Contributing Writer
kiskadee has flourished as one of London’s most promising new talents since the launch of his debut EP, Home, in 2021. He has been featured by the likes of Complex and Clash – the latter describing him as a ‘little known tour de-force’; as well as support from BBC Introducing and BBC 6music including his own hour-long mix on the station as part of their ‘Lose Yourself with…’ series alongside his long-standing monthly residency on Voices Radio.
The multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer also cut his teeth at Abbey Road and Baltic Studios, where he was fortunate to work alongside producers such as Andrew Wyatt, Kid Harpoon and Stint; and artists such as James Bay, Liam Gallagher and MIA.
On his beautiful, atmospheric debut album A Room To Beathe, kiskadee blends the dual facets of his artistry—ambient and electronic. Designed with the structure and emotional arc of a live set in mind, the album invites listeners on a mesmerising journey that unfolds uniquely upon first and subsequent listens.
With the album out now, we invited kiskadee to pick out 10 tracks from artists who have influenced his unique sound.
Tourist – Bunny
The groove and drum sounds on this were such a big influence when i first started the kiskadee project back in 2020. I love how he blends organic/electronic sounds and shifts between making electronic music not necessarily for the dancefloor and more up-tempo releases like Your Love. You can really hear the influence on my first release _DOWN.
Four Tet – Lush
I heard a story that the hang drum sample in this was just from one of his mates and not played in time or anything like that. I love taking sounds from everyday life and flipping them into beats but also the way in which such a simple melody can be developed and sustained throughout a 5 minute dance track. I really tried to take forward this kind of process with tracks on the album such as Twelveighteen.
HAELOS – Dust
I worked with HAELOS on their second album, engineering for them a bit. It was my first exposure into combining organic/electronic sounds (shout out to Dom, the master of this!) and love going back to their earlier work such as this track – so so infectious, groovy and filled with emotion.
Bonobo – Kerala
A lot of people have mentioned Bonobo as a reference for my sound which I always take as the biggest compliment. I love his work but particularly the groove (and music video) for Kerala which was an early access point for me into electronic music and his catalog before delving further back. I also really love how everything always feels so carefully crafted and a bit off-grid which is something I’m trying to do more too…
Christian Loffler – Ronda
The rolling stab/arp on this is so simple but so emotional – I particularly got into Christian Loffler during those early days of lockdown as he did a bunch of ‘from home’ live streams which were so simple yet stunning as he effortlessly combined beautiful textures/sounds. This track in particular was a big influence on ‘U’ on the album and how that main part rolls along.
Nils Frahm – Says
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to convert electronic music into a compelling, intimate and emotional live experience and Nils Frahm is the master of this – especially on this record. It feels so expansive yet intimate and this second track especially always connects with me no matter my mood.
Rival Consoles – Recovery
Similarly, Rival Consoles is brilliant at this – having seen his incredible set at Printworks a few years ago. He’s been a big influence on how I approach synths in general – always trying to get them to feel human/life-like which I think you can really hear on this track.
Olafur Arnalds, Bonobo – Loom
Since the beginning of the year, i’ve been really getting back into the piano and progressing as a player as well as trying to integrate it as an instrument within the kiskadee project (on tracks such as ‘Dawn’). I love how Olafur / Bonobo combine their worlds in this track – you can hear both of their influences so clearly but they never seem at odds with each other.
Maribou State – Vale
I love how the live and electronic elements are combined in Maribou State’s work and the energy they bring to a live context. The groove on Vale is so infectious and i’m really keen on putting a band of musicians together for a future album project at some point so always have this in the back of my mind as an influence/idea.
John Martyn – Small Hours
I used to play this in the studio a lot when I was working as an engineer setting up various sessions – another 8 minute epic haha It’s amazing the sounds he was able to get out of his guitar + an echoplex and the tone from his voice and sense of calm I feel as this washes over me is magical. Also, fun fact, it was recorded outside overlooking a nature reserve in one take. At certain points you can hear the birds in the background…
A Room To Breathe is out now on Another Rhythm