Keeping it low-key with Kami-O

Kami-O: I’m not particularly hype. I'm quite introverted. I keep myself to myself a lot of the time. I definitely don’t do the scene. I don’t drink and can be a bit socially anxious. In any arts scene there’s always pressure to do drugs and drink, especially in Scotland, and you know, to be the guy sitting with a fizzy water… I wonder if this has held me back.

Do you think you gravitate towards an introspective sound?

Yeah, my tunes aren’t exactly reload material. I like something that’s intricate but also hard-hitting. I’m trying to find that perfect balance between wheel-up-worthy tunes and something you could listen to on a train journey.

‘Wheel Up Train’.

Haha, I’m going to coin a genre here. I’ve had a few over the years that fit the brief, like Aavaas, from my first album. That gets a big response from a dubstep crowd.

Were there any particular influences behind your first album Biren?

I wanted to do something with my Indian heritage. I’ve got loads of family over there that I’ve never had a chance to meet. Obviously, I’m not Indian. I’ve only experienced the culture through my grandpa who moved here when he was 21, so I wanted to do it respectfully.

What kind of impact has the culture had on your life here?

I was lucky to grow up around all the subtle parts of my grandpa’s lifestyle. The food he ate, the incense he burned, and the records he had. It gives you a better appreciation of people. When he moved over, he was the only person of colour in his area… it must have been brutal.

What did he think about the final product?

He passed away beforehand. That was my reason for doing it in the first place. I got my mum to do the artwork, I wanted to make it this family-based project. We had a good relationship, but he didn’t know me as an adult, so it was a way of exploring his life, and my relationship with him.

There’s a mature sound to your music. How would you describe your process in the studio and where did it all begin?

I went to Riverside Music College back in 2010. I had gotten FL studio around the time and just wanted to be like Sir Spyro and Mala, so it wasn’t the best thing for me then.

How old are you now?

30 this Friday.

Doing anything special?

I’ll be in uni. I'm doing Sound for the Moving Image at The Art School. The course suits where I’m at right now. I’d like to work with film and add another kind of feather to my cap. We recently went on this big walk recording sounds outside, so I tried to make this stripped-back kind of DMZ dubstep soundscape only using foley.

What defines a dubstep track for you?

The best ones are just a handful of well-made elements. This is something I suffer from. I’ll have like 1000 elements just to keep it interesting. Some of the best tracks, like Pulse X or Rhythm & Gash, are just an eight-bar loop for six minutes and people love it. I’m quite critical with my own stuff. I can get an idea down on paper in an hour, but it’s how to make that loop four minutes and interesting the whole way throughout that can take months.

You certainly managed it with Clash. How did the White Peach link-up come around?

I met Zha, who runs the label, four years ago at FUSE in Glasgow. We hadn’t spoken since, but about a year ago I shared a showreel of tunes and he asked to put something out. I’m working on a second EP for them now.

How would you assess the 140 scene this side of the border?

I’m a big fan of Feena. Also, CRPNTR is one of the best rappers I know, he’s also just written a play, he’s got such a way with words. Zolf and Spray had me on their Subcity show Grime is Now – they seem to really care about it, which is nice because sometimes in Glasgow people don’t understand the style. Grime mixing is very fast... you’re flying between tracks. I think the transition from a seven-minute techno transition to five grime tracks back-to-back can be a bit jarring.

Any shows to shout about?

I recently played Sneaky Pete’s for Form 696 and Big Zuu was on the mic. The energy was nuts... I’ve never been in a band, but I would guess that’s what it would feel like. My next show is Headset on 20 December at Mash House.

Kami-O plays Headset's 10th Birthday at The Mash House, Edinburgh, 20 Dec