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Kais, welcome to VENTS! Can you tell us about your latest single, Spirit City Kiss?
“This single represents love found in a city you connect or identify with spiritually. You might not live in that city anymore, but in some mystic and synchronous way, it always tends to call you back in manifested forms that only your mind, heart and soul recognize.”
Which city is your spiritual home?
I’d have to say that for me, I developed a pretty strong spiritual connection to Vancouver City in British Columbia, and even though I don’t live there anymore, Vancouver has twice now called to me in powerfully manifested and life changing forms. I realize that the cover art could be misleading, because of the palm trees in the background and within the model’s shades, which could easily denote a city like LA or San Diego. And I guess you wouldn’t be that off to think that, because the song is influenced to a large extent by grunge, which developed its foothold in the West Coast in the 80s. More like Washington which isn’t quite a palm tree state, but it strikes a mid-point between Vancouver, BC and LA. So let’s just say that my spirit leans more towards the whole West Coast of North America, but Vancouver’s where the seed was planted 😉
Where do you usually find lyrical inspiration?
Usually, it’s what the melodic composition is telling me. It’s a little bit of lyrical soul searching, which a naked melody normally reveals to me in small hits. I guess lyrics also tend to come through some kind of divine synchronicity that I find myself connected to through the music I make, as well as the music I’ve absorbed over time. It also above all is a trust and a leaning in to the void ;-). The void we all share within our lives in different forms.
On the technical side, the way I see it, there’s always just the right set of words for every verse, bridge or chorus within a song that can bring out the relevant and intended meaning. Not only that, but I find that words shouldn’t only unfold with interesting topline melodies. They have to unfold with interesting syllables that highlight their importance rhythmically. Also, it’s worth mentioning that my lyrics/songs don’t always come from immediate life inspiration. I have some recorded melodies written years ago that I sometimes refer back to and slightly redevelop, like with this song. This melody in particular came knocking again before I even went digging for it in my hard drive, which is why I felt a calling to turn it into an official single, so it’s only pertinent that the lyrics would come slightly from past and slightly from present. I guess that lyrically, Spirit City Kiss has a hint of comic relief too, which I like playing around with every once in a while.
What did you miss more during lockdown, travelling or performing?
Matter of fact is, I had taken a hiatus from performing since 2018, when I moved back from Canada to help my dad with a family business, so being hit with the Covid 19 pandemic wasn’t a complete blow to me like it was for other musicians that had plans to perform in 2020/21. Also, even then, I only got back into writing and releasing music in 2020. As detrimental as the lockdown was to most people, in my world it somehow brought me closer to creating music again.. because it helped me go inward and better tune in to intuition, which pretty much eluded me for two straight years. I literally felt like I wasn’t ever going to make music again after having moved back, because I was locked into a corporate environment and that really messed with my juices. But the combination of having been stranded alone for 9 months in Cyprus (where my music studio is) due to travel restrictions, and being able to work remotely, allowed me to find some much needed separation. So I was, oddly enough, grateful for this lockdown.
I do miss travelling though, which was never something I took a long break from. Travelling helps me find the inspiration I need at times, as I absorb different soundscapes and the grit that comes with adventure.
A combination of travelling and performing would of course be optimal, but I’m not sure when that’s going to happen again. Not only will the pandemic have to come to a complete halt, but I would want to gain some more online traction first so I can have some proper draw at any upcoming shows.
In your opinion, which was the best era for music?
That’s a tough question and it’s hard for me to say, because people born in different eras tend to favor the music that came out of that particular era. I was born in the late 80s, but I can’t say the best eras were the 90s, 2000s or 2010s, even though I do relate to those the most and have been heavily influenced by them. There are plenty of incredible gems that came out of those decades, but I’ve also equally hated a lot of the music that’s defined our pop culture since the late 2000s. And I’m not sure if that points to me getting older, haha, but I do consider myself up to date, and with a palette for music that’s quite diverse, being a multi-instrumentalist and music producer, I do believe that I qualify to say what’s good and what sounds kind of regurgitated. I’m referring to the overflow of cookie cut McDonalds radio music you hear when you walk into an H&M. The stuff that sounds like Kung Fu chops in a cheese factory. It feels, as studies have even shown, like it’s just designed to make you shop faster, and that’s a testament to the world most people live in today, quite consumerist and plastic. It’s sad to see that reflected in our chart-topping music.
