Kult Kyss Interview - Eclectic Electronica

By Luke Byatt,

Haxx (Jack), and Rromarin (Claire) are Kult Kyss, a delightful electronic duo from Melbourne, Australia. Haxx's renown eclectic production, mixed in with Rromarin's alluring vocals create diverse and riveting electronic ballads. With two sensational releases under their belt, Kult Kyss are fast becoming a recognisable name in electronic music. The duo spoke to me about their musical experiences, and the process of creating such well crafted, and magical pieces. 

Futuremag Music: What has your relationship with music been like over the years?

Rromarin: For me the relationship has been varied; for a most of my life I played classical instruments, and went on to study classical music at uni, so in that respect music represented a lot of discipline and hard work. 

Because of that I fell in love with contemporary music as it was so contrasting to the classical framework in which I existed. From a young age I was fascinated by pop music production and the magical worlds created by artists - the music videos, their crazy outfits etc. It was that fusion of fantasy vs art that made me love music more and want to pursue it as an adult. 

Haxx: Growing up my older brother played in bands and was a huge inspiration for me; he taught me how to play bass and encouraged me to pursue music. I’ve always been attracted to the idea of producing music as well as performing, so started teaching myself to record and produce as a teenager. My relationship with music started in rock bands and has evolved to electronic production and mixing.  

Futuremag Music: What was the process of planning, writing, and production of your debut single ‘get up boy?’ What were your personal favourite technical skills you implemented into the track?

Rromarin: We didn’t really plan it; one day Jack (haxx) made a cool instrumental sketch, and straight away I heard the vocal melody in my head. From there it flowed really quickly and naturally, and we tried our best not to sit on it for too long or overthink it so that it could stay a little untamed. 

My personal favourite technical skill used in the track is the automation between the different lead vocal sounds; instead of having them sit at the same volume all the time, it automates between the high, the low and the formant shifted vocals. This creates a shifting vocal sound that is kind of trippy and weird.

Haxx: As Rromarin said, it all came quite quickly and naturally. To me the technical aspects of the track are quite simple; I’m most happy with how minimal it is while still being detailed and colourful. 

Futuremag Music: You’re both massive contributors to the creative industry, how do you go about producing a song for someone, or featuring on a person’s track? Do you maintain their vision, or do you place your own twist on it?

Haxx: For me the most important thing about producing is giving each artist their own unique sound. I try to retain their vision while bringing my technical skills into the equation to allow each track to reach its potential. I also care about cultivating the emotional connection to the song and making sure it translates across a wide variety of listening formats for audiences. 

Rromarin: When I’m featuring on someone’s track I know that they’ve come to me because of my particular vocal sound and musical style, so try to impart that on their music while unlocking the right melody and overall concept for the track. I try to maintain their vision while adding my own twist :)

Futuremag Music: What was the inspiration behind revamping Aussie classic ‘this boys in love’ by the Presets?

Rromarin: The Presets are one of my favourite acts and a huge inspiration to me, so covering one of their songs was something I’d wanted to do for years. We first pursued the concept ages ago; the first draft happened about 2 years ago (before Kult Kyss existed). Then after releasing Get Up Boy we decided to revisit the idea, and within a few weeks the rework was done. We weren’t in touch with The Presets while making it - the whole thing was a bit of a random risk that we took, so their positive response to it was really rewarding.

My favourite part of creating the rework was drawing upon all of the core things that inspire me about the Presets and what they do, and then applying my own weird ideas and Kult Kyss aesthetic to the song. I love the entire thing, but my favourite parts are probably the drop before the choruses and the ending when the vocals strip away line by line, leaving nothing but a really raw, bare vocal singing the final words of the track. 

Haxx: My favourite part of the track probably ended up being the that way I mixed it. I feel that I managed to get the instrumentation to sit in harmony with the vocals while maintaining dynamic intensity