YouriDonatz

Not the
safe route

Youri Donatz has been behind the decks since 1998 and has built a reputation as a DJ and producer with a sound of his own: tech house and melodic techno, grooving, with fat basslines and melody where a lot of others play it safe.

In 2011 he started his own label, Kaapro Rec. A year later came the release that put him on the map internationally — an EP on We Dig Music, the label of Lauhaus and Kabale und Liebe. Iz Diz Houz was picked up by Loco Dice, Marco Carola and Richie Hawtin.

Records like I Like This Sound, Amadeus and Rina on Flamingo Recordings followed. Listenable and memorable, never in your face.

A long stretch of that catalogue was made together with Bjorn Wolf, and the duo’s biggest records came out on Bouq. From 2012 they also released on Monique Musique, Rawthentic, Serkal, Cellaa Music and Suara, and on Noir Music — where Public Enemies landed in 2013. It carried on through Kaapro Rec with Gabardine, Resonance and, in 2021, Stick Your Head In The Sand.

Grooving, phat basslines, and melody where others stay safe.

From 2022 on he worked under a new alias, Tofteviken: melodic house and techno, one planet a month, ending in the album Sun Corona. In 2024 came a third name, Kraaifontein, with two afro house tracks named after South African towns.

Alongside that he is a resident at Tussen Tosti & Techno, the house party in Apeldoorn — a small room, no dress code, and the dancefloor right up against the booth.

Behind the decks

1998

Own label

2011

Listed on Beatport

176

Names

3