Audio: Theo Kottis Drops a String of Deep House Cuts

Theo Kottis was only 21 when he first played at FLY Club, the long-running house and techno party held at Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire. It was through his regular warm-up slots at the leading club he got to know the Moda Black collective, who then signed his earliest releases alongside home grown talents like Maxxi Soundsystem and Hot Since 82. Kottis is still in his early 20s, but his DJ career has already taken him to places like USA and Ibiza alongside some of house music’s brightest stars. Through all of this he’s also kept strong ties to his Edinburgh hometown, where he still regularly plays with FLY at their club night and bi-annual open-air festival. Before he plays RM2 as part of Monki & Friends showcase this Friday, we contacted Kottis to ask him to refresh us on his sound. Back when he made his debut with us back in 2015, he sent us a subdued mix that presented his idea of how to soundtrack the opening hours of the night in the club. This time around, after a few years touring in between he shows off his collection of classic deep house wares made for the night’s peak-time hours. Download: Theo Kottis x fabric Presents Promo Mix How and where was the mix recorded? I recorded this in Edinburgh in my bedroom studio that I've been assembling for years! Most parts were recorded on a pair of Technics 1210s and an Allen & Heath Xone 23 mixer, and some tracks were added in Ableton Live. From where did you source most of the records? I’ve not been travelling as much recently as I've been putting the final touches on an album, so I've been using my downtime to hunt for new records. I’ve never been too confident playing them out but you know what they say, practice makes perfect! Most of the records I bought in London, from shops like Phonica and Rye Wax and some from online stores. There are a few unreleased tracks in the mix too. Is this a reflection of what you play in your sets too? It depends on the venue and what the crowd is receptive to. I’ve always loved playing all sorts of house and techno music. I tried to make this mix enjoyable for home listening to get you ready for a night out. What’s been the highlight of your year (so far)? I’ve had too many to name only one. Travelling and touring in places like USA and India has been amazing. I also made my debut in Berlin, played lots of memorable festivals, and played back-to-back with George FitzGerald at FLY Open Air in Edinburgh. I’m already looking forward to next years’ edition – I’ll be curating my own line-up! What are your release plans so far for 2018? I’ve been working on my own album, I’ll be releasing that on my own imprint called Beautiful Strangers. I also have a mix CD coming out later in the year, though I can’t say much more than that at the moment! I’m very excited to announce all the projects I’ve been working on over the last couple of months.