Award-winning Blues Mix Master Dominik Kwolek – “HQ Blues Compilation”
In March Dominik Kwolek aka DJ Domo won the coveted “Best Blues Cover Album” at the Los Angeles Akademia Music Awards, with this citation by the judges: ‘This compilation of material from some of the blues greats bespeaks a strong working knowledge of the genre’s higher achievements – and a DJ’s skill in organizing them as a coherent hour-length narrative.’
An active DJ since 2009, Dominik Kwolek who comes from a Polish family was born in the Czech Republic. Kwolek who has been interested in music since he was a young child, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2000, which fortunately was eventually cured.
Starting out as a younster Dominik Kwolek used to listen to rap and hip hop, while also having an interest in rock, country, house, dance, reggae, soul, and funk music. But, ultimately the blues genre was the one which really inspired him. In fact Kwolek has accumulated 7 Blues music compilations among his other musical collections.
Kwolek’s interest in the blues is a serious thing, as he hunts down and tracks the best this genre has to offer. Often he finds hidden gems that nobody else has thought of or has already forgotten. Kwolek has mixed compilations containing legendary artists such as John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Morganfield, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy. And if that’s not enough, Kwolek has dug up songs that go as far back as 1929.
Some of his mixes include historical recordings such as: Big Bill Broonzy – “See See Rider” (1934), Mississippi Sheiks – “I’ll be gone, long gone” (1931), Charley Patton – “A Spoonful Blues” (1929), Leadbelly – “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” (1944). If you want an introduction to the blues, you’ll love hearing these groundbreaking songs and will always remember them like your first kiss.
If you’re trying out blues anthologies to figure out what you might want to get into your collection. Try anything by Dominik Kwolek, as besides putting in the true classics of blues, he squeezes as many songs as he possibly can into his compilations. For example his HQ Best Blues mix contains over two-and-a-half hours of good music, great artists, and is very well produced and mastered. Calling your album the “best” takes balls, but Kwolek’s compilations stand the test.
The HQ Blues Compilation is an excellent collection of blues tunes of various eras and styles, and it is very hard to find albums of this magnitude at your fingertips. But Dominik Kwolek has done all the hard work for you – first in finding the music, and then taking the trouble to mix them into a pleasurable high quality, stereo listening experience.
There are a large number of blues albums floating around. If there haven’t been at least ten thousand anthologies released over the years I will be shocked. The HQ Blues Compilation however, is one that you will leave in your player for an extended run. Apart from being one of only a few DJ’s seriously interested in the genre, Dominik Kwolek provides an excellent source for either blues enthusiasts or true-blue newcomers.
