Kilter On Remixing: ‘Don’t Be Afraid To Fuck With Everything’

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Kilter On Remixing: ‘Don’t Be Afraid To Fuck With Everything’

In celebration of Kilter’s latest EP ‘Shades’ and the Track Sift “They Say,” remix competition presented by AIM, we sat down to chat with the Sydney based etcetc signed producer and talked about the new direction of his latest EP, tips for upcoming producers and what gets his creative juices flowing.

Having received advice from Paul Kalkbrenner, Dada Life, Chuckie, Gorgon City and more as shown here, we were very excited to finally get the chance to chat to Kilter himself!

Can you tell us a bit about the direction you are taking with the ‘SHADES’ EP?

This EP covers a lot of ground stylistically. Instead of trying to pick one vibe and follow that through as a consistent release every song is very unique and can hold it’s own. There is everything from a tropical rap track to a ballad and a pop song to a progressive dance burner. While there is a lot of variation in genre I think my style can be felt throughout.

Is the music your making being influenced by any style of dance music at the moment?

More than ever. I used to never really listen to dance music but now I would say my biggest influence is some of the stuff coming out of the UK. People like Bondax, Clean Bandit, Jonas LR, Karma Kid, Lxury are all making really interesting soulful dance music which I can’t get enough of.

Where do you see the Australian trap sound that you, Wave Racer, Basenji and Cosmo’s Midnight create going in 2014?

Hopefully innovating a bit more. So many people seem to be falling into the trap of making whatever sound is popular (bed squeaks, pitched vocals, hyperactive synth riffs, knock-off Flume beats). I think Aussie electronic music has had such a strong year it would be shame to see it go stagnant.

For people who haven’t seen your live set, could you describe it?

Live haha. I’m playing a 100% hardware based live show at the moment using a Roland SP404sx, a Roland SPDs and a MicroKorg as well as some live percussion- a set of roto toms and two cymbals. It basically looks like a whole lot of things to hit. I’ve been playing drums since I was little and have so much fun smashing away at everything.

How do you approach remixing a song?

My remixes tend to stray quite far from the original song stylistically. When I first get the stems I like to listen to the track a couple of times and then literally strip everything off it except for a few key elements. If its a vocal heavy song I will often just use the vocals. Sometimes if there is a rhythmic or melodic element I really like I’ll keep it in or even try reference it using my own sounds later down the track. The next thing I would do is pull up a piano and just jam along to the elements I have kept until I come up with a different chord progression.

One of my favourite things at the moment is playing around in the relative key to a song, meaning if a melody is written in a minor key there are a set of major chords that correspond to the original key and will sit nicely under the notes. This is an interesting way to flip the vibe of a track right on its head. From there it’s just like writing an original production!

Any tips for producers when it comes to remixing your single ‘They Say’?

I actually think this is a really hard song to remix! I would freak out if I had to do it haha. I think my remixes are often very vocal heavy so the challenge of remixing an instrumental is definitely a tough one.

My main advice is don’t be afraid to fuck with everything. I will absolutely mangle the original BPM, key or even time signature of a track if I have a creative spark and want to take it to a certain space.

My favourite remix at the moment is… Wet – Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl (Branchez Remix)

My biggest musical influence has been… Experiencing music live at clubs/festivals/parties.

My guilty music pleasure is… Outkast – Hey Ya… haha no that is a tune. I would say early 2000s hip hop, the sort that would start a dance crew battle in a club.

When in doubt, drink Ribena and listen to Outkast. You can listen to Kilter’s new single ‘They Say’ and download the free stems at www.tracksift.com/remixcompetition

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