GummiHz

Alexander Tsotsos a.k.a. GummiHz, grew up in Edessa, a little town in the north of Greece. For the last two years he has been making an international reputation as an upcoming dj and producer in electronic dance music. Productions such as Isolate , A.A.K.N.Y. , Gomma Elastica , A Casa , Temptation , Desire , Hypnotized have been charted by artists like Danny Tenaglia, Steve Bug, Troy Pierce, Matthew Dear, Robert Owens, Laurent Garnier, John Tejada and M.A.N.D.Y. to name a few. In the media various magazines and websites worldwide like Raveline, De:bug, Wire, BPM, Resident advisor, Ibiza voice and many more have featured or charted his productions on top positions, with releases like Bar Loca (mobilee022) reaching number 8 in Germany’s influential Groove magazine’s charts for May 2007.

Alex draws his inspiration from different musical styles. Jazz, bossa, funk, disco, soul, techno, house are a few examples. In his productions he moulds elements from all his influences together with a dance orientated approach. His ideas come to life through a few outboard equipment like analog synthesizers and drum-machines for hands-on spontaneity, as well as a few patented recording and production techniques. His characteristic sound is heralded by many DJs and critics alike for its propulsive sense of rhythm, rolling basslines, bouncy hooks and psychedelic atmospherics.

From an early age, he was driven to composing his own music using his guitar and a double tape deck for basic sequencing. Among his early activities was to study classical guitar and musical dictation.
His first introduction to electronic music was through Greek electronic bands of his teenage years, and house music from US producers mainly from New York and Chicago. From then on he got involved in developing his djing skills and at the age of 15, he started to perform dj-gigs in various venues around north Greece, mixing US house and garage tracks from producers like Junior Vasquez, Dj Pierre, Phuture, Aphrohead, The Fog to name a few, plus a lot of bonus beats versions.

In 1996, and without any options for musical studies, Alex left Greece for England to study an engineering course in Structural design. With London being one of the music capitals of the world with intense cultural diversity, Alex found himself exposed to many different musical influences. While nurturing his passion for music making, he set up his first home studio. Throughout his studies he was involved in projects djing for parties in venues in and around London and the South East of England, aswell as summer resorts in the north of Greece. After successfully obtaining a degree and masters in his studies, he decided it was not what he was aiming for in life and so followed his passion for djing and music production. Soon after one of his early productions appeared on Cologne’s Treibstoff imprint. His solo debut in the electronic music world followed a couple of months later as his Select and bounce EP on Anja Schneider’s Mobilee records. That was the start of a flourishing relationship.
In 2006 his decision to move to Berlin helped him concentrate more on developing his characteristic sound in the studio, while being intenesely inspired by the highly active musical community in the city. Since his debut release, he has released four maxi-singles on Mobilee and appeared on compilations from artists like Tiefschwarz and Pascal Feos, while performing as a dj his dynamic mixture of elegant club music, for various audiences and promoters in venues worldwide. Recent projects include his first mix compilation for Berlin’s Mobilee records, an extensive promotional dj tour, as well as regular dj appearances on Mobilee’s residency at Weekend club in Berlin. His dynamic performances reflect the passion and intellectual capacity he holds for his craft.