Catching up with... Kiki (Bpitch Control)

Since we last caught up with Kiki back on the blog in 2009, the BPitch producer has been busier than ever. A Berlin boy by heart, whether you’ve partied with Kiki at one of the legendary BPitch showcases, danced in your bedroom to his 'Noise' radio show on Proton or been blown away by his expertly crafted live show, where his remix of 'Good Voodoo' first came together. One things for sure, Kiki shows no signs of slowing down and as we lean in with huge anticipation to see him live on our Room One stage next Saturday, we wasted no time in speaking once more to Ellen Allien's right-wing man. Here’s Kiki’s words on performing live, marriage, a new album and the escapist nature on clubbing... Kiki, it’s been a good two years since we last caught up with you. What have been some of the biggest changes in your life since then? It must be the fact that I got married! We were amazed to hear that your own remix of “Good Voodoo” came together through one of your live shows. Have there been any miracle moments in your live sets since then? Many of my tracks come together and only start making sense in the live situation! You could compare the situation to a band: In their spare time the drummer and the bassist are experimenting and perfecting their riffs and routines, but when they meet up they are giving their 100% best tricks due to not much time to waste in a studio. On my shows I might have all these different parts and elements I've tweaked around for ages in the studio, but within the 1 hour show it all starts clicking together when giving my 100% for the venue, the atmosphere and audience. In what ways has your live show evolved since we last spoke to you, have there been any radical changes? There are no real radical changes in the way I perform, but I have worked on a lot of new stuff, which none of you ever heard before, that will be popping in and out throughout the show. Tell us about your Noice radio show on Proton which happens every two months? I always liked the idea of doing a radioshow as that´s what got me into hip hop and electronic music back in the day, while I was still living in Finland and far away from places with lots of different underground subcultures. And it was long before the internet! I was listening to shows like Gilles Peterson´s Worldwide and we had some special radio DJs´s in Finland as well. The guys from Noice! approached me while I had a gig in New York and I said immediately: Yes! I like the idea of actually telling a bit about the records I play, as it sometimes might get a bit unpersonal in the electronic dancemusic scene. It also helps my DJ-sets in clubs as well, as I have to re-think about the records that actually are also good for homelistening and it raises up the musical quality instead of just going for the functional beats. Who’s radio shows do you listen to today and where do you think radio stands in the current electronic music climate? To be very honest, I don´t have much time to listen to radio, but I do have a radio alarmclock, that´s set to Motor FM or Radio Eins in Berlin. In the 90´s Radio Nova from Paris & Kiss FM (as it still used to be a pirate station) from Berlin used to be very important for me! There´s some great podcast nowadays though, like for example Damian Lazarus` Lazpod. Tell us a few of the tracks that have got you itching to play them recently? Pretty much everything coming out on Catz & Dogz label Pets have been amazing lately! Other than that there´s a new killer track by Thomas Muller coming out on BPitch called "Sub Summer". And, I have been really itching to try out my own new tunes lately and I have a lot of them, maybe even a new album and remixes for Silicone Soul, Get Physical, ReSolute & NRK coming up... What’s it like being part of the BPitch family today? It´s been a great ride with the crew since 10 years for me and I´d say the team we have now in the office is better than ever! Would you say BPitch has its own sound? No, BPitch was never about a specific sound, but more about artists that have something unique to offer. The thing uniting has been more or less Ellen Allien´s wide & varied taste and other than that a certain "Berlin thing". BPitch label showcases always seem to go down in history! Can you explain the magic behind them and what have been some of your favourite from the year? The team just seems to work together and everyone contributes to it in their own way that makes it special! There´s also always been the strong visual identity by Pfadfinderei as well. Our boatparty & beachparty on the Sonar weekend in Barcelona has been absolutely great since the last 2 years and definitely a highlight. Other special occasions were Melt! festival, where I had the luck to finish the festival for the sunrise and last weekend at Watergate, where I played back 2 back with Ellen Allien for 6 hours! What’s it like to have Ellen Allien as your mentor? When we first met, we ended up playing a back 2 back set and the interesting thing with the set was, that we didn't know each others records at all. So, I always thought, when we both like something, it could be special, like breaking boundaries by meeting in the brand new middle ground and that seems still a good way of working with her. Lately we have been touring a lot together and have also been getting back to sharing the decks after many years of only solo-sets. Are there any future plans for a third album, following the success of Kaiku in 2009? Yes, there certainly is! I have been working on a lot of material involving a lot of people as well, but more of that next year ;-) We’ve been watching RA’s recent Berlin documentary: Berlin Scenes.. It discusses the escapist nature of clubbing and how it’s important for us to have somewhere to let loose behind close doors. What are your thoughts on it all? I agree! Going out to dance to interesting music and meet interesting people and disappear and even escape to the vast world of nightlife gives life a balance and also a lot of inspiration. It´s important to forget routines. But always remember the balance! And finally, what have you got in store for the rest of the year and 2011, both in music and away from the disco? You can check my dates on the BPitch website (there should be a brand newly designed website online end of October) or go to my facebook page. If I do find some time away from my studio & the disco, I´d love to finish some paintings, that have been waiting for quite a while now... You can listen to Kiki’s Noise radio show on Proton Radio here.