Born in 1995 near Paris, Florian Kozlowski launched KØZLØV at 22 years old to share with the world his vision of what «techno» means to him. Passionate about electronic music since his adolescence, he invested really early in DJ equipment after discovering techno music at a festival in Croatia. Exploring the most abrasive side of the genre, he releases his hard-hitting productions on his own Bandcamp but also on respected labels such as ARTS, NineTimesNine, Green Fetish Records, OMEN Recordings, COUP, Gomboc Records and many more. Florian aka KØZLØV talks to 6AM to reflect on 2023, his Musical journey, and future techno trends.
Thank you for chatting with us today, Florian, and Happy New Year! How did you close out 2023 and begin 2024?
Hey, Happy New Year! 2023 was a good year for me, starting with a new agency and working on new KØZLØV merch, along with planning collaboration tracks with many artists. I closed 2023 with numerous gigs, spending New Year's Eve in the Netherlands, and started 2024 with winter holidays straight after my gig. I was in the mountains in France with some friends; it was amazing! I'm planning to go again in February; once wasn't enough, haha.
What are you hoping the year brings you?
A lot of creativity and achievement of my projects. I think, for an artist, it’s the best way to be "épanoui" in your job when everything is fluent.
We would love to rewind things a bit and talk about your upbringing. Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up and how life was for you as a kid?
Originally, my family is from Poland, from both of my parents, but I was born in France, near Paris, and grew up in a "standard" family. My parents have always supported my musical project since I was 16 years old, helping me buy some equipment and starting to DJ for weddings/anniversaries during the weekends. Besides, I had to study something that I liked to secure my future. When you are young, you just follow the rules, and I'm still happy to have done that. After my studies at school, I worked for more than six years in a company as an Electrician in Industry. It was a really great job, met a lot of nice people, and could still work on my KØZLØV project. After Covid, it started to be complicated to manage both jobs because I got more views, more gigs, almost every weekend. It's only last November that I quit my Electrician job to focus now on what I like the most—music.
What were your early introductions to music, and at what point did electronic music become an interest?
My family always liked to organize events for anniversaries, celebrating, for example, the 20, 25, 30 years. During the weekends, we would gather in a room with a DJ for partying. So, thanks to that, since I was young, I’ve been involved in listening and discovering different kinds of music like electronic music. I wanted to do the same as the DJ I watched almost every weekend.
Who were your early favorite artists and musical influences?
If we talk about techno, ANSOME & DAX J; they remind me of the beginning of KØZLØV.
At some point, you shifted to "techno" as a sound because of an experience at a festival in Croatia. Can you recall what specifically made you make this shift and why?
I always liked electronic music, but during this trip to Croatia with my friends, it was something special—I discovered real techno music. I was 18 years old, just got my driving license, and we wanted summer holidays to chill and discover new areas. So, we decided to book holidays there because it was cheap at that time and wanted to go by car—crazy, I know, more than 2000km I guess from France. Moreover, we saw that there was an electronic festival “SONUS,” so we decided to take the tickets in case we didn’t know what to do on the island. Finally, we met some ravers there from Austria/Italy/France in the same hotel as us, and we spent 5 days at the festival and didn’t discover the city, haha. Fell in love with techno.
What do you feel was the moment your career took off? Was there a specific thing that you would attribute it to?
It’s a bit complicated because I had many good moments, with different steps in my career. From my track TCHERNOBYL, where people discovered me, to SHE WANTS YOU TO GO HARDER, where people saw my hardest track. I didn’t have exponential growth, so I think it’s an addition of all these tracks, my work on social media, and also the capacity to be now in a good agency that trusts you—that helps a lot.
What has been the hardest thing to adjust to now that you are touring so much?
Music production during 2023 was challenging because I had two jobs, but from now, as I said, it will change.
The hard techno scene around the world, and specifically Europe, is huge now. How do you feel your music differentiates from the other artists out there?
You need to be true to yourself all the time, making unique music and sets that people recognize directly. You can adapt your music with time, but when someone tells you that we know directly it’s “KØZLØV” set or “KØZLØV” music, it’s the best feeling for me. That means you make something different.
You are still so young now, but what have been some of the musical highlights of your career so far?
As I mentioned, the release of my track TCHERNOBYL, the track CORONAVIRUS during the Covid time, and SHE WANTS YOU TO GO HARDER after a breakdown of one of my oldest relationships. These tracks worked so far and remind me of a specific time in my career. About the gigs, MONASTERIO in Moscow, and my first international tour in Colombia, which was amazing for me.
What is your favorite country to tour?
If we can say a continent, South America, as Colombia, Chile & Argentina.
Where do you see the hard techno scene going in the next couple of years?
I think more people will listen to hard techno because now a lot of genres are mixed. Hard techno can have a taste of PsyTrance, Hardstyle, Hardcore. It can touch more people who don’t know “Techno.” It’s good for us, spreading the hard techno vibes for new people.
If you could play one festival or club that you haven't performed at yet, which one would you choose?
I would like to play for Boiler Room because I will definitely like the vibe there.
You are obviously touring a lot these days, but what does a typical weekday look like for you?
I like to go to the gym during the week, three times per week if I can, and during the summer, running/cycling in the forest nearby my house. I also like to work at home on things like electricity, plumbing, for the house; you always have something to do in it. Spending time with my friends and taking one or two days for the music, checking new promos, and working on a project when I have one.
What is your most prized possession (not financially but in terms of your connection to it) in your studio?
Almost all my analog stuff because it reminds me of how I started to understand the creation of music—the beginning of my project.
Name three things you cannot go on tour without?
My laptop, my bag, which contains my DJ stuff like headphones/USB stick, and black clothes, haha.
We hear you will be touring the States soon. Which cities are you excited to check out?
I've been to New York for a gig but would like to go again. Definitely Los Angeles, and a city like Dallas or Houston in Texas to see a different vibe from the USA.
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