Time, Rhythm, Choice: A Conversation with Jakub Rene Kosik
Jakub Rene Kosik: a producer, DJ and artist involved in electronic music for
nearly three decades. He releases music under his own name as well as under various aliases, including Lincoln Six Echo, Magic Between Us and Terror Smith. His credits include collaborations with Peppermint Jam, Plastic City, Baroque Records and Tronic Records. He has performed alongside many of the biggest artists on the club scene, including at such well-known events as Creamfields, Mayday and Audioriver. He was also behind Justyna Steczkowska’s project „Maria Magdalena”. And so on…
We talk about time, rhythm and the watches that accompany him both at work and away from the stage. It is a conversation about choices – conscious choices, suited to one’s lifestyle and personality.
Aeon: Your music relies on precise timing. Does a watch have a similar meaning for you?
JRK: There is definitely something in that! I had never looked at it from that angle, but once you pointed it out, it turned out to be a very accurate observation (laughs). Absolutely. In electronic music, everything is based on time – pulse, structure and a sense of the right moment. For me, a watch is a natural extension of that way of thinking. It is not merely about checking the time. It is about being aware of the rhythm of the day, constantly following the playhead (in music-production terminology, the playhead is the vertical line that indicates the current position of the sound on the timeline – editor’s note), travelling, working in the studio and even the passing of time itself.
Aeon: What qualities must a watch have for you to consider it „yours”?
JRK: It is difficult to give a clear-cut answer. It is a little like women – if you asked me to describe my exact type, I would not be able to do so precisely, which is probably reflected in the visual and personality differences between my former partners (laughs). I simply feel it. I am certainly drawn to minimalism, character, legibility or a particular design „idea”. I like unusual and distinctive things. Sometimes I am attracted to details that are not immediately visible, or to elements I regard as intimate – reserved only for me – such as the back of the case, the caseback. It is not something displayed „for everyone”, yet waiting for the moment when I can interact with it, for example when putting the watch away in a watch winder, and simply knowing that something interesting is there, can be enough to make me feel that it is „my” watch. It is a little like Steve Jobs and Jony Ive with certain pieces of furniture. They admired some cabinets not because they were excessively beautiful, but because they were perfectly finished on every side, including the side permanently pressed against the wall and visible only when moving house. Simply knowing that it is there, that someone made the effort to create a beautiful object for you, already has value in itself for me.
Aeon: And a stage watch? Is it different from the one you wear every day?
JRK: On stage, I prioritise legibility and presence. Sometimes functionality as well, although that is harder to achieve with classic „analogue” watches. A high-contrast dial, strong lume and a secure clasp all matter. Club lighting can be unpredictable and the pace intense. In those situations, a watch becomes more of a tool than an ornament.
Aeon: What do you value in the microbrands available from Aeon?
JRK: Authenticity, innovation and quality. I like brands that have their own story and a consistent aesthetic identity. The brands available from Aeon are characterised by the attention to detail that I value so highly. When choosing a watch, I look for something that suits my way of life – travelling, working at night, balancing technology with emotion. In most cases, a microbrand will offer what mass-produced watches often cannot: individuality, uniqueness, attention to detail and freedom from blindly following trends, which, as we know, are often driven either by a forced search for controversy or simply by relying on majority opinion. Both privately and professionally, I have always been drawn to going against the current, looking for ways to express my emotions through unconventional means. A beautiful, eye-catching watch with a precise movement that I can rely on is one of those means. That is why I value buying from Jarek: he understands my needs, reads my interests and taste accurately, and patiently tolerates my indecision whenever the choice becomes too broad. It is also worth adding that I had never before felt so well looked after when it came to various custom requests. Jarek often acts as a bridge between my ideas and the manufacturing capabilities of microbrands. The result is my private collection of more or less personalised watches that are not available as standard production models at all. I cannot imagine achieving anything similar through mainstream distributors.
Aeon: What advice would you give someone buying their first „serious” watch?
JRK: Do not buy a trend. Buy something that resonates with you. Look around, think, trust your intuition and your feelings. The subconscious is a „processor” far more powerful, faster and more accurate than the conscious mind, and the only form of communication between those two worlds is intuition. So if you see a watch and feel something – curiosity, the desire to discover it more deeply – then that is it. That is „yours”. Do not look to others for approval; after all, the object is for you. It will become connected with you, touching your skin, in some way defining you and sending a message to the world: „this is mine, this is the choice I made, this is the object that is now with me”. A watch is something that will accompany you on ordinary days as well as during important moments. It is an object that is always waiting for your glance, there for you whenever you consciously choose to engage with it – and at other times it simply measures time for you while visually catching the attention of everyone around you. Do not let it be something that merely happens to be fashionable at a given moment. Let it be an extension of your identity. If, several months after buying it, you still look at the watch with satisfaction, then you chose well.
