Hailing from Aarhus, Denmark, C.K is the main man behind Safe Distribution and its affiliated labels, such as PRS and Help Recordings to name just two. He has been known to release under a variety of different monikers, including the ambient-focused projects 3.11 and 355.11125. C.K is also part of several collectives, namely 2 Bit Crew, Maizena, and the infamous Regelbau crew, alongside Manmade Deejay, DJ Sports, Central, and more.
A keen digger, C.K has a never-ending desire to find new music (and old) for his DJ sets. Whether performing solo or back-to-back, C.K is known to represent the relaxed but recognisable sound of all the labels and artists surrounding the Safe crew – usually with a nod a bit more towards the euphoric soundscapes of Dream House, with bouncy basslines and luscious melodies. These key themes also run through the core of his spectacular two-hour-long recording. Check it out alongside a rare in-depth interview below. Enjoy!
Hey C.K, thanks for joining us! Can you tell us about your recording and what the idea was behind it…
Hey everyone 🙂
First of all – thanks for asking me to do this mix. I’m not so used to making mixes that are 1) short and 2) 100% club focused. I think I tend to see mixes more like journeys where you can tell different stories through different types of music over a longer period of time. This time, though, I tried to capture what 2 hours could look like when I’m deejaying – different styles and tempos but still very danceable stuff.
Could you tell us a little bit about your background, perhaps where you grew up and what first got you interested in music?
I’m born and raised in Århus – the second biggest city in Denmark. Been playing bass in random rock bands since I was little like most other kids that don’t do sports. I got into electronic music before high school and quickly I lost interest in playing bass. Now I’ve been deejaying for more than 15 years and producing my own music for 8 I guess.
How do you feel the clubbing and nightlife scene over there in Denmark differs from some of Europe’s other major hotspots such as London or Berlin?
Denmark is not one of the first countries you would think of when speaking about “club culture” and in general I think it’s just smaller compared to the “classic nightlife hubs”. With that said I think the party scene here has developed a lot and gotten more professional/global over the past 5-10 years – especially in our capital. Various crews that are doing cool stuff/concepts have evolved out of this development. These things could as well be presented in Berlin, New York or London – this is only for the better I think. A negative consequence is that Denmark, like other European countries, over the past years has suffered a lot from an obsession with the capitals which means the smaller cities tend to be forgotten a bit in my opinion. But that might be for another feature 😉
Can you tell us a bit about Safe Distribution?
Sure… Safe is a small record and tape distribution started by four friends – Mathias, Milan, Natal and me. We distribute records and tapes made by local acts to stores and private customers worldwide. I run the daily activities in Safe – meaning I mail shops, ship all records and put in orders for new releases etc. Some might say it’s the boring part but I love it.
And what about some of the groups that you are involved with such as Regelbau, Maizena and 2 Bit Crew – will there be any new music coming from any of these in 2022?
I’m 99% certain there will be a new 2 Bit release coming out in 2022. As for Maizena and Regelbau there isn’t anything lined up as we speak. We will have a couple of new releases in various constellations, though. So keep an eye out for that!
Are there any exciting new producers coming out of Denmark that we should keep an eye on?
There are loads. Dunno how new all of these are, but to name some….. Track & Trace, pH1, One Touch Xenia Xamanek, Sofie Birch and Astrid Øster Mortensen. All covering all sorts of styles – all making super inspiring music 🙂
What’s your preferred method for finding new music – do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates or do you prefer to buy online?
Yeah I do enjoy going to physical record stores and I believe that is my favorite. Århus is so small, though, so there is only one proper record store that carry electronic music. They got lots of cheapos and stuff that isn’t on youtube so thats cool! Ill have to stick with Discogs most of the time, though!
What does 2022 have in store for you?
I got plans of doing a USA tour during summer, releasing a couple of new EP’s and hopefully be able to see friends from all over the world again. Crossing my fingers!
Thanks, C.K!
