Kittincore

by Lokicia

I am totally in touch with my feminine side when it comes to appreciating the work of female artists of all kinds. Feist, Coco Rosie and Bjork were the three best concerts I’ve been to in the past year, a Frida Khalo will inspire me more than a Picasso, and I’d rather watch a movie with Audrey Hepburn than Fred Astaire (but that could also be for different reasons).

I am not saying that girls are better at art than boys, and I know it shouldn’t be a question of gender but about the piece of work itself. However it makes sense because the piece of work is an extension of the artist – therefore I’m a girl so I can identify and relate more to what females have to express through their art. And that’s also probably why we are always eager to find out more about the person creating rather than just appreciate the work.

To me in the world of electronic music, it makes no doubt that the person who manages to touch me the most is Miss Kittin. Yes, she is a female. Yes, her work is totally inspiring. And what makes her even more special is that, as a person, she is as generous as when she is behind the decks working her arse off to make us dance.

Here is what she had to say to my questions…

(P.S: hey I still think boys rule and have good things to say too!)

You played at Wet Yourself in London recently. I always tell you how amazing your sets are, and that one didn't fail . You told me you'd been preparing this one for a week and defined it as a 'gay set'..! Where do you find your inspiration as DJ?
Everywhere! It's a question of intuition, of mood. It's my job to give an intention to what I want to do.

How do you get hold of the music you play these days?
Mainly promotion, but I also listen to what other DJs play, and read music press, especially for the music I listen to at home. It's a small world, it's easy to get the information, but so many releases come out every month, again you have to trust your instinct. It doesn't matter if you don't know everything, as long as you cultivate your taste.

You've recently released Hometown EP with The Hacker and are doing a live tour together. How is it working together again in the studio and on stage?
We are like brother and sister, so it's easy. We don't have to talk a lot and discuss things, it just happens. He works on the music in our hometown, Grenoble, where he still lives, and I "dress up" the song with my lyrics at home. I record my voice and edit it by myself, I love it. The result is much better than if we were working in the same space. We know what we have to do and totally trust each other. We still can compose together, but we enjoy it that way for now, we take the freedom and time we need without bothering the other.

Production-wise, do you have any solo releases coming up, or any interesting collaborations we should know about?
I just come back from London where I spent two days with Primal Scream. It was great. I don't know what will come out of what we did. But end of the month I have a single coming out "kittin is high", the 1st of my following 2nd solo album "Batbox" out in january 2008. Jojo is remixing it!

What do you think is hot right now?
He he good question. At the moment, I really like Tektonik, this dance movement. It's really big in France right now! Music is shit but evrywhere in clubs you have kids making these funny moves with funny looks! Like this video, rehearsal after school. If you are interested, the key word for your research is tck on dailymotion or youtube.
http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/tck/video/x1gnx2_spoke-electrohip-hop_music

Describe your perfect party - and *girlcore* will try and organise it ;-)
He he I like that! But I don't think I can say that in public... Meet my best friends for "apero", then go for dinner in a place we love, and go crazy in a party, shake, and see what happens... Sometimes, my perfect party is to order chinese and watch TV at home! The last perfect party I had was with my best friend, after spending 2 days in the Swiss mountains, we stopped in Zurich, had a fab dinner, and ended in a legendary Goth party called "More than mode". Music was so cool (Sisters of Mercy, Nitzer Ebb etc...), people dressed up crazy, it was so classy. We loved it.

What do blind people dream of?
To see their children.

Which female do you most look up to?
I am a big fan of Diana Rigg, Emma Peel, an independant woman, mysterious, fit, with style, a fast mind. At the moment I am very into Debbie Harry, because I am starting playing live again, and I need inspiration to feel comfortable on stage. I am not the kind of performer to roll on the floor, spit or tell jokes. I prefer to look more classy and pro, as she is. I need to cultivate a certain nonchalance, distance, and coldness to help me focusing on singing in tune and at the right time.

Our collective *girlcore* started as a fun night out between a bunch of girls. We are now actually making things happen, and taking on projects at a global scale. I see it as a platform for each girl to put into practice their creative skills. What product or service do you think *girlcore* should launch?
Good one! Girlcore would be a nice name for a red lipstick. But if it existed, I would suggest to create a course to help girls to find self confidence in themselves instead of looking for it outside, in fame and pretending. Know what I mean? A kind of therapy course for beginner artists! This would be a total social help product, I tell you...