Special_K.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Kopkowski.

Hi Kevin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Honestly, I became a DJ by chance a friend was selling his turntables because he was upgrading, and it was something I always wanted to do but never really had an opportunity until then. I was a bedroom DJ for a couple of years and within that time I practiced almost every day and taught myself thru books and YouTube. I’ve never really had a one-track mind so I couldn’t just focus on one genre and over time I became proficient in all the major genres which helped tremendously in terms of booking events later on. None of my friends even knew I was a DJ until I had a few house parties and from there it expanded.

When the quarantine was going on people were still having events but we were short on DJs, so that’s where I kinda stepped up and booked enough spots in the Spring/Summer of 2021 to be on the road 9 weeks in a row which at the time was something I never thought was possible. I started producing my own events and needing flyers for these events is when I taught myself graphic design. Paying my dues and staying on the grind has led me to join the FX3 productions squad as a DJ and a DJ residency along with a successful weekly music night at The Kava Bar on Friday nights. I started my own production company Wook House Kollective which focuses on renegade events and currently, our flagship venue is a hundred-foot-long drainage tunnel underneath train tracks thirty minutes outside of Tucson.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been some growing pains for sure but for the most part, it’s been a smooth ride, standing out in Tucson’s music scene is really tricky and hard to maneuver because where not that big of a city and only has so many people in this music scene.

Instead of trying to attract the same crowd every promoter is and not focusing on the seasonal college students has really worked out in my favor because I have my own following completely unique to everyone else in town. So the struggle really has been developing a following starting from scratch while trying to make the right connections and friendships along the way.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an electronic music DJ, Event Producer, and Graphic Designer.

As a DJ I’d say I specialize in being able to play any genre which has helped me in many ways especially at events when there’s a lot of the same sound being played I have the ability to stand out and play the music that hasn’t been played that much at an event.

As an Event Producer, I’d say I’m known for being able to do it all as far as event production both admin work and music (booking, making flyers, promotions, audio and visuals, and DJing) I’m also known for hosting events at The Kava Bar as well as hosting events at our secret venue know as “The Tunnel”.

As a graphic designer I’d have to say I’m known for lots of colors, psychedelic images and never using a template; always freestyle.

I’m most proud of creating and establishing myself within the local music community and doing so in a relatively short amount of time (almost two years). I’m also very proud of helping the music scene grow in Tucson I really enjoy helping in any way I can. like, Giving young DJs stage time or letting friends in need use my equipment and most importantly exposing new people to quality events and music.

What set me apart from most is I never play the same set twice. Every time I play It’s a unique experience I’m from the underground and I’m not restricted in any way as to where I can play or what kind of music I should play. I’m just as comfortable at a renegade rave or a Club Night in Phoenix.

What do you think about happiness?
I’m happiest when I’m not a witness to my friends and family doing well and seeing their evolution truly makes me happy.

I’m also really happy when I’m in my zone playing music because music has helped me so much over the years and every single one of my close friends I’ve met because of music. I also believe Happiness is all about perspective, if you allow yourself to focus on the good and not the negative happiness isn’t so hard to find even in the dark times. - voyage Arizona

