STORE MIX 120: KAPOTE

For LN-CC’s 15-year anniversary, the We Love Music series highlights the pioneers shaping the sound of contemporary culture. Few embody this spirit more than Mathias ‘Kapote’ Modica, founder of the Berlin based label Toy Tonics.

With roots in live instrumentation, crate digging and DJ culture, Modica has built Toy Tonics into a global movement defined by eclectic influences, analogue warmth and a strong sense of individuality. Since launching in 2012, the label has grown into a cultural hub that connects electronic music, design and art while bringing communities together across cities and scenes.

In this conversation Modica reflects on the ethos behind Toy Tonics, the creative process behind his LN-CC Store Mix and the energy between fashion and music that will come to life at the label’s upcoming event during London Fashion Week.

Mathias, you've had a diverse journey through various cities and musical landscapes. Could you share how your experiences have influenced your approach to music production and curation?

In my music and also with my label Toy Tonics it is all about mixing things. Styles, people, influences. To create new vibes and fresh atmospheres. It is not about fashion or trends, it is about an individual style and vibe. We are living in a post post modernism or as I call it in an "age of a new simultaneity". Which means for the new young generation there almost do not exist new things. New and old styles co-exist in the digital world. So now the fresh thing is to reconnect and remix all these existing things. When we make music or designs we mix things that we like. Music styles, different languages, cultural or fashion influences.

As the founder of Toy Tonics, what was the initial vision behind the label when it was established in 2012, and how has that vision evolved over the years?

I come from playing instruments and being in bands, and at the same time I always loved discovering new and old music, first on vinyl and CD, later digitally. Then I started to DJ and create parties. Toy Tonics should bring this all together: mixing the knowledge of music history and the ability of playing instruments with DJ culture and electronic dance music, in a general atmosphere of positivity. It is all about having your own style and about bringing people together, in our case with high quality dance music and great music events.

Toy Tonics is known for its fusion of electronic and live instrumentation. How do you approach integrating musicians into the production process, and what challenges and rewards does this bring?

On the label we have around 10 to 15 DJs who are also producers. Most of them play instruments and use these skills when creating their own tracks. Or they invite musicians to their studio and record them and later turn this into their personal sound. Using instruments creates a different, more warm, analogue, human vibe. That is what we like at Toy Tonics.

The LN-CC Store Mix is a unique project. What was your creative process in curating this mix, and how did you tailor it to resonate with the LN-CC audience?

I mixed a couple of Toy Tonics releases from last year with tracks I like to play at parties. It is multilingual: Spanish, Italian, Brazilian, English lyrics. And it is based on Afro-American grooves. It is funky because funk makes people smile and want to get together. Toy Tonics is all about a new sensuality.

With the upcoming Toy Tonics event at LN-CC during London Fashion Week, how do you plan to translate the energy and ethos of the label into a live setting?

It is going to be a get together of different people. Music lovers who know Toy Tonics from our parties in London at Phonox, Corsica Studios or Jazz Café, mixed with people who come from the fashion world. As with Toy Tonics we do a lot of collaborations with designers and artists for posters, our magazine and T-shirts, it makes complete sense to mix these people and vibes at an event. We are also going to release our new magazine that night, 80 pages of photography.

In your opinion, how does the intersection of fashion and music enhance the experience for audiences, and what role do you see Toy Tonics playing in this dynamic?

Toy Tonics is not just a music label. It is about style, not fashion, and our style gets translated into the way we DJ and create our events, but also in the exhibitions we organise and the clothes we make or wear. It is colourful and diverse, multinational and individualistic. Anti uniform. Individuality is first.

Reflecting on the journey of Toy Tonics, what achievements or milestones are you most proud of, and how do they align with your initial goals for the label?

Too many things. But probably meeting interesting artists who create unique cultural things personally is the best thing. I worked with artists like The Rammellzee, Kostas Murkudis, Franz Ferdinand and LCD Soundsystem, Karl Lagerfeld and CAN. These are the greatest moments.

The music industry has seen significant changes in recent years. How do you perceive the current landscape, and what strategies do you employ to keep Toy Tonics relevant and innovative?

Since a few years music is free. Before YouTube and streaming it was very hard to create a career as a musician as everything was in the hands of a few major labels, distributors or the old radio system. Now with social media and all these platforms we are no longer depending on corporate companies who "discover" us or promote us. If we do an interesting cultural thing and we really believe in it, we can create our own audience, tribe, community with no money. Just by being interesting and showing this. This is amazing. This is true for all art forms, not just music.

For those new to Toy Tonics, which releases or artists would you recommend as an introduction to the label's sound and ethos?

London multi-talent Cody Currie, Italian disco innovator Sam Ruffillo and my own music as Kapote.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Toy Tonics in the coming years, and how do you envision its role in the broader music and cultural scenes?

We made 160 events last year in 17 countries, and we want to grow this. With festivals and residencies in many countries where we can show our art, music and vibe. And find more people who feel what we do and join our family. Musicians, photographers, illustrators. It is a movement of positivity and cultural diversity.