DSF Q&A Sessions Vol. 13: Akira Kiteshi (closed)

[akira kiteshi]

No worries. I'll need to play about with it a bit more then. I normally use my outboard compressors...

[ianks]

how do you deal w the struggle of being a musician? did you just decide that you wanted to take production professionally and go for it... how did your realization about what your musical passion/skills come out? what were some of the most important steps in making this dream a reality? what do you do when you feel uninspired??

[upstateface]

Why was boom n pow on red vinyl? Looks dope and thanks for doing this.

[akira kiteshi]

What's the story behind the "Akira Kiteshi" name?

There's not really a story behind the name. I always wanted to gig in Japan and I thought it might help hahaha!

[akira kiteshi]

first off, thanks a lot for doing this q+a

so i got a few questions:

u said u used to write gabba and breakcore, were some of these tunes released ? is there some place on the internet we can find some of these ?

what are u listening at the moment ? any groundbreaking next level thing u want to recommend (even if its actually an obscure polish jazz band from the 50's) ?

What's the story behind the "Akira Kiteshi" name?

Nah sadly no copies of that stuff kicking about as most of it's on ADAT and my machine went in the bin a couple of years ago. I'm sure there's still some of my hip hop stuff kicking about though.....

I've been listening to Phaeleh's cd a lot recently. The boy's got skills! I met him recently at a label meeting in Bristol and he's a top bloke! Deffo recommend his music!

[akira kiteshi]

how do you deal w the struggle of being a musician? did you just decide that you wanted to take production professionally and go for it... how did your realization about what your musical passion/skills come out? what were some of the most important steps in making this dream a reality? what do you do when you feel uninspired??

I think for a lot of people starting out in music, the struggle financially comes when you are only limited to one side of the music business such as wanting to be just a producer or dj. I think the key is to get interested in as many areas as you can. I get involved in as many different areas as possible do do with music to make ends meet (not just as Akira Kiteshi) such as live engineering at concerts and clubs, working in studios, writing music for films and video games, promotion, mastering etc and that's managed to pay the bills so far...
I think that's an important step in making music work as a living. No one will make enough money to live on when they start out by just producing or gigs. It will happen as they get established but if you can get your finger in as many pies as possible, that will really help out in the meantime!

When I feel uninspired I'll normally just go digging for records or listen to music old and new. I find listening to different music from what I make somehow inspires me to make tunes. I have awful dry spells sometimes for weeks at a time.

[akira kiteshi]

Why was boom n pow on red vinyl? Looks dope and thanks for doing this.

Now worries man

The reason Boom n Pow was on red vinyl was because I wanted it on blue but Blue Daisy released his record on blue vinyl before mine so I had to have red haha!....true story!

[Mad_EP]

I do apologise (see - even yielding to the British spelling to show my humility) for being a wanker first time around... it is just that Tommy is a good friend and good friends are hard NOT to fuck with (same goes with all my classical cats, hiphop cats etc)...


But I will put forth a serious question because it isn't even for the masses, I personally want to know.

I know you resample the shit out of your bass - and it shows in the very best possible way. ...but your beats are even more remarkable because they sound familiar but different. On the one hand, they sound like normal 808 & 909 hits (with a few Amen and more breaks thrown in for good measure).... but they really punch out in a way that very FEW people can hold claim to. Do you find it is more from outboard processing (compressors and 1/4" tape saturation) of familiar sounds or are you layering your hits - 909 kicks with some Amen or otherwise funk break for extra punch and then bus compressing them together?

This is a common thread throughout all your productions (Akira Kiteshi, Icarus, Matchstickmen, and more)... so I have to ask.


Many thanks my friend...

[akira kiteshi]

I do apologise (see - even yielding to the British spelling to show my humility) for being a wanker first time around... it is just that Tommy is a good friend and good friends are hard NOT to fuck with (same goes with all my classical cats, hiphop cats etc)...


But I will put forth a serious question because it isn't even for the masses, I personally want to know.

I know you resample the shit out of your bass - and it shows in the very best possible way. ...but your beats are even more remarkable because they sound familiar but different. On the one hand, they sound like normal 808 & 909 hits (with a few Amen and more breaks thrown in for good measure).... but they really punch out in a way that very FEW people can hold claim to. Do you find it is more from outboard processing (compressors and 1/4" tape saturation) of familiar sounds or are you layering your hits - 909 kicks with some Amen or otherwise funk break for extra punch and then bus compressing them together?

