A Chat with Kit Gordon

Kit Gordon immediately struck me as an unreasonably talented, refreshingly creative, pleasingly eclectic drummer, multi-instrumentalist and producer: So much so that I wanted to find out a bit more, and very kindly, he agreed to answer a few questions.

Let's start at the start, can you tell me a bit about yourself and your musical development.

So I've always loved having an outlet since I was a kid, and never really known how to do things properly, and always struggled being taught to do things a certain way. I never really had much interest in learning to read music or someone else's song/outlet. I always had the most fun just playing around with it. I taught myself drums first, growing up around my mum's family in Canada who are farmers/drummers/musicians. (That's where I made Taber, 2025 (field recordings) when I last visited.) Parents were happy as it gave me a channel for my relentless energy, I was a bit of a hyperactive ADHD kid haha. It was the only time I sat still and focused. Then I moved onto guitar and other instruments, anything I could find really. As a kid I was introduced by my dad to a lot of psychedelic 70’s rock/folk - The Who, Keith Moon, (my fav drummer) Steppenwolf, Free, Yes, Sandy Denny, Jethro Tull, Carlos Santana. As well as a lot of obscure country from my mums side. My cousin is the drummer in the Canadian band Corb Lund.

When I first started releasing music I was more known as a singer songwriter/producer - my sound definitely was influenced in my teens by Jazz and Hip Hop, Madlib, MF Doom, Billy Cobham, Keith Jarret, Pharoah Saunders. There was a whole UK Chill Hiphop wave that I dipped a toe into at the time too, but looking back never really felt like my honest sound, despite releasing a number of records within the genre. I went on to study and play jazz and spent a while in that world.

I only ever seemed to publicly release a tiny fraction of work I've done through out the years, so might seem a lil' jumbled. Most of it stays for me or sits on hardrives, I always got into this to write for myself. But I'm trying to share more now. I have an album of my own stuff that properly feels like me called ‘second head’ on the way, that will be released throughout this year with ongoing small narrative films directed by @ethanpoter_

You seem most at home behind the drums, what sort of projects are you involved with as a percussionist? 

I've been working on and off on a project for around 5 years now, lots of trials and tribulations with it that has encouraged me to seek other ways of immediate creativity, Part of this was drumming again, i think it started as a bit of a procrastination technique that kinda took over into a part time job ahaha. I started playing in bands and for other artist projects, probably unintentionally absorbing sounds from all - had a real fun couple years playing for some great artist projects: Bina, Erf Evil, Divine Earth, Caleb Kunle, to name a few. I often found it tricky being a drummer for others and a solo artist at the same time, it kinda takes over and you become more of a servicer.

But I learnt so much and spent a lot of time wafting around all the different music circles, from the new jazz scenes, latin bands, hip hop groups, punk/rock to the art house experimental projects, the lot. It gave me a wide scope of the sound and eclectic community around London. Some prime moments were doing a KEXP in Netherlands and playing We Out Here a couple years ago. More recently, gigs for me are mostly improvised, and not really genre specific, playing under my own name, or often collaborating with other artists/players with a similar outlook. Just playing for the sake of playing. When I play my tracks from my unreleased tape it's a lil more intimate and folk lead, (Second Head) I'm on guitar and vocals to do a couple of written tracks, then I normally end on the kit.

You also appear to play a few other instruments, rap, sing and produce. Take me through your multi-instrumental ability and how the hell you found time to learn all those skills. 

I didn't really set out to learn anything, just wanted to make noise, feel like I'm still just winging it now. I mostly just play around with stuff, see what I can make a sound out of, whether a human made instrument or something I've found. However I've definitely now spent the most amount of time behind the drums so I'm more comfortable there, while using my voice and other things I prefer to do in more intimate recording settings, but I want that to change. 

Can you tell me a bit about your studio set up and recording process?

I flipped through your releases and you've veered from dreamy urban pop to jazz, electroacoustic ambient and now various strains of folk and Americana. Being as you're a generation Z Londoner I understand where the urban/pop/jazz interests come from, but can you talk me through your interest in folk? Is this wild eclecticism going to continue and what's next?

Feel like these 2 questions are related - I feel like I've never really liked to define music in genres so always struggled with marketing and pin pointing what I make, just a product of what I'm listening to and surrounded by. I think place and setting is a key one for me in making music. I'm currently making music in a cabin on the edge of london that backs onto the forest. I feel like that setting and the equipment I have available just creates a certain sound. Most of the instruments are broken, out of key, a lil bit worn. I kinda like it that way and lean into it. It's full of lots of pots, garden furniture, wooden items, stones, which are the tools I suddenly reach out for while in the flow of making something. It's folky cus of my close proximity to nature, my tools around me and my detachment from the city. If I were in a pristine tidy new studio up in london, the tools I'dd have and my sound access would be different. I'm often world building in my head as well, that I get a lil lost in, i like my work having personal context, the place where I make the art is part of it. Lots of concepts and ideas often evolve around my area. It sometimes feels like I'm summoning sounds from the woods around me.

You've also got a pretty singular sound that doesn't immediately remind me of others, which is always refreshing, but could you let slip a few musicians, producers and scenes which have inspired you?

I listen to a lot of different stuff and I'm inspired by it all. I started as a kid and kept ingesting more into it. I'm not very good at compartmentalising anything when it comes to taste, if I like it, I like it. So I guess an odd mixture of every sound that I've ever liked ahaha -  a multitude of specific sonics, styles, scenes, and ways of doing things that I've adopted into my own sort of mess.

