Meet Kiwi: the first signee to Duke Dumont’s Blasé Boys Club imprint
London-based producer Alex Warren, AKA Kiwi, has carved out a name for himself as one of the most exciting young artists out there, developing a distinct sound all his own. As if being the first signee to Duke Dumont’s Blasé Boys Club imprint wasn’t enough, Warren has been tipped as one to watch by London heavy-hitters such as Erol Alkan, Daniel Avery, and BBC Radio 1 host Annie Mac — all the while racking up releases on renowned labels such as Kitsuné, Sneaky, and Needwant.
We caught up with Kiwi ahead of the release of his cracking new Animals EP on Blasé Boys Club to talk early influences, meeting Duke Dumont, and yes – animals. We’ve also got the premiere of the stellar lead track from his EP entitled, “ShortTail.”
DA: How did you get into electronic music and what were some of your early influences?
AW: I started my own club-night out of university called Orlando Boom and started DJing a little. It was never my intention to make it a career – it just sort of happened. I was clubbing a lot at the time, going to Trash/DURRR, which I ended up taking over. So Erol Alkan, Rory Phillips, and Jonjo were definitely huge influences.
DA: How did you get to know Duke Dumont?
AW: I actually booked him for Orlando Boom (before he was a superstar). We had a great night and he left his headphones by mistake, so after months of negotiating how to get them back to him, he told me to just keep them, in return for which I started sending him my music. He liked what he heard and started the label. The rest, as they say, is history.
DA: What’s it been like seeing him catapulted into stardom and having him as a resource for feedback?
AW: It’s amazing – the scene has grown so large and he’s sitting well and truly on the fence of the underground and pop world. I think he’s played it really well – still incredibly relevant. He’s got a really good ear for things, so having his support is invaluable.
DA: What is the ethos behind Blasé Boys Club?
AW: Adam (Duke Dumont) and I have very broad musical tastes, so I think that is reflective in the label. Other than that I couldn’t say. I think the main idea is just to build a team of friends that can go touring together. You know, “Girls just want to have fun.”
DA: What was your approach in making this new Animals EP? Were you going for anything in particular stylistically?
AW: No not really, it just kind of just happens like all my music. I think my enthusiasm for all things Balearic is quite reflective in this EP.
DA: Why all the animals?
AW: Why not? Ive always preferred animals to humans I guess. All of my tracks I’ve ever released are named and influenced by animals, so this is a collection of animal tracks.
DA: Any interesting stories of note from the recording / writing process for this EP?
AW: Many, but there’s no way I’m sharing them here. All I’m saying is Joe (my engineer) and I can get a little weird in the studio.
DA: What else can we expect from you on the horizon?
AW: My remixes for Duke Dumont and Petite Meller are set to be released, plus I’ve got some really exciting gigs all over the place including a special B2B at Bestival with Andrew Weatherall for Annie Mac presents.
Check out the premiere of Kiwi’s track “ShortTail” below, and be sure to check out the full EP, out on Blasé Boys Club on June 29.