Khamsin & LeMarquis
Leaving (feat. Saavan)
Khamsin has got it going on. He just released his “Leaving” collaboration alongside LeMarquis and Saavan that hosts the title for his EP, and he’s got an official remix coming out for ZHU by the end of the year.
Luckily, we caught up with the French producer in the dojo to answer a few of our questions ahead of the Holiday season. Before we get to the interview, let’s focus in on his EP’s title track, “Leaving,” which is currently out now on iTunes, alongside three other tracks. “Leaving” is a cool future bass record whose acoustic elements set it apart from the vast majority of similar tunes. Once your ears become privy to its lush tones, you’ll know exactly what we mean. Have a listen while you read through the short, but insightful Q&A we had the honor of hosting with Khamsin.
TMN: Can you tell us more about your origins as a producer? When did you first start producing and did you have any musical experience before that?
K: I’ve been into music production like 3 or 4 years ago thanks to a friend from high school. We started DJ’ing in my bedroom with a mask and post it on Youtube (Good old times ! Ahah), then he showed me a few how to create sounds from a computer. It was a kind of weird feeling for me, I was happy and excited about all the possibilities a DAW can afford and frustrated to not knowing that much at the same time. I started playing with sample & VST and I never followed any tutorials, I prefer discover myself to create my own workflow & tips.
I tried to learn guitar a few years before but I gave up (and I regret!). Today, I’m learning slowly but surely the piano & the drums.
TMN: Can you tell us more about where you’re from? What kind of music were your friends and other around you listening to when you were growing up?
K: I’m from a small village in south of France and I now live in Paris. I’ve been A LOT into Pop & Rock music as a teen with my friends, I remember listening to a lot of Red Hot Chili Peepers, Arctic Monkeys, The Verve, Oasis & also bands like Sum 41, Blink 182, Gorillaz… Then I discovered electronic music with Daft Punk, Justice & Ratatat. Apart of this, I have a strong love for RNB Classics & Classical music thanks to my Mom & Grandmother
TMN: I love how your music showcases elements of electronic, pop, and rock. How did you come to develop the current sound you have?
Thank you! I’m glad that you’re feeling all of these colors in my music. This was one of the main challenge around this EP, to build something that mix this future bass trend and some personal influences. As I said before, I have a Pop Rock background and I think it impact my music today more thane ever. I’m currently looking to get out of my comfort zone for the next project and melt more & more influences. I want to create a real identity around this project, a music & visual identity that’ll be the fruit of my experiences & what people attempt live.
TMN: Do you have any other upcoming remixes or collaborations we can look forward to?
K: I’m actually working on few new originals and as I said before I’m experimenting a lot of things with drums, synth, weird effects to find my own sound, something that fit with my vision of the project. In the meantime, I got two remixes coming out soon. I’m really excited about the remix I did for ZHU. It will be out by the end of the year, I just can’t wait to show it to you guys!
TMN: Do you have plans to tour anytime soon?
K: I’d love to, it’s in the plan for next year hopefully, I’ll still doing DJ sets for now, but I will start with my live set soon. With synth, drums & midi controllers, it’s a lot of work but damn I love doing this !
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