Kirk Degiorgio chats Cyphon Recordings release

It really is a pleasure to sit down and talk to Kirk Degiorgio as there really is no doubt that his impact on the UK deep house and techno scene is monumental. As he releases his second EP entitled ‘Elate’ on London’s Cyphon Recordings – the label that cites Kirk as one of their main inspirations – we get the opportunity to ask him about his relationship with Jimpster, the one that was his gamechanger, and about his life in music...

Where are you today Kirk and how will you be spending it once you’ve written this interview?

I’m in the studio and have just had traditional pie n mash and now spending the day digitizing some vinyl.

Where are you from and where are you based now?

I’m from Stepney in East London but based in East Anglia now.

What do you love the most about where you live?

Five minutes drive and I’m in the heart of rural England with a beautiful river and the East coast.

I’d love to hear about the initial idea for Elate. When did you first approach this concept and what was your original intention with this release?

After the success of my debut EP for Cyphon it didn’t take me long to want to follow it up with a similar blend of more House based club material but also keeping an element of my UK Techno/IDM background.

What was most important for you to convey through this music? Do you feel that you were able to accomplish all of your intentions?

My approach is quite technical in that I’m not a trained musician, so I generally just get in the zone and find my way around and go where the mood takes me – rather than having any fixed aims which I then execute.

What are you most proud of with Elate?

The way it manages to be energy for the dancefloor but also retains an element of deep soul that is my hallmark sound. That marriage of being playable in a club but also not compromising on the emotive side.

 What was the most challenging part of bringing this release together?

 The dub version was quite challenging in that I wanted a more traditional dub approach rather than a modern sound. I used some of the techniques I used in my roots-dub project Khokhmah to achieve the end result. 

I know this EP marks a lot of years in the music business, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how your creative /production process has changed and remained the same over the years. Do you approach anything different now?

Yeah, I’ve gone from all analog/hardware to mostly in the box now. The difference once the elements are in a track are so minimal the benefits outweigh any worries about miniscule differences hardware can give – especially if you use the right saturation tools.

 If you had the opportunity to have a word with a young Kirk, when you started in this game, what advice would you give yourself?

 I would say – sadly, a media profile is going to be more important than musical content in the future so make sure you don’t neglect that side of the industry.

Which one of your early releases, changed the game for you, at what point did you think – yeah, I’m pretty good at this.‍

As One: Amalia.

Would you say that was a life-changing moment for you?

 Yeah, it gave me the confidence that despite not being a musician or even being able to find Middle C on a keyboard, I could program drum machines and find chord shapes and fit melodies over them in a unique way that gave me an advantage over most other producers. 

What drives you to create music to this day?  

I have built up a solid fan base over the decades but most of all I do seem to attract a certain type of each new generation who get into a deeper, soulful sound in a genre where perhaps they couldn’t find much of that approach.

‍Where do you find the most inspiration when it comes to discovering new music?

The sound design element of the tougher kind of techno that I used to play at Machine my club night with Ben Sims. Also, the production values of those tracks are the very peak of what’s achievable with today’s technology.

You are releasing on London label Cyphon Recordings for the second time. What can you tell us about the imprint and its mission? Why did you feel this was the right place for your music?

I’ve had a relationship with Jimpster and his Freerange label going back decades now. Jamie understands that soulful more jazz-based harmonic sensibility that I have and knows when it works in a club environment. It really helps when a label owner is supportive of you for your sound not just for your profile.

 Do you know that Cyphon state you as one of the inspirations for the label? How do you feel about that?

 It’s lovely to hear – Jamie is somebody I also have huge admiration for musically, so it’s a real honour of course.

 What has been one of your favorite moments from the past?

 Hearing my soul-pop project The Beauty Room come to fruition and have them perform live, performing with Ben Sims on our regular Machine club night, those moments shared directly with others.

What has been one of your favourite moments from the past year?

My involvement with the ROVR music platform. I’m one of the curators and my Sound Obsession show now airs twice monthly amongst the world’s finest selectors.

what is next for Kirk Degiorgio?

I can’t say right now. But I’m hoping it will be as big as my achievements with As One, Machine and The Beauty Room.

Buy/listen to the release here

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