The interviews keep on coming, and today we've got Kid Smpl to drop in and answer a few questions. He's also put together a guest mix exclusively for Night Tracks, and double bonus, it's comprised entirely of his own productions. Here's top hoping that they see a release, because they are next level. Check it out at the end of the interview!
NT: Can you give those that don’t know about you an introduction?
KS: I'm a 21-year-old producer/dj from Seattle, Washington in the US. I make music on the deeper more ambient side of things and tend to focus a lot on atmosphere and melody.
NT: Coming from Seattle, how did you get into the music you produce today, which undoubtedly has roots in dance music from the UK?
KS: When I first started producing music I was making hip hop but I became uninterested in that pretty quickly. I then discovered dubstep through the internet and also word of mouth from some college friends. Dubstep was the first form of UK bass music that I had ever gotten into. I fell in love with the sound and started producing it. My dubstep production eventually evolved into what I'm making today which, probably shouldn't be categorized as dubstep.
Kid Smpl - Travelled
NT: Who or what are your influences, locally and a little further afield? Musically and outside of music?
KS: Burial and J Dilla are undoubtedly my biggest influences. As far as locally, a Seattle band called Pretty Girls Make Graves who unfortunately is no longer together is also a big influence. A lot of dubstep and grime as well, specifically Starkey, Eskmo, Zomby, and Wiley's eski period.
As far as non-musical influences, I'm extremely interested in recreating the vibe/atmosphere of certain moments I've experienced personally. I really like the emptiness of night and hope my music often depicts/recreates that. Also basic human emotions and things I experience in my personal life always have an on-going influence on me.
NT: I heard from HGLDT, that you have a release planned on Swing & Skip. How did that release come about?
KS: Ya I have an EP called "Unkept" coming out on Swing & Skip. That release basically came about when he heard my tune "Unkept" and wanted to sign it. The rest of the track list was determined throughout the months following that as I was producing with the EP in mind. I'm really excited for that EP to come out, I think it's some of the most personal music I've made to date.
Kid Smpl - Ur Back (Forthcoming Swing & Skip)
NT: Do you have any other releases planned that we should know about?
KS: I just released a pay what you will EP called "Collapse" via Bandcamp. I also have a remix of DJAO's "Taigamoss" being released for free via Bandcamp, one tune on a Dropping Gems compilation, and another tune on a Phantom Hertz compilation all of which will be coming out in the near future.
NT: What is the scene like in Seattle? I’m always interested to know how the underground music scenes are developing in these far-flung locations.
KS: The scene in Seattle is small but supportive. There's quite an audience for dubstep now and Decibel Festival brings out some really big names every year. However there aren't many events throughout the year that focus on deeper sounds yet but the nights that do focus on those sounds are extremely supportive.
A few notable things going on are Shift (Seattle's first dubstep night/label), Car Crash Set/Street Halo, Dropping Gems (mostly Portland based but still dope!), and of course Decibel.
NT: Are there any producers, locally or otherwise, that you can recommend we keep a look out for?
KS: Locally there's quite a bit to name but DJAO, Ill Cosby, Cedaa, qp, Dubtek, and Dash EXP are all worth checking out. Elsewhere, Mirror State, Blind Prophet, Sublo, Archie Pelago, Numan, Graciellita, HxdB, and Simple are all really great.
Kid Smpl - Never Knew
NT: You’ve put together a guest mix for us, can you give us a few words about your selection?
KS: The mix is made up entirely of my own productions. Some tunes are new and some are a bit older.
NT: Finally, if you had to pick your three favourite ‘Night Tracks’, what would they be?
KS: Burial - Etched Headplate
Drake - Marvin's Room
Shlohmo - Seriously
NT: Big up man, thanks for your time! If you haven't already, check out Kid Smpl's mix below or download it here! Also, check out his stuff for offer on his personal bandcamp here.
Kid Smpl - Keep It Close (dub)
Kid Smpl - Understand (Forthcoming Swing & Skip)
Kid Smpl - Over (dub)
Kid Smpl - Ur Back (Forthcoming Swing & Skip)
Kid Smpl - Rendition (dub)
Kid Smpl - Float (dub)
Kid Smpl - Staring Up (dub)
Kid Smpl - Never Knew (dub)
Kid Smpl - Miles Above (dub)
Kid Smpl - Streetlight (Screwed) (dub)
Kid Smpl - Understand (Forthcoming Swing & Skip)
Kid Smpl - Over (dub)
Kid Smpl - Ur Back (Forthcoming Swing & Skip)
Kid Smpl - Rendition (dub)
Kid Smpl - Float (dub)
Kid Smpl - Staring Up (dub)
Kid Smpl - Never Knew (dub)
Kid Smpl - Miles Above (dub)
Kid Smpl - Streetlight (Screwed) (dub)