HAILING from the capital, London-based producer and DJ Kalyde is currently seen as one of the most recognisable newcomers on the scene.
Since 2015 Madtech, El row, AVOTRE and Roush have hosted his music, not to mention the likes of BBC Radio 1, Rinse FM, Annie Mac, Pete Tong and many others have given him some airtime. After remixing for Fatboy Slim and receiving mammoth support from true legends of the game Laurent Garnier and Loco Dice, the sky is now certainly the limit.
With huge summer festival dates at Eldorado, Latitude and Standon Calling scheduled in the next few weeks, not to mention his release on Sense Traxx which is out now, some serious waves are being made at Kalyde HQ, and we were lucky enough to catch up with him.
It’s amazing to think that you’ve only been around for 3 years, you really have achieved some amazing things in that short space of time – can you tell us any highlights?
I know! For sure my main highlights were getting asked to remix Fatboy Slim’s ‘Star 69’ which also got a vinyl release. This also led to me releasing a solo EP on his label Skint. I’ve also played some great gigs; from playing warehouse parties in Rotterdam to playing for Blank in Berlin. Mannheim and Hiedleberg have all been amazing experiences. I would say the best has to be playing Room 1 at Fabric.
Was there a particular moment which made you think DJing and producing could actually turn into something more than a hobby?
I think when I started studying at Access to Music in Bristol a few years ago. It made me realise that working in music was a viable option. From then I just took grasp of every opportunity that was handed to me.
We mentioned some big names and high-profile involvements previously, and it seems like you’ve already done so much – can you tell us what goals you have, and where you want to push to be in the future?
I want Kalyde to head down the thoroughbred Techno avenue. Gig-wise I would love to play Time Warp, Awakenings and my dream would be to have residency with Circoloco at DC10 as it’s my favourite event in the world!
Your next big release drops this week on Sense Traxx, can you please tell us about the production and ideas behind ‘Rebel?’
The initial idea came about in the summer of 2014. I had some basic drums but the main focus was on the vocals; the editing, processing and chopping was something I did in Native Instrument’s ‘Maschine’. I spent a while on bouncing many edits of the vocals, but then the project got forgotten about, as many do! I then gave it some time to come back to the project and started the remake last year. I re-did the drums, added stabs and a punchy mid bass and the track was ready to go. I then tested the track at a Halloween warehouse party in Wolverhampton. I ended my set with the track, just before Solardo came on and it went off. That’s when I knew the track had legs.
It’s already received incredible support and plays from Pirate Copy, De La Swing, Amine Edge & DANCE, Don Diablo and Horse Meat Disco to name a few, as well as a big premiere with Subsoul – these are all huge names, but who influences you the most in music? Which DJ would you like to receive the support from?
I’m more influenced by time eras and the sounds that they portrayed. 70s disco, 90s acid house and early jungle are all genres I have a huge love for – I try to include these influences in my productions. I’ve always found it a dangerous game trying to produce music to potentially please artists that I respect. When I produce, I try and turn that side of my brain off and just make tracks that I’m totally happy with. The result of this normally gets my music the best feedback from DJs and I normally get surprised (in a good way) from the names supporting my music.
Sense Traxx are a label that are doing plenty at the minute: putting on parties in London, Ibiza and Essex, having Sidney Charles, DJ Caspa and yourself as headliners, releasing music every month – they seem to be really going for it. What can you tell us about working with Simon and his team, was it an easy decision to release ‘Rebel’ with them?
Absolutely. I first released with Sense in 2016 with my track ‘Tied.’ When I worked on the release with Simon I was very pleasantly surprised with the amount of phone calls, feedback, passion and determination towards a single release on an indie label. That’s not to say that other labels don’t work in that way, it’s just I had never experienced that before. That release ended up doing well so doing a follow up EP last year and now ‘Rebel’ were both easy decisions.
With so much competition, what qualities do you think make an independent label stand out from the crowd?
Good authentic music and consistency in releases over a long period of time, while not getting caught up in fads. Also having a solid roster of producers and DJs who seamlessly work with the labels synergy.
It’s definitely a lot harder for indie labels to turn a profit in the current market, but it’d be a very different industry without them – what do you think indies bring to the scene that the majors don’t?
Freedom to put out music that most majors discard, which in turn opens up an array of new unheard sounds. The ability to adapt to an artist’s identity which portrays the artist in the most authentic light. Finally, a sense of community between label, artist and consumer.
And with that, how do you think we should support indie labels – both as artists and as consumers?
For artists I think it’s important to always stay true to their sound and in most cases, releasing on indie labels gives the best options to do that. I think it’s good to acknowledge that you can have successful releases on indie labels and in most cases they will get more personal attention to detail. There is so much music out there now that consumers really have to dig for the sounds that they like, but now Spotify is the key streaming portal it make that easier to do so, and with that, music on independent labels will be discovered. I also think it is fair to say that consumers in the underground DJ marketplace are mainly downloading music from indie labels.
Finally, what’s coming up for Kalyde over the next few months?
I’m playing Latitude and Stanton Calling Festival this month, which I’m really looking forward too. Release-wise nothing that I can mention now though, apart from a remix of Simon Shaw which is due in the summer. Todd Terry has done the other remix on the same release so that should be a big one!