This is a common thread throughout all your productions (Akira Kiteshi, Icarus, Matchstickmen, and more)... so I have to ask.


Many thanks my friend...

Trying to steal the recipe for my secret hot sauce matty???!!!! I'm not telling you a god damn thing!!!!.....

But since you asked.....

It's kind of a combination of all of the above. The main ways I get my kicks (and snares) to punch through is to layer them, sometimes the mid/high layers are from amens and old breaks, something with a bit of grit, then I compress and eq each layer so that each one has it's place in the mix, then I bounce it down to a single sample. Sometimes I'll stick it to tape for a little added warmth.
If it's still not punching through enough I will stick a limiter on the kick. That works wonders! Another good tip is to set up a compressor with a slower attack than the release time for some super punch! If it's still not working, try other samples.
In the mix I always stick a high pass filter on the kick up to about 40-50hz and a lowpass filter to cut unnecessary highs, and I always sidechain the kick to the bass, not so it goes all Eric Prydz, just enough so that the two aren't conflicting with each other. maybe about 5-3dB reduction.

There you have it....

[Mad_EP]

Sweet - recipe for special sauce stolen.... now to sell on EBay...

Hhahahah.



But seriously, reason I ask is I know that at least for myself (and probably others on here), I sometimes don't put in all those efforts for each individual hit - def for the drum buss, but by that point it can be too late. Getting each and every sound completely banging before it is even brought to the table is huge. Something that I always assumed I should be doing more of, but hadn't gotten around to yet.

Great technique once again confirmed. Thanks buddy.

[Sharmaji]

5) I wouldn't root for either as I would be too busy making sun ra style free jazz with my vuvuzela

Finally, someone who gets it.


In all seriousness tho-- the Akira Kiteshi tunes are some of the most consistently fresh, inspiring, WTF--laden juice biscuits that come across my promo inbox. always a pleasure playing them out and seeing people's faces get twisted-- big ups.

And that 45bpm rmx of MadEP's joint-- fire.

[FSTZ]

no real questions except...

who wrote your bio?? It's probably the most well written one I've seen in a long time

other than that, thanks for your contribution to the music we all love

[akira kiteshi]

5) I wouldn't root for either as I would be too busy making sun ra style free jazz with my vuvuzela

Finally, someone who gets it.


In all seriousness tho-- the Akira Kiteshi tunes are some of the most consistently fresh, inspiring, WTF--laden juice biscuits that come across my promo inbox. always a pleasure playing them out and seeing people's faces get twisted-- big ups.

And that 45bpm rmx of MadEP's joint-- fire.

Thanks man! Glad you're feeling my stuff!

[akira kiteshi]

no real questions except...

who wrote your bio?? It's probably the most well written one I've seen in a long time

other than that, thanks for your contribution to the music we all love

Thanks man!

Ian from Black Acre records did my bio. I'm shit at that sort of thing and he can write some crazy stuff haha!

[kontrol]

Akira Kiteshi - scone or scgone?

[Depone]

Akira Kiteshi - scone or scgone?

Dont you mean..

Scoooneee or Scone

[akira kiteshi]

Hahahaha!

[Disco Nutter]

Where do you see yourself heading in the next 5 years in music?

Also when you process material for basses, how do you work? By adding little fx at each step, or sticking a big bad evil distortion at it? How often do you resample a sound on average?

Do you always know where your track is going when you start making it or does it end up being completely different from what you imagined OR you never imagined it, it just came about?



Cheers!

PS Two days left guys, get your questions in before this one ends. Akira Kiteshi is one hell of a producer.

[Depone]

Hahahaha!

I have to get a devon cream tea soon! Badmens

[HicksPhonix]

Thanx for doing this Q&A Akira!

I just have two questions:

1. WHAT FAR FAR FAR GALAXY DO YOU COME FROM??
2. CAN I GO INTO YOUR SPACESHIP WITH YOU NEXT TIME YOU TAKE A FLIGHT TO THAT PLACE??

In my eyes your one of the most amazing and inovative producer outhere in music land. The sounds go to far bro..
I pondered and pondered.. and now i know: Your not human

lol