South African DJ and producer and Box of Cats label head, Kyle Watson has one more show along his long-awaited US tour. For the final night, Kyle will be at Summit in Denver showcasing his ‘My Machines’ concept, a specially curated all-original Kyle Watson DJ set with custom visuals.
Kyle has a selection of collaborations with ZHU, Nora En Pure, Justin Martin, Tchami, Tame Impala, Goldfish and Billy Kenny, releases on Dirtybird, Insomniac, Realm, Enormous Tunes, Spinnin’ Deep and CONFESSION as well as support from Gorgon City, Diplo and Chris Lake, among other achievements that sync his name with the house music scene. Secure tickets to the show before its too late.
Ahead of the final sets and following a string of coveted festival appearances such as Lightning in a Bottle and sold-out headlining 2022 shows, we got the exclusive interview where Kyle shares about the tour, secret weapon IDs, whos who in South African electronic music, lessons from his first set ever and more.
Kyle Watson on the Record
Kyle shares about the concept behind his ‘My Machine’ tour, “I have so much music on my hard drive and a My Machines set is a way of showcasing that work. At a My Machines show you’ll be able to hear a brand-new record never played before alongside a popular track from 2015. And then digging deeper into the archive I’ll play something from 2011 right before I drop a private VIP mix from a 2019 record. It’s just a really cool way of moving through my catalogue and gives fans a chance to hear some of their favourites that they might not normally get a chance to hear.”
Besides almost punching out the camera guy at the Brooklyn Mirage, have there been any other funny encounters/moments throughout your tour? Has everything gone to plan along tour?
Haha! Ye I think as a whole things have gone mostly to plan on this tour thankfully. Of course, there have been speedbumps but you roll with the punches!!
As you head into the last shows of your US Tour, can you share a few of your favorite tour moments on and off the stage?
Hitting play on the intro at Sunbar in Arizona was a cool moment, kicking off the tour that was meant to happen in 2020 before the world went crazy. Packing out Sound in LA with a line around the block was also a cool feeling. Then pretty much just the fact that the fans have come out to enjoy these sets which I’ve spent a lot of time building and curating specifically for this run. Pretty mindblowing!
Any message to the Denver fam ahead of your final set?
I have loved the Denver fam since my first-ever show there in 2018. It’s always been one of my favourite places to play in the States hands down. They have some of the best music fans out there and I cannot wait to bring this to you!
Along tour you have seen support from Chapter & Verse, DOMii, Kyle Kinch, The Sponges, Miss Dre and WEISS. Are they as cool in person as their music sounds?
Of course! All of the supporting acts have been so epic on the run and I couldn’t have wished for any others to be a part of it. All sets have been dope, and the reactions have been solid.
What are a few tracks you felt really created a moment on the dance floor during this tour?
My ‘Gas Pedal’ track has been an absolute secret weapon on this run and always gets a solid reaction. I did about 6 or 7 VIP mixes for this tour specifically, and the Magic Carpet VIP has been doing a pretty good job as well!!
Do you have an idea on when you will return to the US? What are you excited about next throughout Europe and the ROW?
We’re working on some stuff for the US in Q1/Q2 of 2023. Denver will be my last US show for a while, so I’ll get a chance to really dig into the studio and hopefully build out a ton of new music. Other than that I’ll be heading back to my home country South Africa for a few shows end November and early December which I’m pumped about, as well as a run in March which I can’t quite announce just yet…
Can you tell us about your very first set ever? Where were you? How’d it go? Any learning lessons? Do you recall any tracks you played?
Sure it was at a DJ competition in South Africa, I was beatmatching but left both faders up so basically trainwrecked a mix. Good times!! My lesson: double-check your faders haha! I remember at the time I was so excited to play a track called ‘Run The Track’ by Speaker Junk.
What are 3 songs that withstand the test of time?
Oliver Dollar – Doin’ Ya Thang, Rufus – Innerbloom, Cajmere – Brighter Days (Underground Goodies Mix)
What are some progressive music production techniques you are enjoying lately?
Hmm, it’s not very progressive but I’ve been sampling a lot lately, turning pieces of tracks into basslines and weird melodies. I’m liking the results I’m getting, which are a little weirder and less conventional than programming sounds in synths. I’ve been playing a lot with granular stuff too, splitting sounds into grains and playing them back at different speeds.
How is your local scene in South Africa?
I’ve been based in the UK since September, but the afro house/amapiano scene in South Africa is huge, there is an entire movement that is massive there and has finally made its way across to the US. There are more SA artists touring the States than I think there have ever been, and it’s really exciting. Actually just got sent a clip yesterday of Diplo talking about this at ADE, it’s great to see.
Who are some South African producers or musicians you would recommend?
Apple Gule is a fantastic singer/songwriter from SA. Shimza is great and has just started playing shows in the States. On the tech house front, I think CINIMIN has a bright future as they’re improving with every production. Keep an eye on them.
Join Box of Cats‘ Nine Lives Club that will give you access upcoming exclusive tracks from The Sponges, Wongo, Smalltown Dj’s and all BOC Releases, the NLC Discord Server Access, guaranteed A&R Feedback on demos, the VIP section to all BOC branded shows and a VIP pin and patch. Follow Kyle on the social media handles linked below.
Kyle Watson
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