Following the release of Kaosu latest single 'Cancel Culture', and ahead of his debut EP ‘Shinjuku Void’ we caught up with the anonymous artist and producer to gain some insight into the influences that make up his eclectic sound. If you like his choices, be sure to check 'Cancel Culture' out at the end of this article.
1. Rhythmic Trip
"Probably no-one's ever heard of them, but Anfisa Letyago played this track during her set at Printworks London and the place was heaving. I thought to myself it must be nice to have thousands of people dance to your music and NOT be famous, as well as respected enough for other artists to close their set with your track. Rhythmic Trip specifically has that big beat feel and is just flat out meant to be played at a big warehouse party, as all good tracks should! Maybe there's a bit of old school Prodigy vibes in here? I still go to a lot of raves and noticed after the pandemic, DJs are really going hard, especially techno. That's why I found this track so refreshing because it's got a bit of rhythm and you don't need to be off your head to listen to it!"
2. Halsey - I Am Not A Woman, I'm A God
"I get a lot of shit for this because she's pop, but I love Halsey. This track had just come out when I was recording vocals for 'Truth'. Just the experience of walking around Tokyo listening to Trent Reznor's production underneath her vocal prowess was something I won't forget. I know she wrote some of the songs in Japan and it just fit perfectly with the visual stimulation. It just feels modern and almost Blade Runner-esque. It comes from a concept album and that's kind of where we are trying to go with our EP. More of a musical story than trying to fit into a specific genre. I went to Fuji Rock to hear this live and it didn't disappoint with that low end synth going right through you. I ended up bantering with the band because one of them was a Bayern fan. Great taste in music, football not so much lol!"
3. Will Heard - I Better Love You ft. Ms Banks
"The timbre of Will Heard's voice is just perfect. He's just one of these people that could be big but is too busy being a pure artist. This song has elements of jazz since he's a proficient musician but really, it's all about the vocals. Most guys, especially indie/rock/punk singers don't really want to venture into their falsetto range but after hearing this, it gave me a bit of confidence experimenting and you'll hear that on Cancel Culture. He's a great performer too. We went to see him when he was still a part of the Rudimental crew when Anne Marie was still in it too. This was before either of them were known, but you could tell something was going to happen. That was in Manchester, and I could write a whole thesis about the music scene there!"
4. Poppy - EAT
"Experimental, dark, wild and heavy. She's also a Japanophile and sings part of this track in Japanese. I think this came out when you started to see metal/guitars creep back into the mainstream because it was performed at the Grammys. I just love her style; she hasn't given up on her electronic roots but everything she does is so uniquely hers having been born on YouTube as a robot! The song has a lot of screaming which is mixed in with that majestic break in the middle. I feel like she's helped bring in this new wave of guitar driven girl music, which is fantastic because it tends to be very male orientated. We need a different energy. Crazy, weird, what's there not to love?"
5. Megadeth - Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
"This weirds my friends out too, but my mother approves! No one does thrash better than Dave Mustaine. He's consistently put out solid records for decades and one could argue he was a driving force in Metallica's early days, since he was in it. Let that sink in. Aside from being a badass, this classic line up also featured Marty Friedman and you guessed it, he's a Japanophile too. His use of melodic eastern scales just takes me to another place. He actually lives in Shinjuku (Our EP is called Shinjuku Void). I'd just love to bump into him one day and go for some Japanese food. There's going to be a tiny element of thrash on our EP so be ready. You've been warned!"
Listen to Kaosu 'Cancel Culture'