How did you get your Artist name?

My favorite computer game growing up was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In this game, there are a group of children called the ‘Kokiri’ who live in the Kokiri forest. As long as they don’t leave the forest, they never grow old. When I first started this project, I was making a lot of music reminiscent of 90’s house music so I used this name in a sense that my music would never leave, and it would never grow old.

How did you get into creating?

My brother used to collect vinyl (old UK Hardcore stuff) and he played me a track once and explained that the lad who had made the song had made it in his bedroom. I’d always assumed to make music (what you could put on CD’s or Vinyl) you would have to make them in a big expensive studio. I was fascinated by the idea of being able to make music in my bedroom so this began my exploration into how I could do this myself and then I became obsessed.

How has creating changed your life?

I’ve managed to turn it into a career for myself, so it’s nice that I’m able to do something that I really enjoy as my job.

Where are you from?

I’m from Liverpool in the UK (most notably known for the Beatles, usually).

How did growing up in your neighborhood/city affect you?

My musical tastes were influenced greatly by where I am from. Throughout the mid ’00s onwards, there were certain types of music in this area - Scouse House, Funky House, and there was a small UK Hardcore scene too. As I was growing and developing my sound, these were the types of music I wanted to create myself, so it was nice living in a city and having a sort of community that were all producing the same type of music.

What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?

I just made music any chance I got. I started producing when forums were still pretty big and so whenever I’d finish a song, I’d upload it and get feedback and despite my young age, I’d always take the feedback on board and use it to try and better my craft. I also used to make YouTube tutorials in which I’d teach other people how to create music too.

What does your current setup look like?

It’s nothing fancy really. I have a custom-built laptop, a pair of Mackie HR824 monitors, a Focusrite 18i6, a MiniNova synth (which I only use as a midi keyboard now) and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro headphones. I do a lot of my stuff in the box and so I’ve always found the less equipment for me, the better.

Who inspires you? Why do they inspire you?

I’d say I’m inspired by all sorts of musicians and artists and all for very different reasons. Like for example, over the last 6-8 months I’ve become obsessed with jazz music. It’s just inspiring hearing these really interesting chord progressions and I love how some songs don’t really follow the ‘rules’ of music. Stuff like this always makes me want to try and think outside the box when I’m producing.

What is your goal when you create?

The main reason is to get people to dance, tap their feet or bob their head. We are people who love to dance, and so when I go in the studio my main goal is to get people moving.

Why do you create?

It gives me a very interesting way to express myself as a person. I write music to convey certain feelings and emotions and also because I’m not very good at anything else!

What's your go-to song right now and why is it important to you?

I’d have to say Jungle – All Of The Time (DJ Streaks Remix). I only came across this remix a few months back, but it’s one of those songs I feel really does justice to the original and its makes for a great driving song!

What is your dream as an artist and what steps are you taking to reach your dream?

I have a few dreams and ambitions I’d love to achieve. I’ve always liked the idea of playing out to a huge crowd of people (like 50k) and having them all singing my own song back to me and also getting my song in the UK main charts! The way to achieve this is to just ensure I’m releasing music that people enjoy and that they can sing along too!

What is the best advice you would give someone with a dream?

Don’t give up seems like a pretty simple and straightforward one, but the amount of hard work, dedication, and rejection you have to go through, it’s a lot, but with each one of these hurdles, it will make you a better musician/producer. So yeah, just take all sorts of feedback on board and use it to improve on your craft.

Tell us about your most recent release

My latest release is on Perfect Havoc, a track called Better Than This featuring Edima. More recently in my productions, I’ve been toying with more melodic sounding stuff. I’d already come up with the initial idea for it and when I was sent the vocal, it was serendipitous in a way because when I put them together, they worked perfectly. It was a really fun track to make and I’m hoping it makes people dance.

Listen to Perfect Havoc

https://open.spotify.com/track/2DvcZlxoMROkw1x5jb7pdw?si=eda87d16469d41c6

Connect

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kokirimusic

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kokirimusic

Facebook.com: http://www.facebook.com/kokirimusic