Cristoph is a UK artist famed for his melodic releases on labels ranging from Eric Prydz’s Pryda Presents to Above & Beyond’s Anjunadeep, and he recently launched his own imprint Consequence of Society Recordings.

Hailing from the North East of England, Cristoph has found international success with the help of his many top-selling releases and impressive DJ skills. Having played headline sets everywhere from Ibiza to Miami he is in constant high demand.

He was originally inspired by the likes of Sasha and John Digweed who later in his career, signed Cristoph to their respective labels Last Night On Earth and Bedrock.

Now that Cristoph is also a DJ icon who has inspired a generation, maybe his label … will sign one of his fans who will later become a leader of the next generation.

We invited Cristoph for this interview so we could learn more about the new imprint and his background in music…

Hi Cristoph, it’s a pleasure to be talking with you. Are you still living in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK, and what are your thoughts on the local music scene?

“It’s a pleasure to talk to you too. Yeah, I’m still based in Newcastle at the moment, but I seem to be there less and less nowadays. The local music scene really is thriving and I’m really proud of everyone involved in that. Of course, there are some Dj’s/Producers who are worldwide names now, like Patrick Topping, Richy Ahmed and Man Power. But there are also amazing artists coming through such as Artche, Adz and Ladebare. It really is exciting times for the area.”

I want to start by asking about how you first met Eric Prydz, as I know he has been a big supporter of yours?

“Eric and I met back in 2016 at an event he was playing at in LA. He had supported my music on his EPIC Radio show, and we had a quick hello whilst he took over from me on the decks. From here I started playing at many of his gigs due to him and his team requesting me and we all became good friends. Then after a gig in LA again we all ended up back at Eric’s house where he and his manager offered me to come on board with Pryda. He’s always been a major influence and hero of mine so of course I jumped at the chance.”

Eric Prydz’s Pryda Presents has been one of the record labels that has signed your music, but I understand you recently decided to start your own record label. Could you talk me through the label’s concept, and what inspired you to start your own imprint?

“Starting my own label has always been a dream of mine so it’s always been a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’. I never wanted to rush into it and believed it was always better to build my artist profile first and then slowly start to build a record label from that. During the lockdown, I made a lot of records and tested them out on the guest mixes I showcase on YouTube and Soundcloud and a lot of listeners were asking for the tracks to be released. With me having such an abundance of music the team and I decided it was a good time for me to start up my own label once lockdown lifted to release music when I wished. We put the wheels in motion and here we are.”

What’s lined up on your record label, are you planning to sign music from artists other than yourself, and how does the label compare to your own sound?

“The label will predominantly be my own music at first, maybe with a few collabs in there or featuring like ‘Turning Away’. Musically it will simply be music I enjoy and support in my sets. As I say though it will start off being my own music so we can get through the backlog and then we will reassess.”

How did you decide on the artwork and branding for your label, were you inspired by any particular visual artists or sleeve art from any other imprints?

“For the artwork, I just wanted something really clean, crisp and minimal. I wanted it to represent who I am too. I love all the big colourful designs out there but it’s just not really ‘me’ so I don’t think I would feel comfortable having those designs represent my label. For the logo and font, I kept it the same as my ‘Cristoph’ ones as I feel this is the easiest way for brand association and for people to instantly recognise that the label is connected to me and vice versa.”

Talking of visual artists, do you have any creative hobbies or interests outside of music, as I’d love to know more about those?

“Outside of music, I tend to just try and relax as much as possible because travelling around the world on your own can be quite tiring. I try to play sports when I can as I miss playing football a lot. I go to the gym twice a day, watch a lot of sports and binge on series when I find a good one. I also enjoy spending time with my family as we are all very close and I have a lot of nieces and nephews who I love to see when I can. Maybe a few games on the PlayStation too.”

How much as living in Newcastle inspired your sound, as before Patrick Topping and yourself, I don’t think the city had spawned many international DJs, or is that assumption wrong?

“Being born and raised in Newcastle has played a major role in my sound. It’s a working-class city where a lot of people struggle to get by week to week. Patrick is doing unbelievably well, it’s amazing to see. However, the city is continuing to produce some great artists such as Artche, Adz and Ladebare. Then if you branch out to the North East as a whole you have Richy Ahmed and Man Power who are from just over the water, Elliot Adamson, Port Manteau to name a few who are all smashing it too.”

What’s coming next in your own schedule, do you have any big gigs or new releases you are excited for?

“I’ve just played the Radio 1 show at Amnesia, Ibiza last Sunday then I’m back at Ushuaia on August 21st with Eric for his one-off show there. I have Creamfields the weekend after that and then it’s over to America for Ezoo in New York across Labor Day weekend amongst some others. I’m really busy for the rest of the year to be honest so I’m really excited about that.

Release wise I have a remix of an older track by D*Note called ‘Shed My Skin’ which is out soon then it’s back to releasing on COS Recordings. Exactly what will be next there is still up in the air, but I am going to be looking around every 6-8 weeks I think.”

Thanks for taking the time to talk, is there a message for fans or anything else you would like to add before we finish? 

“Thank you for having me. I genuinely just want to thank all my fans from the bottom of my heart for all their support. None of this would be possible without them and I hope to continue to keep them happy by producing music and playing sets they enjoy.”

You can buy the debut release on Cristoph’s Consequence of Society Recordings HERE.