ContirbutorWith more than two decades spent navigating the many corners of electronic music, Kito Jempere has never been one to stay within the boundaries of a single genre or creative identity. From house and disco to jazz, techno and more experimental territory, his extensive body of work reflects an artist driven by curiosity, collaboration and a constant desire to explore. His latest collection, Other People’s Aesthetics, sees him take a fresh approach to the influences that have shaped his musical journey, reimagining sounds and ideas from the records and artists that first inspired him. We caught up with the Saint Petersburg-born producer to discuss the thinking behind the release, his relationship with musical nostalgia, the importance of friendship and collaboration, and why, after 22 years, he’s still happiest exploring new ground.
You’ve been making music for more than two decades, moving through projects like Unique-Tunes, Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club, Kito Jempere Band and Mancave, as well as your solo work. Looking back, how do you feel your identity as an artist has evolved over that time?
Kito: Uff… that would be a very long story, because every year, every month, every week, even every step, every new inspiration or conversation, changes something. Looking back at 22 years of making music, I’d say I found my core pretty early on. Since then, I’ve been taking small steps in every possible direction, exploring new ground and seeing how it feels, then coming back to my core with everything I’ve learned. My evolution has been about exploring, not moving vertically. I’ve always been going wide, and I still am.
You’ve always seemed comfortable moving between very different musical worlds: house, techno, jazz, drum’n’bass, psychedelia, pop and more experimental electronic music. Where does that eclecticism come from, and have you ever felt pressure to define yourself more narrowly as an artist?
Kito: Somehow, all these different genres share the same core. I think I look through the genres and create slightly different pictures of my music. I ALWAYS use the same tricks, the same harmonies (A-flat minor most of the time, ahah) and the same feeling and flow, but build everything around slightly different drum patterns or whatever else. In the end, it’s still me, just exploring different ways of blending instruments and sounds. I’ve never really thought in terms of genres, neither when producing nor when DJing.
Your new collection is titled Other People’s Aesthetics, which feels like an interesting reflection on the relationship between personal identity and outside influence. What does that title mean to you, and what prompted the idea behind it?
Kito: This is actually the first time I’ve tried to COPY other people’s music and stay close to the original. I mean, you usually start your career by doing that, trying to sound like someone else. Then, after building what I can call my own music, I finally thought, OK, let’s try to put my own vision on the music I truly love.
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The release draws on a huge range of influences, from Aphex Twin and Warp to Ninja Tune, Omar-S and the early-2000s electronic scene. Do you think the music you loved when you were discovering electronic music still shapes you more strongly than the music you hear today?
Kito: Sad to say, but I rarely sit down and really listen to something new these days. Of course, I buy new records and all that, but I can name only a few artists who really drive me crazy today. I can’t compare that with the feeling I got the first time I heard Aphex Twin’s “Flim”, for example. I guess it’s partly about age, but also about culture and the sheer amount of content out there. “Flim” was one of a kind, a B-side to “Come to Daddy”, which was on MTV. So it wasn’t like I had to dig deep to find it, but at the same time, I did. Now there’s so much music coming out that I don’t believe the human brain is ready for it. And with AI, sadly, it’s only getting worse.
There are some particularly personal references and memories embedded in Other People’s Aesthetics. How much of your music comes from deliberately revisiting your own past, and how much is simply the result of ideas naturally resurfacing while you work?
Kito: My workflow for this album was mostly DIY. There weren’t many collaborations this time around, so most of the studio work involved mixing on the Neve VR60 and recording synths at Lovvlovver’s studio, as usual.
I’m usually busy, busy, so I tend to stick to my own formula: sit down and jam for 30 minutes. If I feel THIS IS MUSIC, I finish it the same day I start it. If not, I leave the track forever.
But this time, something was different. I wasn’t rushing the result. I left the final jam alone because I loved it. I even released some tracks as singles and then, months later, went back and tweaked a few little details to get them just right.
Collaboration has been a huge part of your career, from the Kito Jempere Band through to working with artists such as Jimi Tenor, Hard Ton, Richard Thair, Lipelis and many others. What do you look for in another artist when deciding that a collaboration is worth pursuing?
Kito: It’s actually called friendship. And friendship can take different forms: it can be something that’s grown over years, or just a quick encounter. Either way, when that feeling is there, I’ve always wanted to document it. And the best way to document a friendship isn’t just through memories, photos or whatever else… it’s through something you create together.
The rest is easy. I give my collaborators complete freedom. I ask them to play something for a piece of music I’ve got, and then I mostly leave it untouched. I keep it as a conversation between two friends, a moment captured through sound that stays on a record forever.
Looking across the new collection, are there one or two tracks that feel particularly important to you? Perhaps because they represent something new, or because they capture the idea behind Other People’s Aesthetics better than anything else on the record?
Kito: I think every track captures a particular moment, of course, and every one is important to me. But if I had to choose, it would be “Change For Now”. The title says it all, really. It’s a proper collaboration with Lipelis, and we both started our vinyl careers with our collaborative single “The Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club x Lipelis — I Need It”, which came out on the Lovebirds label. We’ve made a lot of music together since then, but this is the kind of track you’d put on the A1 side.
We made it with Lovvlovver at his studio in the countryside, and it was a beautiful moment. We put together chopped vocals, some “Born Slippy”-ish keyboard harmonies, a bit of Moog and a live shaker, and the result was amazing.
I LOVE this track. I believe it’s the perfect closing or opening track that everybody needs. Honoured we made it.
You’ve also explored music beyond the traditional DJ/producer format, from live improvisation and performances with unusual instruments to working with orchestras and larger bands. How important is that broader live and performance experience to the way you think about electronic music today?
Kito: The thing is, the live format is more my thing, in a way, and I still feel like a newcomer to electronic music. For instance, I’m not even sure I can name the genres correctly, haha.
I started out in a punk band, then moved into electronic production while playing in a live jazz/core band, and only after that did I start exploring dance music. Funny enough, making techno, for example, is way more complicated for me than writing a pop song or a jazz tune. So I’m still learning. And while I’m learning, I think everything matters.
A live performance is a conversation between musicians, played out in front of a crowd. It’s energy, theatre, if you want. A DJ set is a direct conversation between you and the audience, so it feels a bit different to me.
I can’t say much about electronic music today as a whole, but I still buy loads of records, old and new, and I’m always excited by how great the music can be if you know where to look. Or if you don’t know where to look, which makes the discovery even more special.
With Other People’s Aesthetics arriving alongside your Japan tour and your ongoing residency at Honeycomb Hi-Fi in Dubai, what are you hoping this next chapter of Kito Jempere looks like? Are there still areas of music you feel you haven’t explored yet?
Kito: My kid has just really got into fishing, so my plan is to learn from him and find some zen, sitting quietly by the lake with my spinning rod.
Pick up a copy of ‘Other People’s Aesthetics’ here – https://www.juno.co.uk/products/kito-jempere-other-peoples-aesthetics-vinyl/1180917-01/ / https://kitojempere.bandcamp.com/album/other-peoples-aesthetics