Kamil P. aka TheInfluence

Kamil P, aka The Influence, is a Chicago based techno DJ and producer. Kamil adopted Chicago as his hometown upon relocating from Poland in 1999. As a child, Kamil was always drawn to music. His mother signed him up for piano lessons, which also included the fundamentals of music theory. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be in the music business. Kamil was first exposed to techno in high school, and was hooked. To him, the rhythmic and hypnotic ritual went beyond mere dance music. His teenage years were spent obsessively collecting DJ sets from various artists, listening to how the disparate tracks connect into a larger musical expression. When later music making software became more affordable, Kamil was able to experiment, making his own tracks, trying different combinations of loops and effects. This gave him some understanding of how electronic music is made – especially techno – but nothing yet close to a full production. A few years after moving to Chicago, Kamil got his first set of equipment; a simple mixer and two plastic Gemini turntables. With the help of DJ Liquid (Michael Kolbasky), known for performing at after hours parties throughout the city, he used these simple tools to learn how to DJ. His gear soon upgraded: along with a prodigious record collection, industry standard Technics 1200’s and a Pioneer DJM-700 mixer were now a part of his arsenal. He got his first gigs by promoting his demos, and was playing in clubs around Chicago. As time progressed, so did Kamil’s record collection and skill as a DJ, he realized that playing other people’s music was not enough – he needed to make his own. A local techno artist, DJ Mani (Manish Miglani), introduced him to Ableton Live software, which allowed Kamil to make a finished musical product. In 2007, Kamil’s track Detown Afterhours was selected on Dobox’s compilation Resurgence. This marked his first official release, sharing the compilation with techno icons such as Jerome Baker, Lester Fitzpatrick, and Kit Clayton. After the release of Resurgence, Kamil founded his own label, Drugaci Exhibitions. Along with music from himself, Drugaci Exhibitions is also responsible for the debut releases from DJ Seoul (Bill Stacy), Hansollo (Daniel Noetzel), and Unphixd. Currently, Kamil mainly focuses on production. He has found homes in labels such as SubDivizion, UKR, Mind Burn Recordings, and Right Groove Recordings. His tracks continue to be played by artists such as Lester Fitzpatrick, Terry Mitchell, Daz Furey, and DJ Seoul (among others). From an artistic perspective, Kamil shies away from popular formats of techno, pushing the envelope towards more experimental compositions.