Fiona Kraft has developed a distinctive style by blending an afro-house vibe and tight progressive beats with euphoric breaks. Her unique sound has led to opportunities to share decks with some of the biggest names in electronic music, including Black Coffee, Guy Gerber, Dj Tennis, Kolsch, Blond:ish and Miss Kittin. This year, Fiona Kraft has played at Fabric in London, Black Coffee’s opening party at Hi Ibiza, Watergate with Sven Vath in Berlin, Caprices Festival in Switzerland, Untold Festival in Romania and Woomoon in Ibiza just to name a few. We spoke to her recently to find out more about what’s to come…
Hey Fiona, lovely to chat with you! How is your summer going so far?
Everything is going pretty well, I alternate my gigs and I work on my music when I have time… I am in full research, listening to a lot of music from different genres to be inspired in my future musical projects. Let’s say summer is a phase of inspiration for me.
Does it change the mood of the music you make and play?
For sure! It changes a lot especially because the environment around me is changing very fast. This year I’m doing many things for the first time in my life and that all is very exciting. It all influences me both how I play and how I write. It gives me the edge.
Where do you start on a new tune? Always the same place ie bass, melodies, or somewhere else?
I always think about the melodies, no matter what I do… When some melody sticks with me I record it on Iphone and then when I’m in studio I start to build around that. Maybe do piano line or bass first. It often starts like that.
Are you making music for a certain audience, club, time, or for your own dj sets?
When I’m in the creative process I don’t think about the audience, I don’t try to create music to please a certain type of people or anyone but me. I’m pretty much emotionally invested when I make music, so the rest happens in a natural and spontaneous way.
You recently remixed Re.You, Jim Hickey and SANREY on LSF21+ – how did that come about and how do you approach remixes?
Re.You sent me the original track and I liked it a lot. I thought that I could add something else without denaturalising the original track. When I work on a remix, I usually strip the original to the bear bones, and then I start to build, often adding a little more harmony and progressions.
Where does inspiration come from – dreams, emotions, films?
I don’t sit and wait for inspiration to come. I chase it. I often sing and record myself on my Iphone, or I close myself in studio and I jam on my synths for hours. The emotions and state of mind of the moment are key factors.
You played for the opening of Black Coffee’s party at Hï Ibiza this summer, which you also played for last summer. How amazing does it feel to play at such an esteemed venue, and how did you and BC become acquainted?
I would say that is very impressive, especially the first time because I didn’t know what to expect. I met Black Coffee in Sardinia at Phi Beach 2 years ago. Angelos and Nathi were doing B2B and Angelos dropped my track Nomad, it was also a release day of Nomad. Black Coffee liked the track very much and has been playing the track quite often in that period. This was the moment I lost few doubts about what I can or not do.
How do you judge the success of your music and does it matter?
When you’re passionate about the music, of course it’s important. It doesn’t matter to me to be in the top 10 of the charts, what matters to me is to see people who have been touched by my music, to observe them on the dance floor, to see the reactions. The most important thing is to share a part of me with the others, through music; to impose my style, to try to create something new.
What was the last record you bought that really made you go wow?
Ooh that is a tough one… I don’t remember 🙂
What’s next, what else have you got coming up?
It’s pretty much all about the touring at the moment. I’ll be playing in many countries for the first time this season. I’ll also be going for the first time to play in the US and after doing an Asian tour… It’s all super exiting but in the background there is a lot of preparation of what’s yet to come.
Re.you, Jim Hickey, SANREY “Won’t Say (Fiona Kraft Remix)” is out now on LSF21+
Grab it here
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https://soundcloud.com/fionakraftmusic