 3-4 releases a month to nothing (and not by choice, just because major labels started to ‘wait’). That’s why, as a passionate producer, I decided to launch KOCHAM and do what I love, without any pressure.”

What are you looking forward to most when this situation is over?

“It’s kinda crazy to say this, but playing all night long anywhere in the world, in front of thousands of people sweating, screaming, smiling, and probably drunk.”

Back to music, your collaboration ‘Get Down‘ with Jimmy Kyle is an absolute smash hit. What was the process behind this record?

“Thank you! ‘Get Down’ was made in one full night with Jimmy, during lockdown, with one goal: “Good vibes only”! Unintentionally, we created this track, releasing it a few weeks later, and got some massive support. Jimmy and I both love Dennis Ferrer, you can recognize the vibe in this collaboration.”

Following the last question, the collaboration has received a massive amount of support from the likes of David Guetta & Bob Sinclar to name a few, in addition to hundreds of thousands of streams across all platforms. The support must feel amazing, what do you think about the success? Are you planning to collaborate again in the future?

“Yes. We are already working on a new collaboration. I think people feel the good vibe into this song, isn’t a big success, but having good support and feedback is always the best reward.”

What does the rest of 2021 hold? Any hints or clues that we could get about future productions and collaborations?

“Hope 2021 will be better than 2020. I have some future releases ready and my last track ‘Get You’ (‘Get Down’ follow up) is out now. Apart from that, there’s also a new release coming soon on We Play called ‘You Are Beautiful’ and another one on Groove Bassment called ‘Incredible’! I’m so excited about some future collaborations, but this is something I can’t announce right now.”

Image credit: Kocham (via Facebook)