Rise and Rise: KILIMANJARO on his new EP
Ahead of his live show at The Art School, we catch up with KILIMANJARO about growing up between Scottish and Zambian culture, working with siblings and getting vulnerable in his new EP, THE ASCENSION (INKAWAMI)
There’s an element of mysticism to a DJ set. The selector stands behind the altar, directing the dancefloor with each blend until the crowd becomes one homogenised blur; a demagogue with excellent taste in house music. Then the set finishes. The green room beckons. What comes next once the spell is broken and the show is over?
In his newly released EP, THE ASCENSION (INKAWAMI), Scottish-Zambian DJ and producer KILIMANJARO reflects on his sustained rise in the UK’s dance music scene, laying bare the trials he’s faced along the way. “It's a difficult thing being an artist. It's quite a lonely journey,” he says about the career which has seen him headline shows internationally, receive a MOBO nomination for Best Electronic Act and attain commercial success with 2024 hit No Bad Vibes alongside Jazzy. The EP sees KILIMANJARO reckon with who he is beyond his achievements: “It’s difficult to let people in and to be really vulnerable, so it’s important that I try to do that with my music.”
The record’s lyrics touch on longing for home, drinking till late and moving on from previous relationships, interspersed with themes of rebirth and resilience. “We're all going through life and experiencing it at the same time, so there's themes that feel super personal to me, but I feel that other people can relate to.” The EP is by no means a tell-all in a 4/4 time signature – yet its moments of vulnerability offer a glimpse of the person behind the globe-trotting DJ lifestyle.
KILIMANJARO’s sets are characterised by their energy and intensity, with the DJ known for whipping his top off within the first half hour. The nine-track EP sustains a driving rhythm, the sort you’d expect from his DJ sets, yet the narrative takes precedence. “[From] the first track, you're playing it right the way through to the end,” he says. “I felt like it was important to introduce [that] this isn't going to be a club record.”
The project has been three years in the making. Despite being released as an EP, THE ASCENSION (INKAWAMI) feels like an album in both scope and scale, with recording sessions across Lagos, Los Angeles and London. “It's been a really fun process of working on this music globally and bringing it together as one record,” he says about travelling to collaborate with artists including Aluna, Kojey Radical and Tiggs Da Author. He explains the “three pillars” which keep the output consistent: his signature drums, vocal hooks and Afrocentric elements. The result glides from percussive floor-fillers to moody amapiano, catchy pop vocals to choral refrains.
Credit: Giles Cook.
Born to Zambian parents, KILIMANJARO grew up between Scotland and London, with visits to family in Zambia every summer for most of his childhood. “From a young age [I was] able to see the contrast between different lifestyles, different cultures and different financial backgrounds,” he says about observing his friends in Scotland compared with his family in Zambia. “That was really important to get a more holistic view [of] the world.”
His taste reflects these formative locations, from growing up to the soundtrack of Bloc Party’s A Weekend in the City to dropping gqom into his most recent set at Lost Village. “The increasing popularity of music from Africa and the diaspora has definitely helped open people's ears to different sounds,” he says about the presence of Nigerian Afrobeats, South African amapiano and experimental African dance genres on UK dancefloors.
Family ties are present in the record beyond these early influences. Among KILIMANJARO’s collaborators are his siblings. “It's just such a blessing,” he says about getting in the studio with family, “you get to unlock parts of your creativity that you never normally do...the fact that the story is being told from siblings is beautiful.” Iñutu, singer and KILIMANJARO’s younger sister, provides vocals on Moving On. “I haven’t put her on there as a favour, I've put her on there because she's the exact right person for the record.” There’s an ease to the dynamic that’s undoubtedly conducive to making music: “[We] just get straight to the point… I'm not really too much of a beating around the bush person anyway.”
With the EP drawing from KILIMANJARO’s personal history and heritage, it’s fitting that his six live shows in November also pay tribute to his past. “I’ve been drumming from the age of 12 and been in bands from the age of 15,” he says about incorporating live instrumentation into his show, “it wouldn't have felt right if I hadn't at least looked at the possibility.” At each of the shows, KILIMANJARO will play drums and provide vocals. The preparation is a departure from his typical shows. “I've been studying a lot of my favourite frontmen,” he says, “it's a different way of controlling the room…a lot of that's going to be through connection [and] emotion.” It’s a chance to relate with fans in a different way, moving beyond that mystical dynamic of the DJ set to create something entirely new.
THE ASCENSION (INKAWAMI) is KILIMANJARO at his most vulnerable, drawing on his musical roots and the people closest to him. Above all, it serves as a reminder: whatever we might be going through now, life keeps moving on.
THE ASCENSION (INKAWAMI) is out now via Capitol/Polydor; KILIMANJARO plays The Art School, Glasgow, 24 Nov
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