My history with SVDKO goes back many, many years. So did our first meet-up. SoundCloud was in its heyday, collectives were booming, and Future Bass was the hottest thing around. We never kept in constant contact, but our adventures in the electronic music world have developed in parallel over the last decade, making us fellow travelers in a way. It may happen that I don’t listen to his music for some time, but as soon as the first notes of songs like ‘Everything’, ‘Too Different’, ‘Runaway’, and ‘I THINK I NEED A BREAK’ make their way into my headphones, I feel like among old friends. Even if through the asynchronous lens of social media, I still have followed his unstoppable artistic journey step by step. A journey made up of ups and downs in which SVDKO has always demonstrated an unwavering enthusiasm and a deep attachment to the art of music. At the end of one of the most brilliant years of his career as an independent artist, and with his debut album closer than ever, I felt the need to reconnect with him. With this chat, I tried to go beyond the music and highlight the maturity, the knowledge, and the winning mindset he has mastered over all these years. Ladies and gentlemen, SVDKO.
What should listeners expect from your mix?
Get a glimpse into the kind of music I’d love to release and play live in 2025!
In one of your latest posts on Instagram, you mention that you’ve been making music for almost 10 years. It’s a huge milestone, especially for someone, like you, who’s still young. First of all, who is SVDKO today? Then, take us on a trip down memory lane and tell us who SVDKO was, ten years ago.
SVDKO has never been closer to that childhood dream of mine coming true than now. I have always dreamt of making heavier bass/electronic music that can not only make your body move but make you also feel emotional. For the longest time I was afraid to just unleash that more powerful/darker side of mine in fear that most wouldn’t understand. As you’ve seen lately, there has been a huge resurgence of bass music in general whether it’s ukg/bass or even uk dubstep and I’ve been massively inspired by that and wanted to finally join the discussion myself. SVDKO today is confident, has no fears of being judged and being under the spotlight and is more free than even to make whatever he feels like.
Ten years ago that project was an outlet for a heartbroken teenager who was pretty much lost in life and had to figure out what to do next. All the decisions made at that exact time and onwards made it possible for me to speak here so I’m truly grateful for that!
stay consistent, choose your priorities, and stay focused on your goal – that’s what works for me!
Recently, you also celebrated the first anniversary of your song ‘DAYJOB.’ It was written right after you were laid off, right? How do you balance making music while having a job?
It was written exactly at the moment I got laid off without any warning while I still had big plans and schemes for the future of my project/life. It left me with absolutely no money but lots of time to be creative with what I had and looking back at that moment, those 3 months really taught me a lot about myself and the way I wanted to be seen as an artist more than a SoundCloud producer. I balance those two by prioritizing what’s important to me. Meaning that I’m not going out as much as I used to, I picked up exercising to unlock extra energy during my day, cut off people that were draining my batteries. But the most helpful thing for me is that I have someone by my side who shares this drive to achieve more and supports me no matter the struggles we face. What I would really advise is to stay consistent, choose your priorities, and stay focused on your goal – that’s what works for me!
Besides producing, do you still find the time to listen to music for pleasure?
Every single day, as it has been my habit for years now, you can find me scrolling on my SoundCloud feed to find new exciting tracks/producers – I spend as much time as I have doing so to keep myself up to date!
We’re approaching the end of 2024, can you give us an overview of the music you released this year?
This year has seen my biggest accomplishment yet – the indie release of my 3rd EP, called it gets worse before it gets better, telling the story of me re-discovering the joy of making music and being creative after hitting rock bottom back in August 2023. Having absolutely no budget to promote it the way I used to, I decided to grab my phone and record a TikTok per day to showcase what I’m working on. This EP has seen success like no other I’ve dropped before, getting me recognition not only from fellow producers but also industry giants and most importantly real people who were excited to discover me and join me on my journey! The remix I dropped for COVEX on MrSuicideSheep (I have been a fan of both for years). I turned his pop anthem into a bass music banger. And lastly, I’m dropping two of the singles of my upcoming full-length project, XL, planned to be released on a single-to-single basis until June 2025.