At the moment I'm heavily inspired by capturing audio as it is, raw and unprocessed - first take feelings. Tracks like Medicine Head - When Night Falls, Milkweed - The Milk-Fed Calf.  Hanah Stretton &, M. Sage also come to mind. I'm also heavily influenced by Thad Blake's discography and his in ear binaural recording methods, as well as Julian Sartorius’ field drumming explorations. I also remember first hearing the ‘Fugue’ interludes on Lankum's ‘False Lankum’, they stuck with me.

Anything that feels like they haven’t really bothered to play around with it all that much stands out, or things that feel mixed in the room or have the correct spatial positioning before they get to the computer, slightly grungier sounds like Stina Nordenstan (Tchad Blake produced her 2001 tape), Circa 40, the early Alex G tracks.

I've been vibing on the use of field recordings in your music, and in your Instagram there are videos of you playing harmonica duets with combine harvester drones, using giant icicles as drums, hitting rocks in rivers, wiring up water filled frying pans, striking rather than hugging trees and malletting wind turbines. Do you want to explain yourself?

Haha yeah i got bored of sitting in front of screens and computers to make music. I wanted to take a step back, and find an approach that I could do on the go. Kinda just happened, I often have my in ear field recorders and a pair of sticks with me everywhere so it just started. I was also working full time when i started doing all of that so felt the need to turn any trip or activity into a way to be creative. This Outside Series is being collected into a long archive album that will be forever topped with findings and recordings. I'll make the album public this year.

You're based in London; how has, and is, the city shaping your music? I haven't lived there for twenty years, where's good to hang out and check music these days?

Apart from where I physically make music, when I'm up in london I tend to up in smaller DIY spaces, or friends putting on events in creative collectives. Spaces such as Spanners, Ormside Projects, Horse Hospital, Space Talk, Moth Club. The last couple improv shows took place at this lovely artist co-op in LimeHouse called the Eternal Coperative. Cafe Oto is another known spot to find something weird and wonderful. There's a good handful of spaces that feel like they have an exciting buzz of friendly creative people always there, comfortable to try new things, and be fluid with their approach and categorisation. I definitely have been inspired by the experimental community and process that those venues continue to harness.

I see from your Instagram, that you seem to be playing live regularly, and have even been doing some soundtrack work - not just for your mate's film, but also some tasty brands. Are you managing to make a living from music yet, and as a young alternative musician/producer is that even possible? If so, how are you going to do it?

Yes, since summer I have left work as a full time freelancer and artist. I get through my months by doing composition and sound for adverts, media and film. I’ve got to take my artist ego out of it and write and produce for any style or direction. Recently I just had an exciting commission for Gucci and have a couple more bits for the Royal College of Art coming up. This then funds my time as an artist and player. I'm aiming for these 2 separate worlds to combine at one point, where I get commissions that lie within my artist world as well. I’m getting booked more for films and docs that center around folklore, ritual or geographical space that coincide with my practices which is niice

There's a lot of noise about streaming remuneration these days, any thoughts as an artist on the issue? Do you have any physical release ambitions, or has that ship sailed for the younger generations? How do you consume music these days?

Yeah we kinda fucked it didnt we haha. I think we have just reached our pinnacle with streaming & instagram where previously being online was the best way to promote and get seen, where it's just not the case anymore. Weirdly it feels like it's more cluttered and busy in the digital world than the real world for art and music at least, and i dont think people are there to experience art and it has never been the place for it. I think you have a better chance shifting your energy back into real spaces, people, communities, let word of mouth do its thing, use social media/streaming if you want as a tool of course but just make sure you know where the agency lies. I still use and aim to use streaming for releases but more as an archival CV almost. Moving forward i want to give people something physical and tactile, whether that be a live performance and experience or a piece of physical art along each release. I'm seeing vinyl, tapes, and merch come back in quite a big way, but more as a contextual piece of merch for the artist. Goes back to the concept of world building. Ultimately you're giving someone an experience and place in your world. Atm my personal music is not where I'm earning my money as a musician so I'm less fussed with finding crazy ways to monetise it, I'm just excited to get rid of it from my hard drives and let it do its thing. People will hopefully hear it/see it and want to come to a performance! Nothing has changed for my love for sculpting and producing a song tho and I will still release digital as well as plans for the physical. I mostly consume music live! 

You've been self releasing your music so far, is that DIY approach going to continue, and as an artistic soul how are you finding handling the marketing and business side of the industry?

I haven't really taken much notice of the business side other than my commercial composition work. I have always liked my music to come straight from me in the most intimate way possible, same with my performances. However I'd be very up for working with an independent label that gets it. I'm working with a few artists on the label AD93. I would be interested to have a chat with them and others in that world at one point for sure. 

You've got some great visuals on your Instagram, can Meta be trusted to do you right? Is that always going to be your main point of fan contact.

Thanks so much!  The 360 vids are just on the go recording while I'm out and about. However i have some good friends that are DOP’s and Directors that I collaborate with frequently - Ethan Porter & George Juchau and my partner Charlotte Connah who is a visual artist and editor.

No i dont always see myself staying on instagram as my main point of fan contact. I'd like to shift more towards using mailing lists, community groups to keep in contact with people, inform them about events, secret gigs, exhibitions, music, etc

I'm always on the lookout for exciting new artists across all sorts of genres. Do you have any tips for me?

El hardwick 

Damsel Elysium

Aga ujma

Ben Vince 

Valentina Magaletti

Julian Sartouris

Qaude

Ramilda

Will Memotone

deathcrash

Theadora (Ilovetofeel)

Hani Hooper

Ilovetofeel

Hani Hooper

jasper maurice

Bruce

Divine Earth 

spirit blue

Mary and the Junkyard

Florence Rose

Ben Khan

James William Blades

Marionette - Label

To discover more artists like Kit Gordon head over to TSMM's playlists, which constantly shine a light on independent artists making alternative music across the music spectrum: