Interview: Cuckoo, YouTube-Body – English Version

Peter:
Again, back to your tutorials. There is this one „Support Cuckoo“ video where you are looking for support and in return you offer Cuckoo-T-shirts. Did that work?

Cuckoo:
Well, I keep getting requests about that T-shirt. I think what happened after some time was that I got more and more established with the service called Patreon. It’s a subscription based crowd funding platform for creators. My monthly supporters gain access to my downloads, patches and stuff. I have the intention to create more merchandise for sale, and also as rewards for my supporters. But it’s a mess at the moment. Too many plans!!

Cuckoo Shirt

Peter:
Are these T-shirts still available?

Cuckoo:
I did a small batch of T-shirts, which was much appreciated by the few who got them. But since I’m hand printing them myself, I haven’t got the space to keep the screen printing stuff accessible. My studio is very small. About 10m² in total. I think I will order the next batch of T-shirts instead of printing them by hand. Both to assure better printing quality, and also to be able to have more available.

Peter:
Do you see see yourself as a „brand“ by now? T-Shirts with your name on it are already available ☺

Cuckoo:
Well.. yes. A little bit. But because the «brand» is so much «me», I don’t feel like it’s a brand. I have opened a web store, store.truecuckoo.com and I hope to grow it with more physical goods. Currently it’s only patch and sample libraries.

Peter:
Have there been any manufacturers who maybe wanted to integrate you in their marketing?

Cuckoo:
From time to time, yes. I have friendly connections with both Elektron, Teenage Engineering and Haken Audio. We have done some marketing together, both officially (like demoing at a trade fair), or unofficially (like I’m doing my regular videos, and they post them in their newsletters.) And I always wanna help out manufacturers that I particularily like myself, regardless of size. Right now I’m testing an un-announced hardware for instance. The manufacturer was interested to have a collection of Cuckoo patches on the device at launch. Very exciting!

Peter:
In your opinion, what makes up a classic Cuckoo-Tutorial?

Cuckoo:
Chill, happy times. Nice melodies. Hanging out through a mirror. Learning pretty advanced stuff without realising it.

Peter:
You are enormously productive. How many videos do you produce per year?

Cuckoo:
Oh.. eh. It varies. Something like 2-4 videos per month. So somewhere between 25-50…
I guess. I wanna make more! And better!

Peter:
And how do you decide which products you choose and present?

Cuckoo:
I just feel it out. If the product sounds or feels inspiring to me, then it’s worth showing. At other times manufacturers approach me. But if I’m not excited about the product, I have to decline.

Peter:
Cuckoo also goes on tour with a 360 degree camera or presents a Battery Mount of a Sony camera. Is Cuckoo a tekkie?

Cuckoo:
Very technical geek here. I’m a geek of synths, cameras and projectors among other things! I have this childish belief in the future. When new tech comes out, I’m really excited. I think it will solve all my problems with the old tech. Of course it’s rarely the case though.

Peter:
Which have been the three biggest technical achievements in the last ten years?

Cuckoo:
Ten years ago, Apple launched the iPhone. Smart phones has shown what’s possible with technological miniaturisation. In terms of music I also think the portable OP-1 is a great example of miniaturisation. I still don’t think that there’s anyone that has truly challenged Teenage Engineering with the OP-1. Also I think that as everything gets more and more accessible, it’s easier for startups to launch their own companies these days with services as Kickstarter and social network you can suddenly launch products at a much smaller scale than the big companies.

Peter:
Which message do you have for the world outside?

Cuckoo:
Always be curious. Ask questions. Listen. Say yes to stuff you’re not sure about. Do stuff you care about. Share your passion and knowledge with others.