On August 15, 2015 Tom Swoon made his appearance at Time Nightclub in Chicago. Tom was born in 1993, in a small town in Poland. When he was 14, he began playing guitar in a rock band with his friends. Little did he know, that he would discover electronic music artists shortly after, and begin teaching himself how to DJ. Within 6 months of doing so, Tom Swoon started gaining interest from international artists such as Gareth Emery and Laidback Luke. In 2011, one of his remixed reached the Beatport 100. This launched his career. Now he is touring all over the world!
WSC: Lets start form the beginning. How does a young man from a small town of Goleniow, Poland go from rock to electronic music? Your website profile states you discovered EDM, can you elaborate on that discovery?
– Basically it was a long process because I was starting as a guitar player in a rock band and we jammed in a garage, without any gigs. I was into alternative/electronic acts such as Clarksons and Justice. Somehow this way I was able to find out about people like Daft Punk and Deadmau5, and it went from there.
WSC: Besides Deadmau5 and Daft Punk, who else could you call an inspiration in electronic music? (could be answered in question one)
– Not only as a DJs and producers, but as a people too- the way of living and promoting themselves, I would call Laidback Luke and Avicii my areas of inspiration. I was a big fan since day one.
WSC: What was your first show/performance?
-The first one, still as Pixel Cheese, was in Norway at a High School graduation party for 2-3,000 kids. That was pretty cool. It was three years ago.
WSC: Your official remix of Gareth Emery’s “Tokyo” first put you on the charts. How did you get notified about your achievement?
-It was my first official remix because I put up one song of his before, and he noticed it. When he previewed it on YouTube, I messages him and asked if I can remix it officially and he agreed. Then I was checking BeatPort every day and then I saw it going up in the charts.
WSC: Isn’t one of your bootlegs one of most popular on YouTube?
-Oh, that was for David Guetta and Avicii. I used the vocals from Laidback Luke as well. And then it got support from Laidback Luke. He opened with it at SuperSonic in Australia.
WSC: That being said, it seems like the next few years have been extremely busy with remixes, tour dates, music videos and your weekly radio show/podcast. How do you keep up with life as a DJ/Producer and your family life in Poland?
-It is pretty tough. The way to sustain and maintain both things is to have both sides understand that I have to be outside of home all the time and work really hard. Back home I have very little time for my family and friends whatsoever. I am basically working and my family is aware that I need my quiet zone. Of course, sometimes they get annoyed because sometimes they want me to do something for them or the house – just to be a part of the family. Some days I am not really able to do that. We can compromise to make both parties happy.
WSC: Polish parents tend to set the bar high for their kids with career choices. What did your parents think when you first told them you have become a DJ? How do they feel now given your success?
-That’s a tricky one. They were not really sure in the beginning. They were telling me to get a real job. They thought DJing wasn’t really a job. Their attitude changed when I brought them with me to Sunrise Festivals in Poland. It the biggest festival in Poland and brings 10,000+ people. To have them see me in the crowd, thats when they understood this is what I love and I don’t want a real job. It became some kind of responsibility for me.
WSC: We’re not in tune with the Polish Electronic Dance Music scene, could you name a few artists from back home that are on the rise that you feel we should look into?
1. Ak9
2. Blinders
3. Levito
WSC: After your tour wraps up in September, what is next up for Tom Swoon? What can we expect? (collaborations, new music, EP or LP)
-After this tour, for sure there will be another tour. I have a couple of remixes lined up for Steve Aoki, Matthew Koma, and some other I can’t reveal yet. But, it is definitely something to look out for.