So to answer your question, I don’t have a particular preference for my era. I love music from as far back as the 20s, with songs by Billie Holiday, Ella or Louis Armstrong that still had the warm, authentic tape hiss on all their records. You can literally hear that music in black and white. I love classical music from the late 1700s and 1800s. That stuff will always be timeless and remains to be foundational. I love the 50s for Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. The 60s for Hendrix, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Aretha. The 70s brought about legends like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The 80s to me, was special for Aerosmith and Gang Starr. But I guess my work nowadays speaks to the fact that I do like and have been influenced by some of the music that’s come out of the 90s and 2000s, particularly bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Oasis, 3 Doors Down, Creed, Coldplay, Linkin Park or Fink. And unlike those that denigrate the direction the music industry has taken, I personally thank platforms like Spotify. I’m quite impressed by the music I’ve been able to find since the 2010s. Streaming platforms, although not very fair to the artist, feel to me, from a listener’s perspective, like an upgrade from the word of mouth recommendations we had to rely on before the 2010s. With features that suggest similar artists you might like, or moods you might enjoy, I find myself coming across some really amazing stuff. I can say that most of my reference playlists for tracks I work on these days are from artists that have emerged in the 2010s.
What has been the highlight of your solo career so far?
I’d have to say the music video I did for ‘Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere’, a 2015 song release, which was shot at the ‘Big Fish’ set in Alabama with Richard Paris Wilson, my director. That takes the cake. Performing at The Fox Cabaret and Guilt and Co. in Vancouver City, two legendary music venues, would have to be almost on par as well.
More recently I had an interview with BBC Radio London’s Robert Elms for a 2018 song release that got chosen when I had it randomly uploaded to the BBC. I could call it my latest milestone, and I’m pretty proud of that too. It’s definitely an affirmation to keep going.
Can you tell us about your upcoming EP?
My upcoming EP draws inspiration from artists I’ve been listening to and have taken almost for mentors in the last few years. Jordan Rakei, Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch and RY X are a few that definitely stand out for me, but there are other more “underground” artists that I find quite moving too. It’s safe to say that this EP is more piano based, and for the first time, I wrote most of my songs on piano. I’ve never done that before, because I always focused on structuring what I write on guitar, which became the prominent instrument while producing songs. Also, although I did play piano fairly well, Jordan Rakei got me so much more into it last year. I was super inspired by the depth of his chord voicings and his overall writing/production style.
Do you have any other plans for 2021?
I haven’t got all my plans set in stone for 2021. It’s still unclear how things will unfold with Covid, even though they do look somewhat hopeful now. I recently moved into a new flat here in Cyprus, so you could call that a big step. If anything, I’d like to get back into performing this year, if venues start opening up without any threats of them being shut down again. I would also like to apply for a few record deals by pitching this EP, as I’m sure I’ll have even more music coming down the pipeline next year, and I do believe that sooner or later I’ll need some financial support as well as managerial / marketing help. And I would ideally like my label to help me book some more prestigious gigs too.
I’m also keen on getting my recording studio (Hot Soap Studios) back on its feet this year, because we inaugurated the space in late 2018, so we kind of only had a year and half to get our wheels in motion and to build some momentum, but covid brought us almost to a complete halt in 2020, and things are only gradually starting to pick up again. We recently however made it as the first recording studio from Cyprus into the Miloco Studios directory under European Recording Studios, so that’s quite and exciting development for us J . We’re hoping it’ll draw some artists from abroad, as we likely won’t be able to rely on local bands and artists alone, with Cyprus being such a small and sparsely populated island.
Listen to ‘Sprit City Kiss’ on Spotify
Follow KAIS on Instagram
