story by Cliff Berru and Spencer Lokken
photo by Alexander
Miss Kittin's career is symbolic of the blossoming nature of a wildflower.
With the appropriate stimuli and conditions, the flower will continue
to develop into a spectacle of beauty and strength. Early in her career,
Kittin's fetal enthusiasm motivated her to absorb musical stimulus
and manage it within, subconsciously beginning her quest in life.
She began optimistically, with no particular goal other than to transcend
her previous work.
Kittin's success can be attributed to her passion for spinning records
and her ability to communicate naturally with other artists in the
industry. She offers a different approach than most DJs by lending
a dynamic vocal technique - comparable to the accented beauty of Miho
Hatori and the raw intensity of electro queen Nikola Kuperus - to
her tracks and tracks by other artists interested in collaborating
with this female powerhouse. It was her telepathic bond with The Hacker
through a slew of recordings that broke the interface between the
DJ and the vocalist for her. Kittin has a basis in electro, but her
interest is as progressive as her music.
Chicago Innerview developed questions for Kittin (a.k.a. Caroline
Herve) to respond back to via e-mail. Her busy schedule prevented
us from interacting over the phone, but Kittin blessed us with a deep
analysis of her character nonetheless. We began by asking her about
her inspirations:
|
KITTIN'S INNER VIEW
|
|
"Some people always go on holidays
to the same place every year, while I think there´s
too many countries to discover. It doesn´t matter
anyway, you should do what you feel, and not [worry about]
being judged for it."
|
|
 |
Chicago Innerview: Growing up around so many different kinds of music,
can you tell me about your first experiences with electronic music,
and the excitement you initially felt at the first parties you attended?
Miss Kittin: I met these DJs in our hometown club and they said there´s
next week a rave where they will play. We went there with all my friends,
included The Hacker, and it was a blast. Imagine, you´re a small
town kid, and you end in a place where it´s crazy loud music
and everybody is high and dancing, talking to you...We went to the
after hours in a village and all the normal people having their Sunday
afternoon walk were scared of us... The following years were full
of crazy moments like that.
CI: Tell me a little bit about what attracted you to actually being
in control of the crowd (ie, DJing), and not just a part of the crowd.
Kittin: I didn´t start to DJ because of that, and still, I
think it´s not a positive way to see it like that. I see it
more like sharing my vibes through records of other people. It´s
a weird balance between making people dance and having fun yourself.
I try to feel them and challenge myself at the same time. I´m
not in their mind anyway, and thanks I am not, otherwise it would
be fascist.
CI: Talk to me about being introduced to DJ Hell. It seems he was
completely enthralled with the music you were making in the earlier
years. Did you expect such a response?
Kittin: Not at all. I met him in a party in France summer '96, and
we spent then one week together at David Carreta´s house in
the countryside. He asked me if I was making music, and at that time
I just had a tape with 808 loops I did in Geneva. He asked for more
as he was starting Gigolo. I called The Hacker and we did Frank Sinatra,
sent it on a tape and thought, 'if he likes it we can do more,' like
'let´s see if he´s crazy enough...' He was, so we did
six tracks more and released it our first EP, Champagne.
CI: How about your relationship with The Hacker, and the first album
you made with him, touring, etc.?
Kittin: We didn´t know each other well at all, just party friends.
We grew together then, on tour especially. Now we are like brother
and sister, an old couple kind of. The more we work separately, the
more we miss each other, so we can say with time we got closer and
closer. He will stay my perfect alter ego in composing.
CI: Would you rather be known for your voice or your DJing abilities?
Did you expect such success out of your collaborations with Felix
[Da Housecat]?
Kittin: I don´t care to be known. I care about being respected
from the people I admire, for sure. It´s normal people know
me more for my voice than DJing 'cause productions touch more than
a DJ set. But I was a DJ first, and will always stay so. Of course
I didn´t expect any success, with The Hacker or with Felix,
as I went to the studio with them to have fun, to share a creative
moment. If I was thinking about any consequences, maybe I wouldn´t
have done it that way - my collaborating choices would have been more
obvious. As Felix truly said, 'I love music but I hate the business.'
CI: Your DJ sets are wildly eclectic. It seems to me that too many
jocks stick to one genre of music and are almost afraid to enter new
territory. Why is being versatile so important to you?
Kittin: Because that´s the way I am. Some people always go
on holidays to the same place every year, while I think there´s
too many countries to discover. It doesn´t matter anyway, you
should do what you feel, and not [worry about] being judged for it.
CI: You've said before that you don't play for your audience, but
rather, for yourself. I wish more DJs would adopt this attitude. How
do you prepare for what you're going to play during your DJ sets?
Is it dependent on the crowd size, the other DJs spinning that night,
the venue, or just something inside of you?
Kittin: I don´t carry a lot of records, I like to be limited.
It´s again a challenge to do with what you have in your box,
so I can play anywhere, in any conditions. I always have some Chicago
house, electro, breakbeat, minimal stuff, classic tunes, with a techno
base. Maybe I have a sixth sense, but I more or less always know what
to expect, and I often play in locations I know.
CI: Tell me what you think of the electro-clash phase we saw a few
years back.
Kittin: It´s a question I will always have to reply to, all
my life, like 'women in macho music world blah blah blah...' The Hacker
and I were doing music before this word appeared, then the journalists
put us in there. I won´t deny it, but I do not care at all.
Whatever, electro-clash, electro-pop, I really don't care. I am simply
doing what I like, no matter what people say or think, which does
not mean I don't respect them. When I look back, the so called electro-clash
meant more to me the kitsch side of something that was not electro
at all. Electro for me is Aux 88, Drexcyia, I-F, Le Car, Anthony Rother,
or things like the label Satamile in New York right now. Electro clash
in general didn´t have the dark side I am into.
CI: What are your thoughts on downloading music?
Kittin: Why not? I am for the freedom of exchange in general, when
it´s done with respect. I have the chance not to live from record
sales but from DJing, so I am cool with it. If it wasn´t the
case I would surely be more worried…
CI: What's your favorite piece of equipment and why? Do you have
any records that absolutely never leave your crate?
Kittin: I would say my computer, because I can make music wherever
I am. Of course I always have special records in my box, like at least
one Plastikman, some obscure electro track, and classics I change
from time to time.
CI: What do you listen to when you're not on the job?
Kittin: Dead can Dance at the moment. Also Probot, Distillers, Turbonegro,
Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age.
CI: Chicago loves you and we're incredibly excited to have you back
this month. You used to do parties for Mike Dearborn here years ago.
Tell me about your first few times playing here.
Kittin: It was crazy. I was just a beginner, he played with me once
in France, I did the warm up, he asked for my contact. I couldn´t
believe it when he called, I even took him for someone else. I stayed
at his friends', super nice girls in a house, everything was perfect.
He really took care of me. I can say he´s my godfather in Chicago
for that. That party, he also invited Monika Kruse, who I became friends
with and who is now one of the most famous female techno DJs too.
So he was a visionary!
Miss Kittin will play at Sound-Bar July 22.