Magazine Sixty interviews KaySoul

Magazine Sixty Music Feature. Magazine Sixty interviews KaySoul.

Freerange Records is about to launch its City to City series of EP’s that shine a light on cities around the world. They kick off with Johannesburg and feature six different artists from the South African, City of Gold. Our guest interviewer gets the chance to talk to rising star KaySoul, who is slowly but surely stamping his mark with a string of releases on Shall Not Fade, Dirt Crew, Lazy Days and Tribe.

Where are you and how are you spending the day?

I am at home at the moment and spending time with my loved ones.

Where are you from, where were you born?

I am from Kwa-Thema, Springs in a town situated in the East Rand of Johannesburg in South Africa.

What do you love about where you are living in Johannesburg?

I love that people from here are ahead with what is happening in the streets. For example, they are ahead with music, fashion and which new artists are popping out.

What are some of the challenges you face in making music in the city?

Making music in the city is difficult sometimes because of its noisy surroundings and ambience that interferes with your recordings, especially when you try to record clean vocals on a microphone.

How long have you been making music?

I started playing around with Daw from 2010 to 2013 and then I released my first track in 2014. I have been making music professionally for 10 years and counting. My first step to being a musician, I was introduced by a friend of mine to Fruityloops 8 and then the rest is history.

What came first DJing or production?

Music production came first for me before DJing.

What kind of artists, DJs, genres were you into growing up?

I grew up listening to guys like Larry Heard, Fred Everything, Jimpster, Dennis Ferrer, Rocco Rodamaal, Moodymann, Theo Parrish, Pepe Bradock to name a few and I used to listen to Kwaito music and Bubble Gum.

What was your first release?

My first release was a track called “She Cares” which was released in 2014.

Have you been DJing much on your local scene?

Yes, I have been Dj’ing out of my local scene. I play mostly around Johannesburg, and I also play Muze Club in Kenya.

What is the main nightspot where you are?

We have Kitcheners in Braamfontein, Johannesburg and then there’s Living Room, Johannesburg.

Who are the artists that you follow right now?

June Jazzin, Kurtx, Cody Currie, BNinjas, Radic The Myth, Retromigration, Logic1000, Mo’cream, Crackazat, and Jason Hersco.

What other great artists should we watch out for from where you are from?

You should watch out for Radic The Myth, Kurtx, June Jazzin, Black Chynese and BNinjas.

You guys are bringing lots of new genres to the scene. What is the latest new genre happening?

3 Step.

How did you connect with Freerange Records?

Matt Masters. I sent him some demos and he liked some of the tracks and sent the whole demo to the Freerange Records team. They got back to me saying they liked some tracks, and they would love to release it on a compilation.

Tell us about Mr Beale on Icy Baby and how you worked together in different parts of the world?

Mr. Beale is a female vocalist from London. We met via Instagram, and we started talking about a collaboration. I sent her the beat via WeTransfer, she liked it, wrote for it, sang on it, and sent back the vocals, then I started working on them.

Tell us something we might not know about the Johannesburg music scene?

Music in Johannesburg is like soccer in Brazil. We live and breathe music here.

Buy City To City: Johannesburg on Juno Here
KaySoul on Facebook Here
KaySoul on Instagram Here