Komaton

“Whatever it is
That comes in between
I gotta stick with you
‘Cause I feel it too
You are my point of view!”

Within these five lines lay the foundation of a new constellation of sounds: KOMATON. Tomá Ivanov and Sebastian Lehner are two young Austrian sound artists living in Vienna and Linz. Always focusing on their passion to move the bodies and touch the souls of their audience, they express their musical sentiments through the utter infinities of electronic sounds, all without compromise.

But of course the dynamic duo didn’t just pop out of nowhere. Their joint musical endeavor traces back to their early youth when they connected based on a mutual fascination: the limitless freedom and emotionality of rich electronic sounds. Now in their mid-20s, the two freethinking producers show a disregard for borders of genre, instead placing their focus on a beat that kicks and a credible message. In the last couple of years, Seb Lehner (aka Beppo Ton) and Ivanov (aka Garnet Ivanov) have put a name behind their journey into electronic realms: KOMATON.

What is this production duo about, on tape or experienced live? Short and sweet, compact but beautiful: getting those grand human emotions and desires onto a record and making them perceptible by the listener, using polished songwriting and delicate arrangements, always steadily supported by forward-driving beat sequences. KOMATON uses electronic production not as an end unto itself, but to craft melodic interplay and an expression of personality – sometimes with vocals – weaving a dark pop edge into contemporary clubs.

KOMATON’s entry into the public eye was with Cocoon Compilation J released in summer 2010. Their track, titled “Sick” (originally known as “In Between”), was played and charted by a plethora of DJs. With its authentic vocal delivery and memorable lyrics, it was considered one of the compilation’s highlights – and that’s saying quite a lot, considering KOMATON were relative unknowns amongst a tracklist that included DJ Koze, Ricardo Villalobos and Pantha du Prince. “Sick” was even voted #9 by Groove magazine’s 2010 readers’ poll. The duo soon followed up with their proper debut release, the Corrupt EP on Merkesdir Records, with more material set for release on SCSI-9’s Pro- Tez Records and Bloody Mary’s imprint Dame-Music.

It’s all fine and well to hear one of their tracks mixed by a DJ for the dancefloor, but the real KOMATON experience happens when they take the stage themelves. Their live act is electronic entertainment bolstered with live-vocals and electric guitar as well as spontaneous effects that engage directly with open-minded listeners and dancers – always in touch and on a level playing field with the audience. KOMATON is not just a project but a passionate profession, pooled in a community of sound for body, spirit and soul