We had the pleasure of catching up with Berlin-based DJ, producer and Stil vor Talent label founder Oliver Koletzki, who has just unveiled his twelfth studio album 12 on his own imprint.
As the founder of Stil vor Talent, Koletzki has been a key figure in electronic music since the mid-2000s, consistently putting out releases that sit somewhere between thoughtful and club-ready. This album continues in that lane, moving between deeper, more atmospheric moments and tracks built for late-night sets.
His previous full-lengths – including the Arc of Tension trilogy – have consistently pushed boundaries while remaining rooted in the heartfelt, hypnotic style that has earned him a loyal global following.
Following an extensive rollout of singles such as ‘Trip With Me’ with Frida Darko and ‘I Don’t Need Your Love,’ the arrival of 12 marks a profound full-circle moment for this incredibly talented artist. In our exclusive interview with Koletzki, he discusses the album’s creation, navigating two decades in the industry, the personal stories behind the tracks, his ongoing creative process and more.
With 12, your twelfth studio album, you mark over two decades at the forefront of electronic music. The release feels both a milestone and a manifesto. What made this the right moment to distill everything into this 12-track opus?
Thank you so much—I’m truly flattered that it’s a milestone for you. I think it’s also an album that turned out really well. In a way, every album is my milestone. It was the right moment because at that time the music just flowed out of me that way—I had a really good creative flow over the last few months and composed and produced the tracks on this album pretty quickly, one after another over the course of a few months—and that’s how it all came together, as if it were exactly the right moment to write these songs
The album opens with ‘Petrichor’, a gentle but powerful track built on organ chords that lead into a warm, hypnotic groove. It sets the emotional tone for the record – how did this song come to define the threshold of the album?
I wrote these special harmonies for ‘Petrichor’ on a piano in a studio house in Cape Town one morning. Yes, it starts off very emotionally—the whole album is quite emotional for me, and I like it when the listener is immediately gripped right from the start and drawn into the album’s mood. And I think “Petrichor” does that quite well.
Across 12, you move seamlessly between slow-burning club energy and more introspective storytelling. Tracks like ‘Schnapsidee’, ‘Logic’, ‘It’s All Gone’ and ‘La Hora de Mosquitos’ showcase global influences alongside finely tuned arrangements. What guided those shifts in mood and energy while keeping the album cohesive from start to finish?
When an emotional track comes out of my studio, it’s probably because I’ve been feeling a bit sad or emotional that week, and when a happy dancefloor track comes out, it’s probably just because I’m in a good mood. It’s all completely organic, automatic, and authentic—it all flows seamlessly—and that’s actually because I wrote it in a very short amount of time. I was in Cape Town and was producing 12–16 hours a day, which is why I managed to get everything to flow seamlessly.
You collaborated again with Frida Darko on two tracks , ‘Trip With Me’ and the closing ‘Voice or Noise’. What feels different or more refined about working with her on this album compared to your previous joint releases?
Thanks so much for liking the tracks with Frida Darko so much. Yeah, we’re good friends, and we’ve been working well together in the studio ever since she’s been more focused. We’re not just working on vocals anymore—now we’re also collaborating more intensively on production, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Enjoy! We both love playing chess, and we always have these really cool sessions where we switch between making music and playing chess, and I think you can hear that ease in the tracks too.
As co-founder of Stil vor Talent, which has now been running strong for over 20 years, you’ve always prioritised creative freedom and futuristic thinking. How did the label’s ethos shape the creation and release of 12?
So if the philosophy behind Stil vor Talent shaped the album, then that’s a really good thing, because the philosophy behind ‘Stil vor Talent’ is: go on tour, do what you enjoy, let loose, and work on yourself—and we’re here to support you. And of course, my influence on Stil vor Talent is much greater than Stil vor Talent’s influence on me, because I’m the one doing it, and what gets released on Stil vor Talent’ is what I personally think is good. It all kind of goes hand in hand anyway, and that’s why it’s very organic.
Even after decades of releases, you’ve hinted at fresh approaches on this album, from “making of” insights for tracks like ‘Petrichor’ to new production techniques, equipment choices, or arrangement strategies. What felt new or challenging this time around?
Of course, I’m always interested in continuing to grow. The challenge is to keep up with the times while still staying true to my sound. On this album, I continued to work on improving my production, songwriting skills and track mixing techniques, but at the same time, I made sure to keep using organic, real instruments like pianos.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, your first proper live-set concert debut is on the horizon, alongside Stil vor Talent showcases and open-air dates. How do you see the live side of 12 evolving, and what are you most excited to bring to stages this year?
Of course, I’m really excited to finally bring the album 12 to the stage. For one thing, I’ve been playing dancefloor tracks like ‘I Don’t Need Your Love,’ ‘Tick, Tick, Trip with Me,’ and ‘Logic’ in my DJ sets over the past few months to test them out before the album’s release. For another, I’m now including them into my live act, which I’ll be performing with soon in Amsterdam and London. There, I’ll be performing several tracks from the album live on piano and vocals during the concerts. Overall, I’m really looking forward to it.
Listen to the full album HERE:
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