A year ago, I sat down with Kolonie,…

…a duo on the brink of breaking out then Covid-19 hit as we all were forced to take a set back and reprioritize. The same can be said for Kane and Shane who since have gone their separate ways, but remain friends. This now leaves Kane the sole driver of the Kolonie name to continue and rise. I was able to sit down now with Kane to get an understanding where his mindset was, how was he handling the changes, his thoughts on the past and the future, and how he is adjusting to being a solo artists during Covid-19.

Hello and thank you for taking the time to sit with me. I think it is important to jump right into it and address the elephant in the room. Shane and you have gone your separate ways. What happened? And what does this mean for Kolonie?

Hi Danielle, always good to catch up. Yea, Shane decided to leave last year, we’ve known each other for a long time and I’m sure we will remain friends. However, he’s always gravitated more towards vocal house music, so I think that along with his growing family and the current uncertainty about the music industry in general have all played a big part in his decision to leave. I’m sure he will do well in which ever new project he’s pursuing.

In terms of Kolonie, I’ll be taking things forward and are determined to make 2021 Kolonie’s biggest year yet. I’ve got a collab lined up with a true legend from within the scene that I can’t wait to shout about along with lots of new original material which is being signed. The show must go on.

You have a new release coming out on Jan 25^th called, Way Of Life on Avanti. Was able to get a sneak peek and really liking the vibes. How has the split affected your productions? 

Thanks, I’m glad you like it, it was a track I produced in November and signed just before Xmas, I’m looking forward to getting it out there and back into the flow of things with regular releases to be honest. The plan is to release every 4-6 weeks throughout 2021 despite whatever is happening in the world.

In terms of the split, we ain’t seen each other for almost a year due to Covid and working alone has become the new norm so I don’t think it will effect production and output going forward.

When we last talked it was right before everything shut down, so Luminosity and some other big shows were put on pause. How anxious are you to get back to touring and playing? What are your thoughts for returning? When do you think we will be back?

Very good question and to be honest I don’t think anyone really knows. There’s been minimal support for the music industry here in the UK, so hopefully some of the larger venues / promoters can pull through. I’m gonna remain optimistic that Luminosity and ADE may both still go ahead this year but realistically, I can’t see a return to somewhat normality until the first quarter of 2022. I suppose a-lot comes down to how each country rolls out their vaccine program etc.

As many DJs and producers during the pandemic, you had to switch to online streaming. How was adopting to the new norm? What were some of your biggest challenges to streaming? What has been your biggest learning from this new medium?

I think it’s been a great platform and the uptake from DJs has kept some sort of interaction with fans (all be it via a screen). OBS is a relatively straight forward program to get your head around. It’s just a shame that Facebook restricts what music you can play. But suppose something is better than nothing. Nothing online will ever beat that personal experience in a club or at a festival in my opinion

When we last talked you said your life motto was, “Focus on things you can change not the things you can’t. Makes life less stressful”. Do you still believe that and why?

100%, and I’ve added a few more to it since then ha-ha. Jokes aside, I’m a firm believer in focusing on things that you can change whether it be your physical or mental health, mindset, goals etc. With so much negativity in the media, it’s easy to get drawn in and lose track on what your focus should be about. To be honest, if I never needed a social media presence for Kolonie I wouldn’t use it at all.

I think it is fair to say we have all taken things for granted in the past. What is something you have taken for granted that you won’t going forward? Why is that?

I think COVID has certainly enabled me to reflect on a-lot of things, from time management to diet, even to the extent of who I want to spend my free time with going forward ha-ha. I’ve found that sticking to a routine has certainly helped me stay motivated and focused