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Kissy Sell Out Interview
House | Wednesday 7th December 2011 | Annalisa
This month TGN caught-up with famed electro DJ Kissey Seller’s to discuss his latest album and why he believes music is about the love and not money...
How’s this year been for you so far?
This is a good year for me because I’m releasing my second album Wild Romance, which is a big deal because I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been in this year for kinda three or four years and the only thing that’s missing is what I’d say is having a really good album, which kinda connects the dots between you know my radio show and DJ sets. So it’s nice knowing that it’s coming, and it’s out on the 6th of May. Which is after a pre release tour, which has actually just finished and was around universities and stuff which was absolutely fantastic was such a great night. I’ve got a new lighting show and video wall which our production team took to every gig which was wonderful, I’ve never done anything like that before so it’s been wicked basically.
How many days were you on tour?
The thing is you have days in between, previously we were going on tour buses and things bus this was a bit different because we had all the production team. I dunno about, six weeks? Seven weeks? Two months? [laughs] I’m not really sure.
So what you had about twelve dates or something like that, all around the country. What that in Europe as well or was it a straight UK tour?
No we focused on the UK ‘cause the album getting ready and stuff.
Your first album titled ‘Youth’ that was quite a hit. Why did you call your new
album ‘Wild Romance’?
Well yeah it was nice of you to say that it was a hit. It’s called Wild Romance because I’m just a different person. I’ve changed a lot; I’m a man now know what I mean. Youth was about the fact I was still a kid being surrounded by a load of adults being told what to do. With the new one I feel a lot more confident it’s just a ‘Kissy’ record through and through. It is a wild romance to me I hope it’s a wild romance to listen to. Literally from the name I wanted to grab someone by the hand, and then run them through this little adventure.
Are you trying to portray your Kissy Sell out Sound in this album?
I think you’ve got it one then, it’s taken up to this point in my career to figure out what absolutely my sound is, something that can be encapsulated in album form. That’s what it’s about, I guess with anything new you’ve gotta feel it but it’s a f******g banging album.
How would you describe your sound?
Electro speed garage
Taking you back how would you describe your influences growing up?
Lots of things really, I used to like lots of specific things in lots of different genres. Like the cutting up style in Jungle music in regard to Mickey Finn, but I like the experimentalism of bands like Sonic Youth and I love the lack of repetition that’s what’s great about music, the journey aspect of music, you know you hear an idea and you move on. It’s always changing the whole way through, that’s something that doesn’t happen in dance music very much. I hate house music, I just hate the repetition. That’s why I’m an electro kid. I love the odd guitar solo too, like growing up watching Bill and Tedd. I spent a lot of time doing improvised guitar solos. I’ve got a short attention span, I learnt to improvise instead. There’s a lot of heavy melodic affect to my music, which comes to me naturally I don’t think I’m a super talented song writer but I do think I’m quite good at writing melodies which is kinda mainly my thing.
You’re also nurturing new talent, could you tell us a bit about that?
I don’t understand why more people don’t do it; well I do understand it takes a lot of time to find people and stuff. You know I’ve always said from the start the best records in my sets are the unsigned ones you know the little demos I get sent. You know talking about it on radio and stuff has made it easy to do. It’s where I came from a few big names playing some of my tunes just ‘cause they liked it; I’ve been so f*****g lucky. It’s the least I can do to give other people a chance from first hand experience. That’s what my label is about San City High; it’s about giving people a first chance, putting their first records out. I’ve got no license rights over the people’s songs I use, it’s ‘cause I don’t want to…do you know what I mean? I don’t want to make money out of anyone; I don’t really do this to make money I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid. We don’t want your DJ fees, we don’t want any of your live money we’re going to give you 50 per cent of everything I don’t care the 50% we take is for like PR and stuff anyway. It’s a nice thing to do; it keeps you smiling in the morning knowing you’re doing the right thing. I get immense pleasure out of new music; it’s one of the exciting things about my life right now. Getting to choose fantastic music everyday; I love it!
With your super busy schedule what do you do when you have free time?
I never get much free time to be honest. I really like listening to music, and DJing you know what I mean. The only thing not related to music or my career that I like doing I guess; I listen to the sounds of the sea a lot and I’ve got some tropical water sounds. And I’ve got a little planetarium box things which I have in my bedroom which puts pictures of the stars on the ceiling and stuff. You might think this guy takes himself really seriously but not at all, I’m really lucky that my job is my hobby that’s really cool. I guess eat and drink outside of that, I’ve also learnt how to have friends and have a career as well. I’m quite protective over my personal life…I just thing they’re the same thing I guess I’m ‘Kissy’ all the time.
You also do charity work as well can you tell us a bit about that?
I don’t really bring it up, I don’t really do it to get popular or anything like that. I just think it’s a glorious opportunity thing for me to able contribute to. That I feel really strongly about, one of them being British Association of Adoption and Fostering. Another one’s Changing Faces for people with facial disfigurement. Both examples of things which are so unfair, children aren’t born as bad people or anything they are shaped by the environment around them. Children that have bad luck brought up in a terrible household is such a terrible thing. The other thing we live in such a materialistic culture that if you have a facial disfigurement it’s such a big deal, it breaks my heart and anything I can do to help it’s my pleasure…completely my pleasure.
Finally, if you were marooned on a desert island what three famous people would you take with you and why?
A comedian I’m really into at the moment, Micky Flanagan, I think he’s absolutely hilarious that guy. I’m hesitated to say Keanu Reeves ‘cause I'm a massive fun, might be a bit star struck if I’m with him I might not be able to say anything but I dunno get him along and a dude from dance music like Felix Da House Cat I dunno being on a desert island with that lot would be quite fun.
