Robert Courtois wears many hats in the music industry. A musician, producer, DJ and label owner, Courtois has been at the epicentre of the industry through a career that spans years, and has witnessed the changing tides of the electronic music scene during that period.

From his origins performing in bands, he has moved into songwriting and production hemispheres, as well as sharpening his craft as a DJ. The multi-talent, whose diverse musical background allows him to create across a multitude of sounds, recently released “Day Drinking”. The recent cut was a re-imagination of Hysteric Ego’s “Want Love”, a track that he initially played a part in the creation of.

We caught up Courtios himself, discussing his influences, juggling his industry pursuits, the impact of his music on listeners, and what is to come from him.

Listen to “Day Drinking”…

Read the interview…

Who have been main influences for you, both professionally and personally?
I would love to come up with something very cool and profound. But someone’s only got to say one thing that can be an influence in itself and put you on a totally different trajectory and you would not normally be on. Technology is a big influence, especially the speed of AI – it is unprecedented. I love a hook, I love a melody. I love a chord structure and there’s not a drug on the planet that can surpass that feeling of when you get those three things right and trust me, I’ve tried a few. Also, Ed Sheeran, the mind boggles how prolific that man is. I am also a big fan of the producer Trevor Horn and his work with legendary household names.

As a multi-faceted artist, how do you balance and navigate between your different roles in the music industry?
The modern music producer juggles several hats. Each hat represents a distinct service that can be offered separately, such as mixing, songwriting, arranging or advisory roles. The versatility of music producers often leads to additional work, as they may find themselves mixing for one client on one day, working on arrangements for another on another day, and tackling all of these tasks for a single song or even a whole album in the following week. Where does it end?!

How would you describe the essence of your sound?
Back in the day that was purely down to what equipment you had, which then encapsulated what sound you to play with, we had very limited equipment at the time. Luckily, the equipment we were using was in vogue the M1 organ for a baseline for instance. Now with programs like Splice & AI available at your fingertips, you have so much to choose from, this is open for debate. A great music producer is constantly exploring new ideas and sounds, experimenting with different techniques, and pushing boundaries. They have the ability to envision a finished track in their mind’s ear and then translate that vision into something tangible. A DAW is nothing more than an authors pen, you have to start with something.

What do you want listens to feel when they hear your music?
When we dance & when we listen to music, we feel synergy with the vibration. We don’t have to talk, we just have to “BE” and “BE” in the moment. According to this theory, human beings possess an innate ability to pick up on these vibrations, allowing us to understand and respond to one another beyond the constraints of verbal communication. Our bodies and minds are finely tuned instruments capable of detecting and interpreting these subtle energetic signals, resulting in a level of connection that goes beyond words alone.

With your extensive experience within electronic music, what is your opinion of the scene currently?
I’m really excited, to be honest, regarding the way technology is moving so fast I think it’s going to be amazing time for the music industry, I think it’s going to be great time for the creative industry as a whole.

Who would your dream collaboration be with and why?
Ed Sheeran because we are both fans of music it doesn’t matter what style it is… if it’s good, it’s good.

What are your next big moves? What is the rest of 2023 looking like for you?
I have about 15 tracks ready to go, but it’s not all dance music it’s an eclectic mix, ranging from two-step to R&B style, whatever I’m in the mood and inspired me to write, they will be dance mixes of all the tracks that are going to be released for sure, as love the feel of the dance floor. I’m looking to sign new talent to Koo-twar as I’d like to keep the label fresh with the new blood and not just with my own releases – label tours and venue takeovers. In the meantime, studio & DJ work & music collaborations. Seeing where this adventure takes me!