Raised in South East London on a diet of 90s R’n’B and classic pop, Kwes is one of those people that has always made music. Though now signed to electronic powerhouse, Warp Records, the 24-year old has been chipping away at the boundaries of pop and electronica since he started playing his grandparents’ organ twenty years ago. A producer, multi-instrumentalist and now performer in his own right, his playful sense of experimentation and soulful groove is winning him fans left, right and centre.
Mary Jane Girls – Mary Jane Girls
I remember that being a very early favourite. I particularly loved the tracks ‘Jealousy’ and ‘All Night Long’. They’re like a girl group, this manufactured girl group. I’m not sure if Rick James actually put together the group but he basically wrote all the songs and produced everything and got one girl to basically sing everything! They all did something. I didn’t really know much about Rick James or even the music or for that matter, it was just something that was played all the time and I really enjoyed listening to it. I guess I must’ve been six or seven at the time.
White Noise – An Electric Storm
It’s an experimental electronic album that was put out in 1969. I remember hearing that record and it just blew my mind. It was Delia Derbyshire, Brian Hodgson and David Vorhaus so it was like BBC Radiophonic Workshop stuff. I remember hearing that a long while ago and it was definitely one of those life-changing records.
Actress – R.I.P.
It’s a pretty amazing record. When I listen to this, I recognize one or two tracks he wrote before going to Congo, but I think Congo had a profound effect on him and I’m just hearing this in his music. That’s the thing though, I could be completely wrong, he might have made the whole record before he went to Congo. He’s like that, he just writes so much stuff. In comparison to his last record, it feels a lot leaner. It’s a really beautiful record actually. In comparison to his first record, Hazyville, this album and his second album are a lot more colourful I think.
Joni Mitchell – Blue
This would be another one of those life-changing records. I really love it and she really got me thinking about songs as well. I revisited it the other day, which is always lovely. I love the song “The River” particularly. I was in my early teens when I first heard it but it’s a record that I keep coming back to. She’s very colourful with her imagery. Alongside Stevie Wonder and Robert Wyatt, she’s really influenced my songwriting.
The-Dream – Love Vs. Money
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS3Nzi3lSJ8
From a production standpoint, I really enjoyed his second record. The-Dream is very unhinged in regards to what he wants to say and I think he’s influenced me in that way. You just get the impression whenever you listen to The-Dream’s music, you feel like he’s revealing so much to you. He’s in that place where he could write a song in two minutes or thirty seconds without batting an eyelid. I feel with him you can really believe it’s him talking about himself or someone he knows.
N.E.R.D. – In Search Of
I think I was 14 or 15 around that time. I’d only just started making music on a computer at that point, I’d just discovered software and stuff. I made three and a half albums worth of material which haven’t seen the light of day between the ages of 14 and 17. Hearing In Search Of was one of those ones where I felt like they were doing what I wanted to do, not so much stylistically or maybe stylistically to an extent, but more just the aesthetic of me wanting to produce for other people but then put out my own stuff as well.
Kwes plays the Meteor Dublin Camden Crawl, running in venues across town on the 11th and 12th May.
Tested by: Ian Maleney
