Gravity Podcast #2 – Kovvalsky

Author: Jonáš Verešpej

For the second edition of Gravity Podcast series we’ve invited Kovvalsky, the resident and booking manager of Jasna 1, to step outside his comfort zone. To hear how far he went, listen to the podcast on our Soundcloud and read the short interview with the artist to learn more about his approach or the current situation in Poland.

You have taken a non-traditional approach to the Gravity podcast, as you've mentioned yourself, it's 'the strangest podcast you've ever recorded’. Why do you think it's so strange and how does it differ from your less strange mixes?

I used to record almost only club mixes, with a huge range of speed, but still with club music. This one is a mixture of ambient and very diverse selection of my favourite experimental, downtempo stuff. Definitely a mix for listening at home, laying on a sofa, not for dancing.

Has the previous year changed how and what kind of music you listen to? Or have you always listened to a more diverse mix of music without having chances to play it for an audience?

Last year I was finally able to buy a proper hifi setup for home listening. I bought nice old speakers from my good friend and a Yaqin chinese tube amp. It is the perfect combination to listen to instrumental music, which cannot be said about my studio monitors, which were my only sound system for a really long time. I used to listen to very diverse music for years, but right now I'm doing it even more.

It seems club life is quickly awakening in Poland. How does it feel to be back in the DJ booth after such a long time? Has anything changed for you?

According to law all clubs in Poland still work as bars, but frankly speaking it's kind of bullshit. Nothing really changed, but for sure I'm enjoying every minute in the DJ booth even more, after such a long break.

Which events from before the pandemic stayed vivid in your memory and which ones do you look forward to the most?

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Definitely the memory of all our K.O.D. parties before the pandemic remain very vivid, especially the italo edition with Franz Scala, Charlie’s live debut and Kinzo Chromef. Also our 3rd bday party with Willikens & Ivkovic, Chino live and Jealo was kind of a special night for me.

I'm really looking forward to return to normal booking policy at Jasna with international artists. I really miss meeting new people before the party, etc. Right now I'm booking almost only Polish artists, it's time to support the local scene.

As a booker and art director of Jasna 1, can you tell us something about your plans? You did some renovations of the space right?

As I mentioned in a previous question, in the next summer months I'm planning to book primarily artists from the local scene. I don't think of it as a problem, the Polish scene is getting better and better and that allows me to make interesting, diverse lineups. I hope to begin with more international programming in September.

In spite of the difficulties during the pandemic, we were doing our best to improve our space. Finally we’ve managed to correct the acoustics on our smaller bar floor, enlarge the number of toilets and arrange a new bigger smoking area.

Which track have you been playing on repeat recently?

There is an interesting story behind this mysterious track released on Offen Music, a label run by Vladimir Ivkovic: Lena Willikens played it for the very first time at our K.O.D. bday party at Jasna in Warsaw. I used the instrumental version as the outro of my mix. : )