Kennedy

Interview & Guest Mix

Kennedy is a true pioneer of the New Zealand electronic music scene so it’s a treat to catch up and chat about everything from his early DJing days to production, creativity and snow days. He describes his musical style as ranging from deep to tech to garage, and talks about his production setup, the creative process, his label, Deep and Under Records, and its growth with the help of fellow producers. He looks forward to upcoming collaborations and live performances and reflects on his passion for music and the inspiration he finds in his surroundings that brought us together for this interview.

Good to catch up Gene and fire some questions at one of the pioneers of NZ electronic music! You’ve had one hell of a history in the scene, so let’s go right back to the start… where did it begin for you?

1993… I was 23 and talked to an outdoor small festival..well Dance Party in those days with a new set of friends I had made at Zippys Cafe in Nelson, there was Trancs and Fire dance. I was hooked.

By the 2000’s you were DJ’ing all over the country - what were the highlights of those days?

I did a tour in 2004 as DJ Genetic with a cd I produced called Engineered .It was an all NZ line up on it including Dick Johnson, Greg Churchil, Minuit, Max Maxwell and it was an amazing time with a great group of friends.

Favourite places to DJ back then in NZ? Best crowd, sound systems?

Three places stand out to me. Late in the Nine Bar in Wellington and always Bath St in Dunedin, JD had the most killer rig at Bath St Martin sound and we were all on vinyl in these days of course. Then in Auckland there is Ink Bar and that is always a joy. We will be heading back there this year with a label night.

What prompted the move from DJ’ing to production?

Hanging out with Dick and Ryan (Serpico ) who is one third of Minuit. That studio environment called me :)

Which do you see yourself as most - a DJ or a producer?

I am a producer first nowadays I guess but I love to Dj !

How would you describe your musical style?

I swing from Deep to Tech to Garage really. I am a House guy no doubt.

You’ve dabbled in a few different genres of sound over the years, do you find they allow you to express a different you, beyond just an alias?

Yes, that’s for certain, the Gene K stuff was a good learning ground of production..The Kennedy stuff is a lot more refined I think - like anything though it’s time in the saddle.

As a producer - how do you find inspiration for new music?

I like sounds, and sound design. I am inspired by my peers and the world around me, I am a hair stylist. My wife in an artist so there is inspiration all around me daily.

What’s your production set up?

I use NI Maschine and my Peak synth as my idea and sound design sketch pad. I arrange in Studio One and mix using Analog heat, Audeze MM500 headphones and Subpac. Plugs I love and use are Sound toys, Slate Digital, Realphones (studio emulation software).

How do you work in the studio - do you plan tracks or just go in and work something out there?

I have definite time for things, creation times, arrange times and mix down time slots. I would usually have three projects at different stages on the go so if I wasn’t feeling a mix down then perhaps an arrangement is the thing to get to sort of thing. That said I nearly always start with a drum and bass groove when creating a new track and then flow it out with a vibe in mind. I had made my own drum hits over the years and bass patches also that are starting points. I think this is fairly common practice for modern producers.

You set up Deep and Under Records back in 2015, what was the aim then and now for the label?

Dick and I started the label to release our own stuff and had thought to bring in other Kiwi like minded souls. With both of us having families and busy lives it started well but slowed after the first year to just time that we had. I took the lead mostly with the label but I also needed a real profile so concentrated on getting out on larger labels to and developing contacts. It’s a slow grind.

What is ahead for the label?

With Ryan on board we have twice the in-house output and Ryan is a skilled engineer doing all the masters helps costs hugely. We have reached out to a handful of great producers and have some killer releases lined up and this year is looking like the growth is continuing for us. Traxsource has really come to the party for us and really that’s from me working hard and getting seen.

You’ve released on some quality labels like - Paper Recordings, King St, Nite Grooves, Delve Deeper, Oh So Coy and more - given you run a label what do you look for in a label for your own productions?

I look for a label that gets solid support from the major download sites and often with producers I respect and know from their work or personally.

It’s a great to see a group of Kiwi producers on this ‘Wild Army - Vol. 7’ release - can we expect more collabs from this group do you think?

I have both max and Marcos on my label and hope to have them on again, so yes here’s hoping. This all came about because I liked ‘Piece of the Puzzle” from Marcos. It wasn’t something I could release and I knew Ben would like it. I remixed it and sent hit to him, he loved them both and suggested we look for a few more tracks for a Wild Army and the rest is history :)

How does tackling a remix differ from your own production?

To be honest I approach remixes a similar way, get the groove going with the parts and feel the force - haha.

What is on the cards for the year ahead for you?

Ryan and I are building a live set using MPC Lives and plan on reaching out to festivals next summer and also some gigs with the laundry crew in Wellington. Keep on making tracks and focus on great production and groove. Sticking to my sound that I am developing. Out of the studio - keeping my salon pumping, my family close and days in the snow are a must!

And finally, you’re dropping a guest mix for us, what can people look forward to in that?

I have rolled out mostly my own recent productions sprinkled with our Duo (Serpico & Kennedy) stuff and Serpico bits. Starting with my Paper release nice and quirky into our Garage sound, to quite tech and back to the deep sounds. It’s a nice little hour ride.

Where can people follow you?

