Mount Kimbie Moves Beyond Dubstep
Two-piece UK electronic duo Mount Kimbie are currently touring the U.S. to promote their recently released minimal and progressive album Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, a uniquely ambient follow-up to their highly-acclaimed 2010 debut album Crooks and Lovers.
We tracked down Kai Campos, who performs in tandem with former London schoolmate Dominic Marker, to chat briefly about their rapid climb, live show experience and what is different about their sophomore album.
The duo performs June 17 at The Independent.
How did you first meet Dominic Marker?
I met him through other mutual friends at university in 2008. We were just both really into music, clicked right away, and started working together in a home studio in Peckham soon thereafter.
How did your parents influence you to become a musician?
More than anything, they just tried to pass along the music they listened to…especially my Dad. They also gave me the freedom to pursue it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uuYGPbtquQ[/youtube]
What is the significance of “Mount Kimbie”?
“Mount” comes from the song “Mount Eerie” by the Microphones (a lo-fi band from Olympia, Washington). “Kimbie” is from a Nick Drake song, who’s an English singer. We really like both those artists and mashed their names together.
How did you both decide on Hotflush Recordings as your first label?
They actually reached out to us directly as they were interested in what we were doing very early on. It was almost as if they extended an olive branch. Once the phone call came, we knew we had their support.
If you had one word to describe Hotflush Recordings founder Paul Rose (aka Scuba, a chillout DJ), what would it be?
Dad. I call him that a lot.
Warp Records supports tons of similarly complex artists such as Aphex Twin, TNGHT, and Flying Lotus. Why did you guys decide to change labels and sign to in June 2012?
As I mentioned, Hotflush was great for us at the start given their early support. However, Warp eventually was the label that was willing to give us the ability to do what we wanted with the new record. We wanted to take the sound in a new direction and Warp let us pursue our vision.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqGoH5uQg6A[/youtube]
How is Cold Spring Fault Less Youth different from Crooks and Lovers?
In general it is a bit more of our own. We wanted to do something new and surprising that could allow us to feel the excitement. It takes a bit longer to get into than the last record and takes a few more listens. The drums and percussion on the record have a much more live sound as well.
Do you have any plans to do anymore upcoming remixes?
If there are a good opportunities, then yea…maybe sometime in the future? I haven’t had any time recently to get really excited about it. It is something I would like to do more of if I had the time.
Do you have any memories of your last visit to San Francisco?
We were playing at 1015 Folsom in November of last year and luckily got to San Francisco one day early. That gave us the chance to walk round. It is the one place we were always looking forward to visiting. It’s really fun to walk around because it is so dense.
