“Words are powerful! Coming from a background of making and listening to pop and more lyric-driven music, writing lyrics feels natural to me,” says London-based producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Kiimi, speaking about the importance of lyrics in music as a key factor in writing honest songs. The latest fabulous release by the young talent, ‘Know Your Name’, created in collaboration with Club Glow label boss Denham Audio and released on Three Six Zero Recordings, instantly transports us back to 90s rave culture with its pulsating basslines and hypnotic rhythms, and we can’t wait for a night out dancing again after listening to it. The track explores the anonymity of a one-night stand—capturing that brief yet meaningful connection that can come and go in an instant. “But there is beauty in that,” Kiimi adds.
We also talked to Kiimi, who in the meantime has become one of the key emerging voices in UK club culture, about how the transition from being classically trained to electronic music was, the network HUNNI SOUND, which Kiimi founded to foster community and diversity in the arts, and the other things that truly make them happy besides music.
photography by Phoebe Cowley
Hey Kiimi, you have just released your new song ‘Know Your Name’, what is the song about?
For me, the lyrics of Know Your Name were about the anonymity of having a one night stand; how you can have a really significant connection with someone, but for such a short amount of time, and then maybe you never see them again. But there is beauty in that.
Lyrics play a big role in your productions, which is not always common in electronic music. Why is this so important to you? Do your lyrics usually reflect personal experiences?
Words are powerful! I come from a background of making and listening to pop and more lyric driven music, so writing lyrics feels natural to me. I think the use of language can really help enhance the message or mood of a track, even if it’s more instrumental and the vocal is used more like a sample. And yes any lyrics I write will reflect my personal experiences – for me that feels vital to creating honest music.
You play the clarinet, piano, and guitar, but the saxophone became your main instrument for music production. Why did you choose it as your primary instrument?
For some reason the saxophone is just the one I was best at growing up! I got my Grade 8 within a couple years of starting to play it. I think the saxophone is a really expressive instrument, you’re able to use vibrato and bend notes with it like a human voice. But I actually rarely use it in my productions – the piano / keys is probably the skill that comes in most handy with that.
“Any lyrics I write will reflect my personal experiences – for me that feels vital to creating honest music.”
How did electronic music captivate you and lead you to choose this direction?
I started becoming more immersed in electronic music at the same time as I was discovering my queerness, which was during lockdown in 2020. I hadn’t really experienced dance music club culture before (the nightlife I’d go to before was centred around hip hop / grime), and my first experiences of it were illegal raves during lockdown. It felt like a whole new world and I met so many of my now best friends through it. Slowly the world started opening up again, the clubs and festivals were tentatively opening, and I felt so connected to it. Club spaces felt like both an antidote to the social distancing and isolation that had come before with Covid, and a utopia of this amazing community to explore my queerness with.
Tell us about the process of developing your own sound, and who or what are your musical influences?
The influences I always circle back to are the early 2010’s artists who made permanent marks on me – James Blake, Burial, Jamie Woon, Disclosure, Jamie xx. I was an indie kid until I heard James Blake on late night Radio 1 and my world got flipped on its head. But I’m always inspired by and influenced by the sounds around me and what I’m going through at the time – right now I’m listening to a lot of Swim.
Where do you write songs best? Is there a specific place that inspires you? Or a specific time during the day?
I feel most comfortable writing in my bedroom studio at home. I have all my instruments and synths here, and my kitchen, and I have the freedom to dance around and be silly if I want to. I also live in Brockley in South East London, which is a very green area so if I need to take a break and get outside, there are lots of beautiful walks to go on.
“Happiness to me is more an overall sense of feeling fulfilled; like your soul is being fed.”
Can you share the meaning behind your artist name?
It’s just my first name, spelt a little differently!
You founded HUNNI SOUND, a network for women, non-binary, and trans creatives in music and sound production. Why do you think it’s important to focus on this topic in relation to music? Shouldn’t music itself be the only thing that matters, regardless of identity, or are these aspects inseparable in your eyes?
It’s important because the dance music industry is still SO imbalanced, with only around 5% of music producers being women or gender non-conforming. The purpose of Hunni Sound is never to be exclusive, but to provide a community for support and learning for those who often feel outnumbered, in the hopes that it makes people feel safe and confident enough to pursue or keep pursuing their careers in music. Diversity in the arts is so important because it offers a true spectrum of perspectives. Absolutely, the music / art should be at the forefront, but how boring if all music that gets any success is made by the same type of person?
If you could collaborate with any artist and produce a song together, who would it be?
James Blake or Disclosure.
Your style is very cool – how important is fashion to you and where and by whom do you get inspired for your outfits?
(Laughs) Thank you! Style is very important to me, I love expressing myself through clothes. I love androgynous fashion – my favourite brand is Eytys – and sports-tech, and mainly wear monochrome. Having a blueprint for my outfits also makes the decision making process in the mornings when I’m getting ready easier lol.
What makes you happy, and what does happiness mean to you?
What a cute question! Happiness to me is more an overall sense of feeling fulfilled; like your soul is being fed. For me that means making music, DJing, spending time with friends and family, having a strong community, feeling fit and healthy, being generous and having enough time and money to do what makes you feel good.
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