You’re very active on social media, where you post a lot of “first person” content in support of your music. What I noticed, is that you’re always very positive and energetic but at the same time you’re not afraid to be auto-ironic about it.
I treat my socials like a group chat with close friends. I share with them the demos I’m working on as well as my highs and lows. By posting regularly on TikTok I have found myself like-minded people who are not only inspired by me, but also inspire me. I don’t think there’s a world for creativity without some kind of promotion if your goal is to live off your art. They just complement each other! I also want to add that I’ve always been the guy who’s not afraid to joke about himself – the music industry is boring enough with people who pretend to be the cool/mysterious type and I’m happy to change that!
Let’s get geeky. What are your go-to plugins and VSTs at the moment?
My go-to plug combo would be Serum and Thermal by Output – can’t live without them both now!
Going indie helped me to find my own sound at my own pace, and now that it’s kind of defined and mature – labels are even more interested in my project and come with better offers.
In the first years of your career, you released your music mainly via record labels and collectives, then at some point, you decided to go independent. Recently you told me how satisfied you are with this choice. Can you talk a bit about your experience? What’s your take on the indie vs label topic?
Releasing independently means not caring about the box some label A&R will try to put you in, but also means that you have to assume the costs/promotion/distribution all by yourself! Going indie helped me to find my own sound at my own pace, and now that it’s kind of defined and mature – labels are even more interested in my project and come with better offers. I think in this day and age, you can totally do it all yourself and there’s many examples of that. The latest thing that really inspired me to see is Skrillex announcing he’s finally getting out of his label deal soon, which means we’re gonna see a more raw and real version of him for the first time and I’m absolutely excited for that.
In his most recent tweets, Skrillex stresses the importance of having a team of collaborators (even informal ones). Do you have a ‘circle’ of people you rely on regularly?
I fortunately do! I have the most badass partner who not only helps me with all the creative decisions behind my songs and videos that we’ve been shooting together for a year now – but also is the reason I believe in myself more than ever. I’m also incredibly lucky that I got signed by my booking agent who is an absolute rockstar of a woman. She has already helped me immensely by believing in me and my project. When it comes to my producer circle, one that immediately comes to mind is my friend and collaborator David (ONLYTHENEXT) which is hands down the most insanely skilled producer I’ve ever had the chance to work with. I also have a group of producer friends all over the world with whom we exchange a lot of ideas with – the ones I wanna shoutout are my Belgian and Greek fam, without them I wouldn’t have made it so far!
How is the electronic scene in Brussels?
The electronic scene here in Brussels is alive and booming! Don’t forget Belgium was one of the pioneers of the electronic sound back in the days! It’s a more techno/house-focused group of people tho, but bass music and UK garage are slowly coming on the horizon.
Any fellow Belgian bass producer we should have on our radar?
I’ve been recently blown away by the quality of my friend Alowski’s production – he’s sitting on an entire discography of unreleased music that I hope will see the light of day soon!
SVDKO FUXWITHIT MIX Tracklist
SVDKO – I THINK I NEED A BREAK
vexx – tens
Skepta & Novelist – Lyrics (Packet Loss Bootleg)
SVDKO & Jawnsin – ID
Billie Eilish – LUNCH (Phrva Flip)
Avicii – Levels (Acyan Flip)
BLVZE – HYPE
Jawnsin – DANCE FLOOR
SVDKO – PROTECT ME
CamaCon – O-DUB
Sully & PEEKABOO – Ear Candy
borne – POWER
Covex – I Miss U (ft. Lexi Shanley) (SVDKO Remix)
bauti – check
Oppidan – WAKE AND BREAK (Lizdek Remix)
Silcrow – TAKE ME DOWN
NETRUN – Push It (Reach Remix)
Flux Pavillion – Bass Cannon (LYNY Remix)
Shakira – Hips Don’t Lie (Fabian Mazur Flip)
Cesco – Superstealth
SVDKO – THAT’S A VIBE
