A masterful opening set from NYC’s kennzoid recorded live from Jupiter Disco. Filled with beautiful dreamy and juxtaposing glitchy moments to get lost in, the set builds seamlessly into sleazy dnb and all encompassing warm dub soundscapes with tracks by the likes of opheliaxz, Chewlie, Jonnah and Trois-Quarts Taxi System.
kennzoid is a DJ and nightlife photographer who has started throwing the bass-forward parties alongside Maharam called Final Passage. Since launching the event series they’ve booked the likes of Atrice, Ma Sha, Viiaan, Apok, Prime Suspect, Jenga and mush.
Hey Kenneth! How are you doing? What have you been up to lately?
hello!! i’m doing well, thanks for asking (: i am trying to maintain a nice balance in my life this year and not live too extremely in any one direction… have only had moderate success so far…
Let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
as a kid most of the music i listened to came from KROQ (local ‘alternative’ radio station) or from video games. i was really into final fantasy / square enix osts and the bg music from maplestory, ragnarok online – that sort of stuff. probably explains why i’m drawn to really emotional music still.
truthfully i didn’t properly get into club music until i moved to new york and started going to parties. before that i was mostly into rnb or sad guitar music or ambient. i did listen to the electronic stuff that crossed over into the indie world like burial or skee mask though. compro was the first electronic album i really got obsessed with.
Who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?
maybe utada hikaru… i was actually revisiting japanese rnb from that early 2000s era recently and it all stills hits
Was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible DJ set, that led you to this path?
this was later in life but there was a period of time shortly after i moved to new york when i was meeting tons of people through nightlife that seemed to be into a lot of the same music and art that i was into. i really felt like i found my community and it inspired me to get more involved and put myself out there.
Where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
mostly in the emotions of life… joy, love, nostalgia, heartbreak, anxiety, rage, fear.
also movies for sure. i’ve been obsessed with gregg araki and hideaki anno lately.
i see vivid scenes when listening to music so i tend to gravitate towards tracks that are a bit cinematic and have some drama to them. i also like to think about narrative structure when working on a set. there’s a recent interview with nvst where she describes a set of hers as chapters of a story and i really relate to that approach.
How has NYC influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?
it’s hard not to soak it all up – the fashion, the music, the energy, the culture
everyone is doing their thing at the highest level and there’s so much cross-pollination between different mediums and scenes. it’s really inspiring and exciting and humbling.
What has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?
late to the game but i’ve been listening to mint field on repeat
You’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
i recorded this short set at jupiter disco in brooklyn. i was playing the opening slot and knew the energy would be laid back so i focused on dreamy, melodic ambient stuff and downtempo. i’m really into tracks that are simultaneously emotive/hazy and glitchy/bloopy so there’s a lot of that. and a lot of trip-hop inspired stuff as well. i got into some bassier stuff at the end with a couple cheeky dubstep tunes to tee up the next dj.
in terms of structure, i really wanted to go for an ebb and flow between moments of bliss/introspection and moments of intensity, building up little local peaks and then letting them dissipate before gaining too much momentum.
When was the last time you were on the dance floor?
the recent dnb night at nowadays w/ upsammy, currency audio, rage.inald and sinistarr
What are you most excited about right now?
my brother is getting married at the end of the year! i’ll probably cry my eyes out.
What’s on your vision board at the moment?
macro photography, stretching more