For more news on everything Kissy Sell Out-related be sure to kissysellout.com/
How’s this year been for you so far?
This is a good year for me because I’m releasing my second album Wild Romance, which is a big deal because I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been in this year for kinda three or four years and the only thing that’s missing is what I’d say is having a really good album, which kinda connects the dots between you know my radio show and DJ sets. So it’s nice knowing that it’s coming, and it’s out on the 6th of May. Which is after a pre release tour, which has actually just finished and was around universities and stuff which was absolutely fantastic was such a great night. I’ve got a new lighting show and video wall which our production team took to every gig which was wonderful, I’ve never done anything like that before so it’s been wicked basically.
How many days were you on tour?
The thing is you have days in between, previously we were going on tour buses and things bus this was a bit different because we had all the production team. I dunno about, six weeks? Seven weeks? Two months? [laughs] I’m not really sure.
So what you had about twelve dates or something like that, all around the country. What that in Europe as well or was it a straight UK tour?
No we focused on the UK ‘cause the album getting ready and stuff.
Your first album titled ‘Youth’ that was quite a hit. Why did you call your new
album ‘Wild Romance’?
Well yeah it was nice of you to say that it was a hit. It’s called Wild Romance because I’m just a different person. I’ve changed a lot; I’m a man now know what I mean. Youth was about the fact I was still a kid being surrounded by a load of adults being told what to do. With the new one I feel a lot more confident it’s just a ‘Kissy’ record through and through. It is a wild romance to me I hope it’s a wild romance to listen to. Literally from the name I wanted to grab someone by the hand, and then run them through this little adventure.
Are you trying to portray your Kissy Sell out Sound in this album?
I think you’ve got it one then, it’s taken up to this point in my career to figure out what absolutely my sound is, something that can be encapsulated in album form. That’s what it’s about, I guess with anything new you’ve gotta feel it but it’s a f******g banging album.
How would you describe your sound?
Electro speed garage
Taking you back how would you describe your influences growing up?
Lots of things really, I used to like lots of specific things in lots of different genres. Like the cutting up style in Jungle music in regard to Mickey Finn, but I like the experimentalism of bands like Sonic Youth and I love the lack of repetition that’s what’s great about music, the journey aspect of music, you know you hear an idea and you move on. It’s always changing the whole way through, that’s something that doesn’t happen in dance music very much. I hate house music, I just hate the repetition. That’s why I’m an electro kid. I love the odd guitar solo too, like growing up watching Bill and Tedd. I spent a lot of time doing improvised guitar solos. I’ve got a short attention span, I learnt to improvise instead. There’s a lot of heavy melodic affect to my music, which comes to me naturally I don’t think I’m a super talented song writer but I do think I’m quite good at writing melodies which is kinda mainly my thing.
You’re also nurturing new talent, could you tell us a bit about that?
I don’t understand why more people don’t do it; well I do understand it takes a lot of time to find people and stuff. You know I’ve always said from the start the best records in my sets are the unsigned ones you know the little demos I get sent. You know talking about it on radio and stuff has made it easy to do. It’s where I came from a few big names playing some of my tunes just ‘cause they liked it; I’ve been so f*****g lucky. It’s the least I can do to give other people a chance from first hand experience. That’s what my label is about San City High; it’s about giving people a first chance, putting their first records out. I’ve got no license rights over the people’s songs I use, it’s ‘cause I don’t want to…do you know what I mean? I don’t want to make money out of anyone; I don’t really do this to make money I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid. We don’t want your DJ fees, we don’t want any of your live money we’re going to give you 50 per cent of everything I don’t care the 50% we take is for like PR and stuff anyway. It’s a nice thing to do; it keeps you smiling in the morning knowing you’re doing the right thing. I get immense pleasure out of new music; it’s one of the exciting things about my life right now. Getting to choose fantastic music everyday; I love it!
With your super busy schedule what do you do when you have free time?
I never get much free time to be honest. I really like listening to music, and DJing you know what I mean. The only thing not related to music or my career that I like doing I guess; I listen to the sounds of the sea a lot and I’ve got some tropical water sounds. And I’ve got a little planetarium box things which I have in my bedroom which puts pictures of the stars on the ceiling and stuff. You might think this guy takes himself really seriously but not at all, I’m really lucky that my job is my hobby that’s really cool. I guess eat and drink outside of that, I’ve also learnt how to have friends and have a career as well. I’m quite protective over my personal life…I just thing they’re the same thing I guess I’m ‘Kissy’ all the time.
You also do charity work as well can you tell us a bit about that?
I don’t really bring it up, I don’t really do it to get popular or anything like that. I just think it’s a glorious opportunity thing for me to able contribute to. That I feel really strongly about, one of them being British Association of Adoption and Fostering. Another one’s Changing Faces for people with facial disfigurement. Both examples of things which are so unfair, children aren’t born as bad people or anything they are shaped by the environment around them. Children that have bad luck brought up in a terrible household is such a terrible thing. The other thing we live in such a materialistic culture that if you have a facial disfigurement it’s such a big deal, it breaks my heart and anything I can do to help it’s my pleasure…completely my pleasure.
Finally, if you were marooned on a desert island what three famous people would you take with you and why?
A comedian I’m really into at the moment, Micky Flanagan, I think he’s absolutely hilarious that guy. I’m hesitated to say Keanu Reeves ‘cause I'm a massive fun, might be a bit star struck if I’m with him I might not be able to say anything but I dunno get him along and a dude from dance music like Felix Da House Cat I dunno being on a desert island with that lot would be quite fun.
For more news on everything Kissy Sell Out-related be sure to kissysellout.com/
