Dutch producer Kilder has long been carving out a unique space in the electronic scene, blending emotional nuance with dance floor energy. But with his newly released EP ‘Dusk Till Dawn’, he’s stepping into a bold new era that transitions from a successful indie dance and songwriting era that has earned him 12M streams to his name, to one marked by full creative control, a return to his club roots, and a renewed sense of artistic freedom. We caught up with him from his Amsterdam studio to talk about the journey behind the project, the liberating feeling of going independent, and what it means to truly find your sound, even if it takes a few detours to get there.
Hi Kilder! Thank you for speaking with us, where in the world are you today?
Hey! Thanks for having me. Right now I’m in my home studio in Amsterdam.
How would you describe your sound to someone hearing your music for the first time?
I always find that quite a hard one, but right now especially with my newer music I would describe it as something like energetic emotional club music.
You’ve described your upcoming EP ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ coming to life after taking a break and figuring out which direction you wanted to go in. What led to that pause, and how did it help you figure out your next steps creatively?
Before working on this project my music was a bit more songwriting-led and I’d say a bit more indie electronic as well. I felt like I kind of grew out of that sound. I also broke up with my previous team, and at the same time I wasn’t sure where I wanted to take the project. So I kind of hit a wall for a while. Instead of forcing it, I just let it go and put the pressure off making music just to see what kind sounds I naturally started to gravitate. Everything that happened in that period was kind of like a blessing in disguise as now I’m feeling very confident with my current sound and trajectory. It helped a lot with discovering my next steps creatively.
What inspired you to explore more club and rave sounds on this new EP?
So during that break I was making a lot of different music in all kinds of genres, but noticed I naturally gravitated to club/dance music more, which is also where it all started for me when starting out producing for fun. I kind of got back to that 2010s dance era where a lot of my influences these days come from. Besides that, over the last years I felt like the electronic music space has become so exciting and so versatile, it’s at the best place it’s ever been in my opinion, it felt like a natural and exciting progression to lean into that more.
This is your first fully independent release. How does it feel to have complete creative control and responsibility over the EP?
It’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done. It feels really empowering to have full creative control and do whatever I want. And to see that the music does connect with people makes it even more fulfilling. It’s probably the one thing I did in my life that elevated my happiness overall in life.
You’ve called this EP your most personal and rewarding yet, what about it feels so personal to you compared to other projects?
Well as said before, the full creative freedom, making the project, releasing it independently on my own terms made it feel very rewarding. Being able to put a project like this out on my own without a label and having people connect to it is just very rewarding as an artist. It really pushes you to keep making art, seeing that people genuinely connect with it. And besides that, going back to my dance and rave roots on this project made it very authentic.
You’ve worked with a broad spectrum of artists, from Issey Cross to LYAM. Do those collaborations influence your own solo work, and what do you look for in a creative partner?
Yes absolutely. My project has always been very influenced by collaborating, and I still do it very often. You can bring someone else’s world into your world, and you can go into theirs. That’s one of the greatest things about music in my opinion. What I mostly look for in a creative partner is someone that I am a real fan of their work, and they are of mine. If you don’t really like each other’s work, it won’t be an authentic song I think.
Any artists that influenced this EP in particular and if so, what have you taken from their approaches that resonates with your own journey right now?
The artists that influenced this EP for me are definitely Interplanetary Criminal, KETTAMA and Jamie XX. All 3 of those are masters at combining club and melodics in a very tasteful way, but also keeping it a bit raw. That’s definitely what resonates with me currently.
What does a perfect ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ set or night out look like in your head? Where are we, and what’s the vibe?
That would definitely be in my hometown in Amsterdam, with friends. Starting maybe at my place, spinning some tunes then moving into the city and see where it ends up. It always ends up being most fun when it’s unpredictable.
What advice would you give fellow producers who are still trying to find their feet sonically or apprehensive of experimenting with and moving into different genres?
I would say ignore everything and anyone and create as much music as you can to see what you naturally gravitate to. And be flexible. You don’t really need to know your exact thing right now, it’s better to just move and grow into it in my opinion than to sit around waiting for it to come.
What is coming up next for Kilder? Are there any further projects or upcoming shows you can share with us right now?
I just came back from a writing trip in London where I made around 16 new songs. So I have a lot of music coming up after this, and I can assure it will definitely be club. We’re also working on new dj shows right now, so more to share later.