Born in France, working all over the world and living in Slovenia. Kris Kylven is a producer, DJ and electronic drummer. For almost two decades, he has been working with various electronic genres, from goth industrial, through psy trance to techno and performing live music.
Trends in electronic music Chris Kylven creates, not merely follows them. Z Bojan Vukič Zwook founded a group KaliWood, with the help of which they will add a new dimension to psy trance events.
How did electronics become your passion?
From an early age. I had an uncle who worked on a ship. Every time he went on the road, he let me use very good sound equipment and vinyl records. So I was exposed to the music of Kraftwerk, Vangelis... I was also a big fan of the movie Star Wars. I was also exposed to film music from an early age. I had records of bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath as well as James Brown, The Doors, as well as my grandmother's vinyl records of classical music such as Johann Strauss, to which we danced the waltz. Already in my very early childhood, I acquired a kind of musical breadth that accompanies me to this day. We didn't have a radio. I enjoyed the world of my uncle's vinyls, which I devotedly cared for. Zwook really likes John Carpenter because he did everything himself. From production, direction, to music. Which David Lynch does too. There is a new generation of people who can perform and combine several creative fields at the same time. It is with this combination that Zwook and I play in our new KaliWood project. It is the name of our new band, which will perform live sets at parties that we will organize ourselves.
Slovenia is your creative and location base. How did this happen?
Before that, I lived and worked in Finland for ten years. I met and worked with bands like Him, The 69 Eyes... My roommate at the time was Slovenian and at one point she suggested that I go on tour in Slovenia and the Balkans, as the scene here is quite well developed. I thought the idea was good. My manager arranged a tour for me. The rest is history. A few days after my arrival in Slovenia, I met my current partner and the mother of my daughter. It's been seven years since. Very soon I also met Zwook here. That day was etched in my memory forever, as I played the music despite the excruciating pain I felt after the tattoo. My partner and I came up with the same tattoos on the stomach area, which is known to hurt a lot. I met Zwook in the company of good music, pain and great energy, which accompanies us even today. I will never forget our meeting.
I perceive music as a collage, as a painting masterpiece, where you add different colors, in my case sounds, in order to make a creation that will touch people.
What does it take to work well between DJs?
A while ago I was much more into music production and techno music. I wasn't into trance and psytrance that much, despite DJ mag giving me a nickname Motorhead of Psytrance. But hanging out with Zwook kept calling me to these waters. Over the years, we realized that we have the same taste in music selection and outlook. We were fans of each other and soon became friends. Technology has also changed during our time together. Collaboration and creation are now much easier because of this.
What is the "process" of making music for you?
The main thing is the idea. You have to find it. If you visualize what you want to achieve with the music, then you can make a great piece. This is exactly why I like remixes, because the original idea is already there. I add my own stamp to this. It's hard to get a really good idea over the years. Making music is like cooking. I stick to the rule of adding new elements to enrich the music, as we can do with spices in cooking. I perceive music as a collage, as a painting masterpiece, where you add different colors, in my case sounds, to make a masterpiece that will touch people.
You say you're an electronic drummer. What is the difference between an electronic and a "standard" drummer?
When you put a drummer behind an electronic drum kit, you find that they are playing it with difficulty. I've been lucky enough to work with great drummers in my work. Most of them, despite their talent and skill, had difficulty following the rhythm of the machine. With electronic drums, there is no organic vibration of the drums. You have to be very accurate and precise in playing. "Standard" drums play you. You can always connect to their frequency. You can cheat in some way, adjust the rhythm to the current situation. Electronic drums are relentless in this regard. You must always be punctual. On electronic drums, you can program a lot of different cymbal sounds, different drums... which you can then use in your sets, which gives you a kind of breadth.
You will be working with Ben Watkins from the legendary band Juno Reactor, who, among other things, also covered the music for the last two parts of the cult Matrix trilogy. How did the collaboration come about?
Our paths have crossed for many years in the field of work, but I did not know him personally. I met him when I was remixing their hit song. He really liked this one. He called me on the phone and we ended the conversation a good hour later. In between we talked about music. Which ones do we like, which bass players do we appreciate, which bass lines work and when... Later we met and from that a collaboration was born. So I will follow him in Poland with his project The Juno Project, but before that it will Ben stopped in Gromki on Metelkova on the first day of March.
You can view the event announcement here.
Does cooperation with Juno Reactor carry additional pressure?
It's a challenge for me. Music is very complex. It ranges from techno, industrial through trance to classic tracks. It is also very demanding for a drummer, as you have to be constantly present and punctual. What excites me about Juno Reactor is the interesting mix of musical genres. Above all, I am glad that I met Ben and that we became friends.
Is there a philosophy of trance music and if so, what is it?
I was never a hippie myself. I'm a rocker at heart. On stage, it is important to me that we play harmoniously and with a lot of energy. Often our listeners behave as if they are at a rock concert and not at a party. Zwook has a nice thought about this, saying that the first sound we hear in life is the beating of our mother's heart. The rhythm soothes us already in the womb. Dance is also an expression that is unique to each individual. When you dance with your heart, you are talking to yourself in a way. It is a kind of auto-therapy. The question that all musicians deal with is how to create music that will convince people and make them want to dance. Dance and rhythm were present in our culture long before language and served as a means of communication between us.
