English version:

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. You’re about to go on stage, and Richie Hawtin is playing on the ‚side floor‘. How are you feeling?

Very good, I’m excited. ‘Side floor’ is a slight understatement, but yes, that’s right. Richard Hawtin is playing at the same time, and I’m about to take over from my friend Robert Wruhme.

Would you mind introducing yourself again briefly?

My name is Jonathan Kaspar, I’m from Cologne and I produce electronic music. I’ve released my music on Kompakt and, above all, on Cocoon. Today is a Cocoon label night in Frankfurt, Cocoon’s home town. I’ve released two records on Cocoon this year and we want to celebrate that today. I’m a DJ and I’d say I’m known for long DJ sets. That’s what I enjoy most.

If you were to describe your sound, what does your music stand for?

In general, I would say it’s somewhere between house and techno. I don’t think I can really describe my sound. Others have to do that, because I actually like a lot of music. I like percussive music, very raw music and very melodic music. Sometimes I even like really cheesy stuff.

What does ‘cheesy’ mean in this context?

That it can be a bit watered down and that I like it when that happens between raw tracks.

Looking back on 2025, which project stands out for you this year and what was your personal highlight?

I had various projects that accompanied me throughout the year, and one of them is actually connected to tonight. There are two EPs that I released with Cocoon, and they are related. There are four tracks in total, released on two beautiful coloured vinyls. It was a pretty challenging and intense project for everyone involved, and we’re very happy with the result. The records are almost all sold out, which is always a good sign – luckily. It’s just a totally awesome overall product. I’m happy with the music released on it, and now it’s also turned out really beautiful visually. It was an exciting project for me. Sets or gigs that have stuck in my memory include an ‘All Night Long’ that I played in Geneva in the middle of the year. I played for 9 or 10 hours straight. That was an absolute highlight because people just didn’t go home – that’s also a good sign. Tonight, another highlight is coming up – hopefully. In two weeks, I’ll be in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the first time. I’m looking forward to it because I’ve heard good things about it. I’ve travelled so much, I can’t quite remember exactly, but the one in Geneva was definitely quite a highlight.

I saw that you went to Burning Man this year. How was it? You always hear crazy stories about it.

That’s right, it was a highlight. Thanks for mentioning it. It was ‘pain in love’, so to speak. Luckily, I missed the sandstorm because I arrived a little later. But I did get caught in the rain, which meant that some of my sets were postponed. I was standing in the middle of the mud and had to push my bike through it. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. You can hardly move, everything comes to a standstill when it rains in the desert. And after the rain was over, it became truly sensational and fantastic. I played some great sets there. For me, it was not only a highlight of the year, but also a career highlight to play the very last set of ‘Mayan Warrior’ at sunrise – that was really amazing.

You just said that you prefer long sets. What appeals to you so much about them?

Above all, I like building up the night myself. That means I’m in control of where the journey is going the whole time. I find it exciting to take people with me. When you do that from start to finish, you can show what you like and which direction you want to go in: up, down, left, right – that’s what I like most.

You’ will also DJing for three hours tonight, which is quite a long set. What would you want people to take away with them when they leave the dance floor at 6 a.m.?

Ideally, I’d like them to hear lots of new music that they don’t know yet. I listen to new music every weekend before my sets because that’s what keeps me alive when I’m DJing. I need new music, I always have to play new stuff. That’s important to me, both for myself and for the people – that people get to know new music and that they had a great time.

I’m very sure that will happen today. You DJ and produce music. Is there anything your heart beats faster for?

I think it depends on the season. Actually, I think the two complement each other very well. I can’t decide. They complement each other perfectly and, for me, they belong together. I learn something from each that I can apply to the other, so I’m glad I have both.

When you produce songs, what drives you? What is the impulse that makes you want to create a new track?

I used to always start with a sample. For example, I would search YouTube and listen to choirs, vocals, drum loops or drums and start with that. That was the basic framework or the basic idea. Today, it’s different. I usually start with a sound or a drum structure, but then I build it myself and no longer use samples. Inspiration can come from anywhere. I rarely start with a specific idea because that never works out anyway. The best thing is chance.

You’re releasing a new remix in a few days. The song is called ‘Falling Down’ and you’ve already released a remix of it before. I find it exciting to learn what your impulse is to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to take this song and make my own version of it.’

I love remixing because you start with tracks, so you already have a basic idea. But I generally only accept remix requests where I feel that I can do something with the original. In the case of this particular track, it was a remix for Damian Lazarus, and in the end, it turned into two versions because I somehow felt and sensed both directions. A version was released in the summer that is more summery and warm. Now I’ve made another version that is more chunky and dark. One is the ‘Sunrise Remix’ and the other is the ‘Midnight Remix’. I liked both versions and luckily Damian liked them too, so we’re releasing two remixes in total.

So it’s more of a gut feeling decision and less strategic that you say, ‘Okay, I’ll take the song and do something with it.’

Absolutely.

You’re a resident DJ at the Gewölbe Club in Cologne, you’re also from Cologne, but you’ve also been touring worldwide, as we’ve learned. Let’s say you had to decide tomorrow: resident DJ forever or touring forever?

I would always choose touring because, apart from the constant search for new music, it’s also exciting for me to play for other and new people and get to know new venues. Even though I come from a situation where I have residencies, and I love that – I love coming to venues regularly, knowing the door staff and bar staff, the night manager, it’s nice, it’s always a bit like coming home. Nevertheless, overall, I’m always attracted to the new. These are difficult decisions, but I would choose touring.

Is there a track that you always play, one that you include in every set? You say that you always want to play a variety of music and expose people to new music, but is there a track that is simply your favourite and that you play over and over again?

There is one track that I particularly love, but I don’t always play it: „Lotta Lovin‘ – Paradise Soul Remix“ by Sucker DJs & Paradise Soul. For me, this is a track that triggers an incredible amount of emotion. It’s relatively old, but I think it’s fantastic. But I don’t always play it. I use it or play it when it suits the situation for me.

Do you already have plans for next year or projects you want to tackle? Is there anything we can look forward to?

At the beginning of the year, I’ll be spending two weeks in Mexico and the USA. I’ll be playing at the Day Zero Festival for the first time, which is supposed to be amazing. It takes place in the jungle of Tulum and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll also be playing an all-night show in Miami for the first time. And, as is tradition, I’ll be playing my resident gig: I always play an all-night show on the first Saturday of the month at Gewölbe in Cologne, which I’m also really looking forward to. It’s become a regular event that people from all over Europe come to, which is great. You can combine the two. Residency and then people you meet on tour come along. It’s cool that it all fits together.

That sounds cool, you definitely have a lot planned. Thank you for the interview. I’m looking forward to hearing your set and wish you lots of fun!

Thank you very much. I wish you lots of fun too!