OGUZ joined us in the Lee Jeans pop-up studio at Nexus Lounge, Amsterdam edition, to talk about his exciting fashion brand launch, changing music taste, and his experience as a rising star at ADE.
Growing up in the Netherlands with Turkish roots, OGUZ has always had a creative mindset. Over the last ten years, he’s used that mindset to break his way into the industry, and now the industry is starting to listen.
"This year's ADE is very different than normal ADEs, at least for me. This is my first time meeting the press, doing interviews, photoshoots, etc… Before it was just gigs, and now it's everything around it. So it's quite new. Quite exciting."
After six years of attending the event, it’s not surprising that he was excited for his music to be getting the recognition it deserves, and that’s not the only thing he had to be excited about. Lately, he says he’s been very focused on developing his brand, which has paid off with the recent release of the brand’s fashion side.
It’s not uncommon for artists to run their labels, but OGUZ’s project is slightly different. Instead of a traditional label, he describes 808 Studios as a ‘community’ with a broader focus than just the music.
Of course, the music still takes center stage, which begs the question: what does OGUZ enjoy listening to in his spare time?
"My music taste keeps changing. Over the last ten/fifteen years, I went from dirty Dutch house to hardcore, lo-fi house, ambient, and techno hardcore. I've been basically through everything. So I like to keep changing… That also makes my DJ job more interesting because I always try something new."
Lastly, we dug into our Take5 questions, where we aim to have a little fun and learn more about the artist behind the music.
One interesting fact we learned on a more personal note was that OGUZ used to work as a barber before making it as a DJ. When asked which musician’s hair he’d most like to have, he said The Weeknd. It’s hard to argue with a well-informed taste like that. He also noted that, if he had the chance, he’d love to travel back in time to enjoy some of the old-school raves you see shared on social media to this day.
If you’d like to learn more about OGUZ, his journey as a musician, and his dream dinner party guests, then be sure to check out the full, exclusive Nexus Radio interview.
