“Old Friend” is an apt title for the brand new EP from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Elderbrook (real name Alexander Kotz).
After a brief chat with the curly-haired British musician, it’s clear he has an uncanny ability to turn strangers into old friends and new fans.
“I think I’ve been lucky,” he said of his soaring career following two energetic performances at the 2018 Life is Beautiful music festival in Las Vegas. “When anyone ever starts to write music or put out music they want it to do well. There’s always the doubt and the drive. You just never know. I love it, love it, love it!”
Kotz is still a bit of a newcomer on the electronic music scene, but his star is rising fast. “Old Friend” drops today via Big Beat Records (listen here), and previous singles from Elderbrook, “Sleepwalking” (6.4 million global streams) and “Capricorn” (4.8 million global streams), have received industry attention alongside high profile remixes from Wynn Las Vegas resident DJ Jamie Jones and SKREAM.
Photo Credit: Fiona Garden
His collaboration with Camelphat on “Cola” landed him at number one in the United States and the United Kingdom. The underground club track turned international hit was also nominated for Best Dance Song at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Kotz is the first to admit that he never expected “Cola” to become such a hit.
“We made that song in like an hour,” he admitted. “They played me this instrumental and I was like, ‘OK.’ Then they all looked at me like, ‘go on and sing something’ … so I got up and sung something, thinking nothing about it. Then, a year, two years later it’s Grammy-nominated and taking me around the world.”
Though the song’s success was unexpected, Kotz has no regrets, explaining, “if people love something then who am I to tell them ‘no, no, no, that’s wrong.'”
Photo Credit: Fiona Garden
Kotz first got into music around age 14 when he started a band with his friends. He loved the Strokes and Kings of Leon so much that he “wanted to be them.”
Eventually, his interest turned to electronic music. He hasn’t looked back since.
“With electronic music, it gives you a chance to do literally anything you want,” he said. “When I was in the band …I loved it but there were only two guitars, a bass and drums. With electronic music there could be a million drums and it would sound great. There could be no guitar. There could be a million guitars.”
What about a song with a million drums and nothing else?
“Yes,” laughed Kotz, enthusiastically. “It would be called ‘One Million Drums,’ and it would sound amazing!”
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