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Kopkowski and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
“With great risk comes great reward” is a quote that’s definitely a perfect way to describe how I perceive risk. From the way I pick out music for my DJ sets (I never play the same set twice or have a chosen setlist in order to create a unique experience each time you see me play), also where I host events (every 2 or 3 months one of my many collaborators Trevor Thornburg and I host an underground music event in a huge drainage tunnel 100 feet long underneath train tracks in the middle of the desert). Risk plays an essential role in basically everything I do as far as the artistic path I’ve chosen. It was risky taking on my first festival gig I played which put me on this current path because it was at the end of quarantine when not everyone was okay with being in a large group of people and the reward from that was creating something from nothing. This experience also helped form my main outlet for creativity. I don’t just take risks to take risks or seem edgy, I’d like to think of myself as a deep thinker and I evaluate each risk from top to bottom and only take it on obviously if the incentive or reward is greater. Taking risks also means you will fail sometimes and everyone deals with failure differently and that’s what puts many people on the sidelines because it’s not easy and can be soul crushing at times, but it’s how you respond to failures and learn and grow, taking the highs and lows in stride is what keeps me humble. Throughout my life I’ve always accomplished or failed my own way. I tend to lean the way of a non-conformist not just to be unique or different, that’s just how I am by nature.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been an admirer of many art forms from surrealism to music production to dane, and I respect the process it takes to create such cool and amazing works of art, in all forms. Until recently, I never would have categorized myself as an artist per se but due to recent choices to pivot into the direction of being a creator of art; I now wouldn’t shun away from that category. I think what separates myself from others is I’m multi genre. I’m comfortable playing House, Bass, Break Drum & Bass, Trance, Lo Fi Hip Hop. Most importantly I can and have been doing it all as far as Event production from: Site management to booking, making flyers ( Never Templates) to artist management. Promoting and marketing. I have the audio and visuals needed for events, providing power and preforming as DJ . My overall perception and how I respect the past , definitely helps my creativity in the present. For example, in the field of being a DJ very few people mix or transition from track to track the way I do because I taught myself and had no mentor. I had to read books and had to trial and error by myself which has created my style. The crossfader is an essential tool in my skill set, I’d say 95% percent of DJs do not use this tool.

Being a part of the underground production team of FX3 is what really got me over challenging times because it gave me the confidence I needed to recognize that I belong. Sally Jeriha has helped me through a challenging experience. An event didn’t go as played and I booked her to headline this event and was snubbed in favor of someone else, she was the one talking me off the cliff and gave me such amazing prospective and advice when she was also hurting and she didn’t have to do that, but she did and when you see someone’s true character like that you’ll never forget it. I’ll always respect her as a DJ and more importantly as a person and friend. I would want the world to know this about my story, it’s never too late to follow the path that you’ve always wanted to be apart of I’ve been in and out of the electronic music scene for 20 years mostly as an attendee who just loved to dance, if your heart’s in it, learn and respect your genres history, and go for it because you never know what you can make of it! - Shout Out Arizona

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Kopkowski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.

Kevin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
The kindest thing anyone’s ever done for me really hits home because through out the life adventure we encounter many peaks and valleys and I have an amazing group of chosen family that’s always there for me and I truly am blessed to have them in my life that being said When I was fifteen I spent stretches of time in group homes and foster care, eventually decided moving back east where the majority of my family lives was most ideal. Arrival day in Pennsylvania my father whom I hadn’t seen since 2nd grade passed away. Thankfully my Aunt Sally Rich decided to take me as her own and provided my first taste of stable family life and that type of kindness you never forget. In my darkest hours she was there and I’ll always have love for the amazing person she is

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Music was something that was always around. My father was in a band my Mom went to the original Woodstock. I really appreciate song lyrics but I’ve always been a beat driven person. If a friend of mine hadn’t been selling his turntables I might have still been wondering what if, and I’m so glad I decided to give it a go as a DJ because I really needed a creative outlet.

From DJing came Event producing/planning which is something I thrive at and truly enjoy doing. It has become my passion. Then I organically started promoting which for me was a surprise that I became good at because I shun attention usually and never really talked about myself, let alone just constantly & shamelessly self promoting myself.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Helping younger people in the game with gigs and providing a platform for them to get their feet wet in a non judgemental chill atmosphere.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
A question I’ve tried to answer from younger DJs is “How do you get our parents to take us serious?” As heartbreaking as it is to try and answer I say, show them your seriousness, make goals for yourself, and lean in. Then if it’s your passion the people around you will notice.

It starts at home. Support your creative people. If people can feel safe and supported they’ll gain more confidence and eventually learn to take more risks - Canvas Rebels