Kanji Kinetic has been doing releases for almost four years now – hard to believe when you consider he’s churned out brilliant material for vital labels like Si Begg’s Noodles label, Kid606′s Tigerbeat 6, and Coin Operated.
I’ve been a fan ever since that baptismal year – 2008 – when I tuned into the ‘Shock Tactics‘ EP on Rag & Bone.
When I decided to try to interview him, however, I hadn’t counted on copping a dose of the flu – which I’m still suffering under as I write this minimalist introduction; so don’t expect any long-winded rambling from me this time around. Actually, maybe this is a good thing. Anyway, I did a spot of editing, but no doubt there’ll be some grammatical error(s) in here someplace – my fault and responsibility. Big thanks to KK for doing his side of the bargain – in spades.
On Discogs it looks like you’ve been releasing tunes since 2008, at least under the Kanji Kinetic moniker. Is this spot on?
“Yeah, in 2008 I had my first digital and vinyl releases, although there were a few free tunes and bootlegs before that. Everything I’ve released has been under Kanji Kinetic; I prefer to keep it all under one name rather than splitting up into different aliases, but I wouldn’t rule it out if I did something totally different.”
How long have you been making your own tunes, and what inspired you to start making doing so?
“I’ve been making music since I was a kid – I used to borrow my dad’s drum machine and mess around with making beats on it. Since then I’ve written a load of tracks of all sorts of styles through my teenage years and then really got into dance music production at about age 19.”
Where exactly were you born, and what’s it famous for?
“I like to tell people I’m from London, but actually I grew up in a little suburban town outside London called Sidcup. Supposedly, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards first formed the band that would eventually become the Rolling Stones there, but other than that, it’s pretty hard to come up with much to say about it. As soon as I was old enough I spent as much time as possible in central London.”
You’ve remixed Buckfunk 3000 (Si Begg), Kid606 and Adam Freeland. What’s in it for you rejigging other people’s tracks?
“Being able to retain some of the atmosphere and feel of the original, but bringing it into your style at the same time. It’s massively enjoyable being able to create your own take on a track, especially if it’s one you already like. Actually, in the case of High Volume, that sort of made things more difficult – I was such a huge fan of the original track and was so determined to do it justice, I must have ended up with 30 or 40 ideas and it was crazy hard to narrow it down to just one – and actually I still couldn’t, so I released two versions.” [laughs]
On IHEARTCOMIX they wrote that “London’s KANJI KINETIC is a dedicated bass motherfucker! He’s one of those guys who crosses genres on a journey to find the illustrious bass! If his love of bass was a weapon it’d be like an Uzi shaped Deathstar!” How do you respond this this kind of critical appraisal…?
“Best metaphor ever! I love that people are so enthusiastic about my tunes!”
So what else keeps you motivated?
“Working on a tune and knowing that I’ll be able to try it out on the dancefloor on the weekend is a real motivator! I’m always messing around with different styles just to see what I can get out of it, which keeps things fresh.”
What gear/software are you making most use of in the studio at the moment?
“I’m still just using software almost exclusively, though I’m looking into getting some hardware this year – I think messing around with the physical controls will be great for coming up with new noises. Some of the software synths I’ve been really getting into lately are Sylenth and Circle – both of these have a really unique sound that I haven’t heard anywhere else. Also for atmospheres and general odd noises, Synplant is an incredible sound generation plugin.”
Which part of your studio is the most vital facet?
“It’s got to be my Korg Nanokey – just such a useful little toy for bashing out melodies and travels everywhere with me!”
Which current crop of artists and labels are grabbing your attention?
“The Off Me Nut Records crew from Sheffield, UK, are doing some great things at the moment, their founding artists like Squire of Gothos, Dankle, Moova and Droid are really blowing up in the UK and Europe and they’re putting out some mad tunes for free download. Coin Operated Records continue to put out some of my favourite tracks, they’ve never put a foot wrong and the new release from Rrritalin is some of the craziest mutant bass I’ve heard! Some of the other artists whose tunes I’ve been playing and rating recently are Submerse, Simtek, Lenkemz, The McMash Clan, Double Oh No, Michael Forshaw and Figure.”
Here’s the mandatory inane question: If you were pressed into a corner and forced to confess under great duress, how would you define the sounds/styles you’re currently making?
“Most of my tracks are aimed squarely at the dancefloor; you could say there’s a big ‘jump-up’ element to it. I’ve been mostly making tracks at two distinct tempos – what I started out doing (and still do) is a sort of combination of bassline and techno-influenced beats, with abrasive bass sounds inspired by dubstep and a big dose of synths and stabs from oldskool hardcore. More recently I’ve also been making drumstep, which is basically half-tempo drum & bass with dubstep-influenced bass sounds and drum patterns.”
What upcoming Kanji Kinetic productions/collaborations/events we should know about for 2011?
“I’ve been working on various collaborations recently – one with Figure that’s just about to be released, and I’ve been working with Rrritalin and The McMash Clan on tracks that should appear later this year. I’ve got a few EPs in the works and I’ll be putting out some more diverse stuff at different tempos, but still with the same sort of sound palette I’ve been using. I’m also working hard on getting the next few releases together for my new free download label Mutant Bass Records.”
You’ve released through cool labels like Coin Operated, Noodles, Rag & Bone, and Tigerbeat6. What’s it been like working with these people?
“Everyone I’ve worked with, especially on those labels, has been really inspiring. The dedication of the label owners and the amount of work they put in is really impressive, and to be offered a release on a label I’ve been following for ages is a pretty great feeling. By the way, just a quick plug for my new label Mutant Bass Records – I’m super-hyped about the roster, and all the releases will be free download.”
CDs are a disappearing facet of the music industry, and a fair amount of people in electronic/dance music circles are cutting back on vinyl these days because they say it just doesn’t make back the money invested. How do you feel about this?
“I think it’s a shame that the physical side of it is becoming more rare because there’s definitely something special about having a tangible product. But digital music being taken seriously is great for DIY labels and producers, and it means there’s less of a barrier for talented upcoming artists to get their tunes noticed.”
Is vinyl dead – or just becoming more of a select option?
“I definitely don’t think it’s dead, I still see it being used a lot in the clubs… but the vast majority of tunes that I play at the moment will never see a vinyl release. I know it’s much more difficult to have a successful vinyl release than it was a few years ago, so I think (unfortunately) over the next few years it will become more and more of a specialist thing. But in genres like DnB and dubstep where there’s a huge vinyl culture, I think it’ll keep going for quite a while yet.”
Is digital download really the future of music?
“I think so. Physical media is becoming obsolete and digital downloads are by far the quickest and most convenient way to get music into your collection. I think physical products will eventually be relegated to collector’s editions and things like that.”
Lastly – how do you like your mushrooms cooked?
“In a big bowl of ramen! Nom.”
© 2011 Andrez Bergen
