Rhythmatic Talk

Approaching their 6th anniversary we caught up with the duo behind Rhythmatic, Kiri and Kostas, to find out a little bit more about the goings on behind their project. We chatted about the design of the brand, being born into a tank of Red Bull and welcoming Greek smiles warming up their nights. 

Firstly, please introduce yourselves.

Hey there! We are Kiri and Kostas aka Double Trouble Productions aka Rhythmatic. We are the twins behind the Rhythmatic events, originally from Greece but have been residing in London for the last 8 years.

Tell us about your very first and most recent event in London who played, what went wrong, what were your highlights.

Our first event goes back almost 6 years and it took place at EGG We were  given the opportunity to host the main room. I remember it not being a very busy night, however we were the only room open at early in the morning because the other rooms failed to keep the crowds in and that was the start of Rhythmatic.

Our last event was with Julietta and Isolee at Hoxton Basemen. In our eyes it was a very diverse line up and a great sound but the people fail to get it as much as we hoped to. I guess we will never fully understand the promoters game, it’s so simple but so complicated, even after all these years working and putting together some great parties I still dont understand why sometimes nights dont work. But I guess that’s all part of the game 🙂

Whats the story of your residents, how did they come to represent Rhythmatic

Stathis Lazarides: One of the most intelligent and talented DJs we have ever come across. We were invited by a good friend of ours (Satoshi Tommie) to go and see him at the Cross. On the night I (Kiri) can recall that he was chatting to my girlfriend but at the time I didn’t realize he was Greek. Then we got introduced by Satoshi and the rest is history! Stathis Lazarides has been a member of the Rhythmatic collective since day one, he has been there for us and continuously helps us mature the sound of Rhythmatic and direct the project musically.

Wesley Razzy: What a great character, the cheeky boy with the great smile. He reminded us of ourselves when we started putting events together almost 16 years ago… I remember it was 3 years ago and I (Kiri) was travelling away on business and I was so bored at the time, so I decided to listen to this mix that Wesley has been sending me. Back then we were receiving so many requests from over confident djs that promised to smash it but luckily we weren’t looking for smashing anything hahaha… But Wesley’s approach was different and we warmed up to him quite fast so he became our resident.

Archie Hamilton: He is one of the most humble DJs anyone could meet, so talented and so down to the earth His friends have been to a few of our events and it was the year we put on some of the most talked about parties with the likes of Marco Carola, Tanzmann and Squillace, Rhadoo, Petre Inspirescu and the Moon Harbor 24 hour party. At the Moon Harbour party, he came with his friends to the day party at Cargo and we ended up partying together So after spending the whole day, night and afters together Archie invited us back to his house, were he played us one of his tracks and coinsidently, it was one of our favourite tracks at the time! So we asked him to send us a mix and it was only natural to offer him a slot and become part of the Rhythmatic collective as his mix was as good as his own productions. Archie and Stathis have been making tracks for more than a year together now and the music they produce is absolute quality so we are double happy to have created this collaboration between them!

Whats the creative process behind your artwork; is there a specific message and theme behind it or is it just whats aesthetically right?

We wanted to come up with a twisted and surreal direction that will describe the night, ethos, our production etc. We always had this sentence in our heads: ‘Welcome to the weird and wonderful word of Rhythmatic.’ Which I guess our AMAZING Design Director Didi Bjornerud delivered in the best possible way. We are strong believers that our design direction stands out from the crowd. Our designs have been praised and we receive messages all the time about them. We think that you know when you are looking at a Rhythmatic flyer and it’s all down to our extremely talented designer! Our aim is to exhibit all of our artwork one day, maybe soon. Watch this space.

What cultural exchange goes on when you produce your events; what do you learn from London and how does the London audience benefit from your Greek heritage 

We are always part of the crowd and we do our best to make all of our punters feel welcome in our parties. I remember one night a lady came up to us and said Your smile makes the night so much better; I wish I could see more of this from other promoters. Who knows, maybe the stereotype of the welcoming Greek has some validity! We want to believe that we provide a friendly atmosphere and this is a very important aspect of our parties. If you flip it around, we are very grateful to be a part of the melting pot of different cultures that it is London. Growing up in our little rural town we only interacted with our kind and we have learnt so much from mixing with different cultures and backgrounds. We feel blessed and enlightened from this really!

Tell us about your crowd, do you feel you know them well. Is it more rewarding to see the same faces returning for more or new faces trying it out.

It gives us great satisfaction to see both regulars and fresh faces. We are lucky enough to have built a regular base and most people from this base of fans have become part of the family that is Rhythmatic. There isn’t even a single event in the last 5 years or so that we had any kind of disturbance or trouble. Our regulars make sure that fresh faces are welcome,  the Greek way, with a pair of twins hopping here and there with a cheeky smile on their face!!!

It seems like promoters are constantly on the hunt for new venues. Are you the same or do you have firm favorites that suit the night. Are there certain aspects you need that characterise a Rhythmatic party?

Rhythmatic has always been a fan of new spaces. Over the last 2 years we have constantly used new spaces and locations, however over the last few months, as you probably know, this luxury doesnt exist as much. There is a lack of spaces making it very difficult for moving parties. I guess this was always going to be a constant battle so we will keep finding ways to overcome the issues and stage great parties! And while we are on the subject of great parties, on the 29 June Rhythmatic will be taking over a new space for us, the Red Gallery, which will be fully transformed making one of the most exciting projects we have put together, two floors, of full production and an amazing line up.

Are there still plans to get the label off the ground?

Of course there are and we are working on it. Details will be released very soon but for the time being enjoy Stathis Lazarides and Archie Hamilton releases on labels like, Memoria, Karton, Moscow, Body Parts and many more to come out the next few weeks and months. Our artists mature and so does their music. Rhythmatic Music will be born soon.

Why Roman?

He is a DJ that doesn’t follow the trends, he has his own way of doing things and his sound is inspiring!

Why Bruno?

One of the most impressive live sets we have ever heard 🙂

We have been trying to lock both artists down for over two years and it has been a serious battle, having them together is probably one of the best and most inspiring line ups we have put together. We cant wait to have them on!

Do you ever get tired, how do you combat that.

Tired? Well, when we were born our mum put us into a Red Bull tank! We have day jobs, we run a venue and we run our project, and yet we still have time to go out and party. If we are not busy we get depressed. So the answer is “keep calm and carry on!”

Are you a kick drum, hi hat or a snare? And why?

Kostas is the snare, I am the hi hat and Stathis is the kick (any of those combinations is what makes Rhythmatic tick (or shall i say kick?!)

What’s your answer to everything?

Work Hard Play Harder.

You can find out more about their next event here.