XDB

XDB is Kosta Athanassiadis – German by birth and in residence, with Greek parentage. His roots are in the central German town of Göttingen. It was here that he began DJing in the early nineties; where he worked in a record shop; where he ran a radio show for five years; and the base from which he established the Metrolux record label in 2006.

For many people, it was at this point that XDB appeared on their radar. His debut ‘Jackintosh EP’ and the following ‘Descap EP’ made a splash with heads, but whilst the shimmering dub techno moments were perhaps the most obvious hook, subsequent tracks defied easy categorisation – an early indication that the person behind the music took a broad view of electronic music, caring not for stylistic pigeonholes.

In tandem with his production work, XDB the DJ was coming into his own. An avid collector of vinyl since his childhood ; he had honed his craft in clubs and festivals all around the globe , spinning wax since 1993.

2008 brought an early highlight – spinning at Japan’s lauded Labyrinth festival alongside the cream of the international deep techno scene.

Kosta’s DJ sets draw upon his expansive record collection, playing right across the board of the quality side of electronic music. He has no shortage of technical skill and prefers a 3 decks setup, but despite his mixing skills it’s his selection that truly shines – putting the music itself at the forefront, letting songs breathe when need be, and delivering plenty of head-scratching ‘what the hell is this track?’ moments.

It’s on this that Kosta has built his reputation, and several of his online recordings have been picked up for Resident Advisor’s ‘Mix of the Day’ spot.

In 2010, XDB played at the highly-regarded Freerotation festival in Wales – starting a love affair with the event that’s seen him come back every edition since.

The festival secured Kosta’s place within a fraternity of fellow musicians and DJs who also prefer to let their music do the talking – likeminds who recognise the purity in what they do, and are all the more respected because of it.

Events such as Waking Life, Houghton, DeWeide and Lighthouse Festival, inviting him back on a regular basis, giving him the playtime he needs to tell his story and light up everyone's festival experience.

When it comes to producing, Kosta favours a slow work rate, opting to focus on quality control rather than record shop ubiquity.

He remixed Detroit heroes Norm Talley and Aaron Carl and produced releases for imprints such as Sistrum and Ferox Recordings.

The debut album "Inspiron" came out in 2020 on the respected Dial Records.

His DJing keeps him more in the public eye though, becoming a favourite b2b partner for the likes of Jane Fitz, Don Williams and many more.

Even with three decades of experience as a DJ with appearances in 35 countries and counting, there’s still a refreshing lack of gimmickry to his approach – keeping it low-key allows him to be judged solely on the basis of talent.

Arguably, it’s an innate quality – the way he wants to play it; the way that brings him most satisfaction, but it’s helped establish his reputation as an artist of considerable merit, winning the approval of his audience and peers alike.

Links

INSTAGRAM

SOUNDCLOUD

DISCOGS