Meet Konstantin Ladurner | Music Producer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Konstantin Ladurner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Konstantin, how do you think about risk?
I think risk taking is the most important factor for growth. If you want to grow, you’ll have to take risks. Every time you step out of your comfort zone it can be looked at as risk taking. But when you look at it you can’t really lose much because it will either work out as success or as a lesson. There is no such thing as “failure”.

For me it has always been a huge factor that as soon as I got complacent, I needed a change. If this meant moving to a new city or country, then that’s what I did. When I grew up in Northern Italy, I knew there was no music scene there so I wanted to study in the next biggest city, which was Vienna, Austria. After I finished my studies there I wanted to explore a city with an even bigger music scene so I went to Berlin. When I realized that the mecca of my favorite music has always been Los Angeles, I had to admit to myself that there was no other way than to move here.
All of these movings always involved risk taking because I never really knew what would expect me in the next city. But looking back I always grew the most from coming to a new place.

Of course there can also be dangerous risk taking where the risk is too high to be worth it, like gambling and what not. But I feel like when it’s just about “emotional risk” like the fear of not succeeding in a new city or not meeting new people or missing old friends, I feel like it’s always worth it and you’ll only learn from it, no matter the outcome.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Born and raised in Northern Italy and now living in LA, I split my time between being an Alternative Rap artist and a music producer mainly for the Hip Hop and Pop genre. My artist project is called “Kontent” where I rap and produce all of my songs.

I believe that what sets me apart as an artist are my sound influences and the style of my production. By fusing Classical music with Alternative Hip Hop, I envision myself doing with Hip Hop what Muse did with Rock. My highest goal is to always have my own unique sound and put my twist on what Rap should sound like to me. For example, on one of my first songs “Vivaldi”, I combined Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter” with heavy drums, and for my new tracks (coming out second half of 2021) I will continue to do this but with my own neoclassical piano songs. Also, as a producer I am blessed to be working with amazing LA and New York based artists and I am very excited about all the music that’s going to come out – I can’t wait for you guys to listen to it! Aside from that, I want to further dive into the LA Alternative Rap scene and collaborate with new people.

It definitely wasn’t easy to get where I am today and I’m still far away from where I want to be but I’m making progress every day and that’s what matters. I literally had to move across the world to be in LA and now I’m having sessions every day, which I see as a result of constantly working on my goals and dreams. I am also at the professional level I want to be due to my prior experiences of 10+ years making music back in Europe. I overcame challenges by seeking out help from others, by always having a curiosity of learning more about music and by putting my ego to the side.

The lesson I’ve learned is: create the art that makes you feel good. In the beginning I was hesitant to put out the music I have always wanted to create because I thought I needed to be “commercial” to succeed in the industry. However, now I understand that if I keep being true to myself success will naturally come to me.

Also, being a producer myself, I had to be picky when choosing the beats for my singles. Sometimes I found myself rapping over beats of mine that were good but that weren’t “meant for me”. Whereas now I know exactly which beats work for my style.

I want the world to know that Kontent is an artist that wants to have his own sound in the hip hop world by combining classical music with rap and that will offer a fresh breeze to the listeners. It’s about a guy who was willing to move across the world to follow his dream and that always challenged himself to level up in life. The feelings of never feeling truly at home musically wherever you are until you literally have to move to the mecca of music. All of this can be heard in my songs and in my production.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in West Hollywood, which I think is really one of the best spots to live in LA. Truth be told, I moved to LA right before the pandemic hit, therefore I am just now getting to know all the places such as restaurants, bars, etc.

Well I would take my guest first to “Met Her At A Bar” in Miracle Mile for a nice breakfast/brunch. Another great place for coffee is “Alfred’s” in WeHo (and their breakfast burritos are fire).
Then we would hit the beach at Palos Verdes. The coast and the view there is just breathtaking. Another great beach spot is Manhattan beach where there are also a bunch of cool bars to have drinks & food in the evening. Taking the PCH to Malibu is definitely also a must if it’s their first time in LA.

I would also take em for a hike at Griffith Park or at Runyon canyon. For the best burrito I would take em to Sonoratown in Downtown LA.

For an evening program we could first check out The Grove and then go to some bars in WeHo.

Again, I’m slowly just getting introduced to all of this now due to everything opening up again lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Even though it’s obvious I wanna dedicate my shoutout to my mom. My mom has always been my biggest fan and once I’ll have kids I’ll try everything to be as encouraging and supportive as she has been in my life. She always supported me in making music and at an early age encouraged me to take piano lessons etc. She even supported me in going to LA and basically leaving her & my family, which I think is the greatest act of love a parent can ever do. Knowing that your children are destined for more and that you have to let them go at one point is beautiful & bittersweet at the same time. I’ll never forget that and as soon as I’ll have more success she will be the first one to be spoiled by me lol.

Aside from my mom I wanna shoutout all the music teachers out there. I truly had some amazing teachers on my path that inspired me to become the musician I am today and to take all of this serious. Especially my bass teacher had a big impact in my life, because I was teenager at that time, which I think is where us as musicians are influenced the most. Aside from teaching me the instrument, our favorite talks were just about life in general and it inspired me to one day wanna become as wise as my bass teacher. His outlook on life and what the bass guitar allowed him to become spiritually, inspired me and made me practice it every day.

Website: www.kontentmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onlykontent/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlykontent/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtiW67igfmNfxufuuhqnuSA

Image Credits
Jan Kapitän Revision Ethan Johnson May