With the release of “Papillon” in 2013, Klaudia Gawlas chiseled her place among the top rungs of the Techno world. For nearly two decades the thoroughbred musician has been
following her calling, headlining events around the world, trooping together fans and topping the lists of DJ polls. Everything began in Cieszyn, Poland. As a 9-year-old she came to Germany and experimented with keyboards and guitar. She quickly noticed that music education was set up to teach the student to play other people’s music. Klaudia rejected that. Her drive was to express her own music, the music she carries inside of her. Luckily, she soon found the computer.
She made her first beats at the age of 13 on her Commodore 64, soon after started tiptoeing into clubs and fell in love with the music she heard there. Her aunt gave her a Jeff Mills tape – Klaudia was hooked. But the rest of her family, industrious service industry workers eyed Klaudia’s passion for the music with suspicion. Music is a pursuit without a financial future, she was told.
So, Klaudia fulfilled her parents’ wish to learn a down-to-earth profession – for the time being. After completing her trades education she left for the United States, to find what she was meant to do with her life. She studied psychology and radio broadcasting, and even though she did not return with a diploma, she came home with something far more valuable: clarity. Klaudia knew she wanted to dedicate herself to techno, as a DJ. She would take any gig, radio or event-wise, it did not matter as long as she could play her music and as long as she did not have to live out the service industry career her parents had envisioned for her. Life is and was about being happy for Klaudia and techno makes her happy. That is what counts. Upon her return to Germany she wanted to share her ever-growing record collection with the dance-floors and worked and honed her craft, after borrowing money to buy some record players. She paid her dues, practicing at the Open Turntables in Alcatraz, Landau and soon encountered open ears. She got her first bookings in Bavaria, her network started to grow organically, slowly, but steadily and then suddenly, there it was, her chance: She won a mixtape contest and played at the Ruhr in Love Raveline floor in 2008.
Her career started to pick up steam. Bookings for Mayday, Time Warp, Nature One, Awakenings, Tomorrowland Brazil, Argentina followed and Klaudia kept on nurturing the
evergrowing community of fans around the globe with every gig. She partnered with Eric Sneo, running the cult-label MOD together. Her LPs “Zeitgeist” (2013) and
“Vision” (2016) in combination with her immortal single “Papillon” established her reputation as a producer. And the success story continues. In 2018 Joseph Capriati
released Klaudia’s „The Siren EP“ on his label Redimension and invited her to the label nights. Another highlight was the release of her „Opus EP“ (2019) on Coyu’s
label Suara and gigs in Colombia and New York City. New things are in the making and Klaudia keeps on giving it all for her music. The fans, the bookers and the techno scene thank her for it
Hi Klaudia, a very warm welcome to Techno Mood. Great to have you with us for the first time.
Please can you introduce yourselves to our Techno Mood readers?
Hello, I am Klaudia Gawlas, a DJ and a producer, born in Poland. I live in Germany since I am 9 years old. I am in the scene now for 18 years and I’m simply loving Techno music.
You can catch me at some Festivals around Europe this summer.
How has your 2020 been so far?
For sure good so far, I have some nice Club bookings and bookings for great and big Festivals like Belgiums Tomorrowland, Extrema Outdoor, Nature One, Loveland (Amsterdam) and also many more Festivals around Europe. But we have to see how things will go on in the future because a lot Events got already cancelled because of Corona Virus. So we need to keep our fingers crossed. This is just a nightmare right now.
Also I´ve been a lot in the studio and did some good productions what makes me very happy, cause I’ve already played the tracks a few times and they spread some nice energy on the dancefloor.
Congratulations on the release of your Time Loop EP on FORM Music. Can you talk to us about the record and the creative process behind it?
Thank you. I produced this Track last year during summer time. I tried to catch the summer and festival feelings and packed my inspirations into this Track. I am very proud that I could catch Julian Jeweil for a remix as he is a very good producer and I play his tracks since my beginnings. So its a big honor for me.
This is your debut release on POPOF’s imprint. How did the introduction to POPOF / FORM Music come about?
It was actually the label who asked me for some tracks and so I have send them some of my newest productions including the remix of Julian and they signed it
We’re also loving the remix from Julian Jeweil — did you personally approach Julian for this?
We have met a few times around Europe. Last summer after his playtime at a Festival in Germany, I grabbed his Shuttle, cause the driver forgot to pick me up for my playtime. I just asked him on the wing, if he wants to do a remix for me. He said yes right away and so it was sealed.
What are your favourite pieces of studio equipment right now? (Please name at least three)
I like the Elekron Rhythm, Also Elektron Analog Four, And the TB 03, Thats all I need at the moment.
What’s the music scene like where you live right now? Do you go out a lot?
Here where I live we have some parties here and then. But on the weekends I am touring so I am never home. But my friends tell me if there is a party.
Sometimes I am home, but then I love to be just home. I travel so much every week, so sometimes I am just happy not to go out and just take care of normal things.
Who or what were your biggest musical influences growing up?
I started to listen to Techno Music in the age of 13 with a Jeff Mills Tape. Before I did´t really have a connection to a special kind of genre. But I liked listen to Beats. I was not able to go out to the clubs, I was just too young but my Auntie was going so I got in touch with the scene somehow. Later I visited Loveparade and when I think back, the 90ies were just crazy in Germany. You had litte illegal Raves everywhere. Also big Clubs started to grow and this whole Dj Thing got bigger and bigger and the crowd also. So it started with Jeff Mills, Chris Liebing and Speedy J I think. Also Luke Slater was one of my fav. and catched me right away.
Top 5 favourite records you love to play out at the moment?
What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
I am looking forward to the festival season and to release all my new tracks I did lately in the studio.
I also think about recording a new album. But this will be a longer story.
Any final words for our Techno Mood readers?
Keep on raving guys and catch me this summer somewhere on the dance floor.
