This month we are featuring Kyiv, Ukraine based producer and member of Ninetofive Records - KLIM. In March 29 2010 - KLIM decided to showcase his first release ever. Now a decade later, he’s considered to be one of the most sought after producers with a stunning catalog and workflow that does not go unnoticed. His mindset has been brave from the beginning, taking elements from the golden era, with that classical New York sound and blending them together with both classical records from eastern Europe and rare eighties joints. Most people have experienced his songs in their headphones, but more under the radar he performs live on his MPC in front of large crowds. In 2020 he’s celebrating 10 years in the game and still going stronger than ever.
Talk to us about growing your audience on streaming platforms, particularly Spotify where you have over 600,000 monthly listeners?
A fundamental part of reaching a larger audience on Spotify was the catalog that I had already built before even starting to distribute my music on streaming platforms. Since I’ve made beats since 2009 and had already built a fanbase, it was much easier to get a hold of that audience on Spotify. When the beat community started to rise a couple of years ago, I had a stable ground with both loyal fans and material to share with new listeners so things kind of fell into place naturally.
Reaching the monthly listeners - and trying to bring them up each month is quite a tricky one. I would say it’s a blend between curators finding the music and very loyal fans who always show support when I release new music. Pre-COVID I did a lot of shows in Kiev, Ukraine at different locations. These shows consisted of both DJ sets where I play music to get more exposure but also live-drum sets with the MPC. I try to bring out different styles and elements to surprise the listeners in the best way possible.
What advice would you give to other music producers looking to grow their audience and be heard?
The most important lesson is wherever your listeners are, try to connect with them and let them be a part of your creations, ask what they’re interested in and try to combine this with your art. For me, Instagram has helped a lot to share both my personal life and upcoming releases - or what I’m working on so people always feel welcomed and a part of the music.
But my advice to any upcoming producers that want to get into making beats or instrumental music, would be to start to make a lot of music you’re feeling proud of, build up a good looking catalog, and try to combine both albums and EP’s and not sticking strictly to the Spotify algorithm of all out singles. Albums tell a story and give your project both a history and meaning - This for me has always been important.
