Only recently we caught with with live artist Christoper Kah. He recently came up with a new concept in which he plays for 1 hour on 2 machines. Sounded interesting enough to get our attention and ask him some info about it.
Scroll down and get to know Christoper Kah and his projects.
Connect with Christoper Kah on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | RE:SOURCE
Hey Christopher,
Hope all is well in these strange times?
Hi there ! yes I’m very well ! You?
Reading your bio it says you are a self-taught, multi-talented multi-instrumentalist. Where does this passion come from?
I think it all started with the practice of the organ around the age of 8. 🙂 My classical music background set the basis and the sense of harmony. It allows me to go beyond the binary side of techno music and have access to more freedom and spontaneity.
I started composing music shortly after I stopped playing the organ using the first softwares in the 2000’s. Being in the organisation of techno gigs made me want to produce music myself. Thanks to my classical background being an IT tech it was easy to give life to the music I felt inside.
What your favourite instrument or piece of hardware?
Definitely and actually, the Roland MC-707 !
You got a nice concept going on. Playing live for 1 hour on 2 machines. What’s the story? How did you get to this idea and how did it evolve to the concept it is now?
I’ve been thinking about creating a new live show for a while, trying to find the right setup for me. So far, either there was a computer in the middle, which I didn’t want, or there were too many machines. Last December I discovered the MC-707, and worked on it for a few days. Once all its possibilities came to light, I knew that was it!
This Live is a continuity of the projects I’ve worked on like LIMITED RESOURCE – maximum sound with minimum material – I’ve been releasing for a while now on my Youtube page HIGHWAV. With this new setup, I am able to express myself the way I’ve always wanted! It’s even better than what I experienced through my live / mix sessions.
I like the spontaneous aspect, the freedom in the creativity.
Tell us a bit about the gear you use in your setup?
It’s a mix between the main machine, Roland MC-707 and the TR-8S, drum machine. The MC-707 allows me to control 8 sound tracks, where I mix the kicks, sub, synth of the machine, FX’s, voice …
I built this live from scratch on the machine, I did not import any of my existing tracks. The TR-8S brings the spontaneous side that a Rhythm box can have live. Each live that I will do will, therefore, be necessarily different!
Any plans with this concept in the future? Different instruments, live shows (taking on the road), … ?
Yes, my head is full of ideas, concepts! I will continue to push my concept trough my YouTube page Highwav with my concept Limited Resource, maximum sound with minimum material!
And, I am in a partnership with the DanceTelevison television channel. I will continue sharing my videos, and also find new concepts, setups, places to play new stuff. And of course, I’ll keep my TUNNEL LAB going on. You’ll find the videos on DanceTelevision channel.
Any new releases coming up, we should know about?
Yes Friday 17th ! ECHO 001, wax the first release of my concept in live ECHO. 🙂 Really excited ! And I will continue to released tracks through my concept EXIST SERIES, the idea was to get 1 or 2 new tracks out every couple of weeks.
With the world being held hostage by a virus, how does your day look like nowadays?
I asked myself a lot of questions …. We are at the dawn of a new era, and whether we like it or not, everything is changing. We have to rethink the way this whole business works, because yes, whether we like it or not, we are in a business …
Most techno artists are used to this system of sending demos to big labels, sometimes waiting for months to get an answer, often ending up with nothing. This mechanism: Send to labels -> Releases on the label -> recognition by magazines -> happy promoter -> possible booking. This is almost the almost sclerosed path where each artist confronts himself!
To me, we have to open up to new paths, stop limiting ourselves to the holy recognition of very big structures, labels and promoters, and be able to spread our music out there differently. Electronic music is not just DJing + booking because there are so many other options!
I continue to develop my YouTube channel where I have fun continuing to test instruments, to show that we can make music with very few instruments. I find that the world of electronic music needs to wake up a bit. It’s time to create new trends, new ways of thinking, creating …
With all the sad news going on, what made you laugh out loud in the past weeks?
We do not have only sad news, it’s the perfect time to rest, to think, and also to enjoy the present moment. I find that the heavy atmosphere of before disappeared, we are almost obliged to take time for us. What makes me laugh? Same things as before : memes (ahahahh).
Which 5 tracks ultimately are the favourites of your life. maybe add a little word on what the impact was on your life or the meaning the track has for you.
O.T. Quartet – Hold That Sucker Down
“I could talk about this track for hours… its structure, sounds, the harmony, everything is perfect! It could represent everything I like in one track!”
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
“Such a visual track! Just need to close your eyes to understand the intensity of this piece. And don’t hesitate to watch this track live. Such a thrill watching Freddy Mercury perform! One word: beautiful!”
Lera Lynn – Lately
It is THE track of this selection, the main track of the True Detective show. I’m a big fan, especially season 2 – go and watch it!
Quench – Dreams
How not to fall in love at first sound with this legendary track. It rocked my adolescence … and still does today! <3
Whispering Sons – Alone
Discovered on Spotify, this is in my favorites now. Can listen to it over and over again, delightful!
Thank you!
Hero image by courtesy of www.graigue.com.
