Interview: Seven Questions For Melbourne's Kllo

Melbourne indie-electronic artists Kllo are hitting New Zealand hard, with Red Bull Music Presents shows lined up for Wellington's Meow tonight and at Auckland's Galatos on Saturday. We caught up with the rising star duo of cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam who generously took time out from a hectic international touring schedule to answer a few questions via email. They dropped their acclaimed debut album Backwater last year and are playing this weekend alongside über-talented locals Jack Berry, Borrowed cs, Imugi and Hugo Jay. Introduce yourself to the dancefloor-focussed duo and listen to their latest single 'Potential' below...

1. You released your new single 'Potential' last month, can you talk about the ideas you’re exploring with the song?

We were met with so much self-resistance while making our album, we really just wanted to have something immediate and straightforward for our next track. 'Potential' still has the nostalgia and emotion that we seem to just do naturally, but it feels nice to push into that space with some form of certainty. I think we're exploring our confidence as people rather than exploring new sonics deliberately.

2. How would you describe Kllo's sound?

Experimental pop music? It's a hard one to pin point because we're always changing our direction.

3. Are there other Melbourne artists that you feel a kinship with?

We have a tight knit group of creative friends in Melbourne. There's a real sense of support here, we're all taking little bits from each other and yet so encouraging to one another. It doesn't feel competitive or destructive, that really helps us to keep level headed.

4. You've been releasing music together since 2014 - did you face any challenges in recording last year's debut album Backwater?

There were many challenges with releasing our debut album. We had a deadline to meet, as we'd already booked a tour to support the release of the album that wasn't yet finished, so that created a lot of tension there. We spent much of our time trying to turn songs into something they weren't and we've learnt a lot from that. It's important for us to remember to stay true, or we tend to loop in circles and over do things. It's something we're very mindful of for the next album.

5. Simon, you've talked about coming from an experimental music background, how do you harness that impulse within Kllo?

I feel like the way we begin a song is still the same as when I made more experimental stuff. We rarely start with chords and melody, we give those things a lot of attention later in the process, but not really at the very start. Beginning a track is still just searching for a sound, mucking around until something presents a concept. Each track is the result of a new technique, like a new way of sampling, a new synth sound. If I sit down and try something I've done before, nothing will come to me. I think experimentation is the only way I can write with any interest, its time consuming, but worth it.

6. What's inspiring your music right now?

We just got back from touring the US, which has immensely impacted our direction for the moment. The work ethic over there is insane. You can't really afford to slack off or you get lost, opposed to the relaxed nature that we're lucky to have over here in Australia. We couldn't see ourselves living there just yet, but we do really admire the change of pace over there. We found LA to have a very distinct sound, we took some parts back home with us, but we try not to get too sucked into that world.

7. What can local audiences expect from Kllo's shows this weekend?

A whole new set :) Including a couple of unreleased songs in the mix.