Soundcloud

Traxsource

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Kennedy

Interview & Guest Mix

Kennedy is a true pioneer of the New Zealand electronic music scene so it’s a treat to catch up and chat about everything from his early DJing days to production, creativity and snow days. He describes his musical style as ranging from deep to tech to garage, and talks about his production setup, the creative process, his label, Deep and Under Records, and its growth with the help of fellow producers. He looks forward to upcoming collaborations and live performances and reflects on his passion for music and the inspiration he finds in his surroundings that brought us together for this interview.

Good to catch up Gene and fire some questions at one of the pioneers of NZ electronic music! You’ve had one hell of a history in the scene, so let’s go right back to the start… where did it begin for you?

1993… I was 23 and talked to an outdoor small festival..well Dance Party in those days with a new set of friends I had made at Zippys Cafe in Nelson, there was Trancs and Fire dance. I was hooked.

By the 2000’s you were DJ’ing all over the country - what were the highlights of those days?

I did a tour in 2004 as DJ Genetic with a cd I produced called Engineered .It was an all NZ line up on it including Dick Johnson, Greg Churchil, Minuit, Max Maxwell and it was an amazing time with a great group of friends.

Favourite places to DJ back then in NZ? Best crowd, sound systems?

Three places stand out to me. Late in the Nine Bar in Wellington and always Bath St in Dunedin, JD had the most killer rig at Bath St Martin sound and we were all on vinyl in these days of course. Then in Auckland there is Ink Bar and that is always a joy. We will be heading back there this year with a label night.

What prompted the move from DJ’ing to production?

Hanging out with Dick and Ryan (Serpico ) who is one third of Minuit. That studio environment called me :)

Which do you see yourself as most - a DJ or a producer?

I am a producer first nowadays I guess but I love to Dj !

How would you describe your musical style?

I swing from Deep to Tech to Garage really. I am a House guy no doubt.

You’ve dabbled in a few different genres of sound over the years, do you find they allow you to express a different you, beyond just an alias?

Yes, that’s for certain, the Gene K stuff was a good learning ground of production..The Kennedy stuff is a lot more refined I think - like anything though it’s time in the saddle.

As a producer - how do you find inspiration for new music?

I like sounds, and sound design. I am inspired by my peers and the world around me, I am a hair stylist. My wife in an artist so there is inspiration all around me daily.

What’s your production set up?

I use NI Maschine and my Peak synth as my idea and sound design sketch pad. I arrange in Studio One and mix using Analog heat, Audeze MM500 headphones and Subpac. Plugs I love and use are Sound toys, Slate Digital, Realphones (studio emulation software).

How do you work in the studio - do you plan tracks or just go in and work something out there?

I have definite time for things, creation times, arrange times and mix down time slots. I would usually have three projects at different stages on the go so if I wasn’t feeling a mix down then perhaps an arrangement is the thing to get to sort of thing. That said I nearly always start with a drum and bass groove when creating a new track and then flow it out with a vibe in mind. I had made my own drum hits over the years and bass patches also that are starting points. I think this is fairly common practice for modern producers.

You set up Deep and Under Records back in 2015, what was the aim then and now for the label?

Dick and I started the label to release our own stuff and had thought to bring in other Kiwi like minded souls. With both of us having families and busy lives it started well but slowed after the first year to just time that we had. I took the lead mostly with the label but I also needed a real profile so concentrated on getting out on larger labels to and developing contacts. It’s a slow grind.

What is ahead for the label?

With Ryan on board we have twice the in-house output and Ryan is a skilled engineer doing all the masters helps costs hugely. We have reached out to a handful of great producers and have some killer releases lined up and this year is looking like the growth is continuing for us. Traxsource has really come to the party for us and really that’s from me working hard and getting seen.

You’ve released on some quality labels like - Paper Recordings, King St, Nite Grooves, Delve Deeper, Oh So Coy and more - given you run a label what do you look for in a label for your own productions?

I look for a label that gets solid support from the major download sites and often with producers I respect and know from their work or personally.

It’s a great to see a group of Kiwi producers on this ‘Wild Army - Vol. 7’ release - can we expect more collabs from this group do you think?

I have both max and Marcos on my label and hope to have them on again, so yes here’s hoping. This all came about because I liked ‘Piece of the Puzzle” from Marcos. It wasn’t something I could release and I knew Ben would like it. I remixed it and sent hit to him, he loved them both and suggested we look for a few more tracks for a Wild Army and the rest is history :)

How does tackling a remix differ from your own production?

To be honest I approach remixes a similar way, get the groove going with the parts and feel the force - haha.

What is on the cards for the year ahead for you?

Ryan and I are building a live set using MPC Lives and plan on reaching out to festivals next summer and also some gigs with the laundry crew in Wellington. Keep on making tracks and focus on great production and groove. Sticking to my sound that I am developing. Out of the studio - keeping my salon pumping, my family close and days in the snow are a must!

And finally, you’re dropping a guest mix for us, what can people look forward to in that?

I have rolled out mostly my own recent productions sprinkled with our Duo (Serpico & Kennedy) stuff and Serpico bits. Starting with my Paper release nice and quirky into our Garage sound, to quite tech and back to the deep sounds. It’s a nice little hour ride.

Where can people follow you?

Soundcloud

Traxsource