Interview: Kilamanzego on her unorthdox creative process, the lessons learnt from her latest single, and the African artists she admires

What do J Dilla, KAYTRANADA, and Death Grips have in common? Well, they are the kind of artists that make us as listeners relinquish the need to glance over at the title and assess if it's even them by virtue of the extraordinary signature sound. That sentiment applies to Philly-based producer Kilamanzego (pronounced Kil-a-manz-ego) as her luminous synth tones and glitchy arrangements seamlessly capture your attention - even by force I might add. Her unique sound enlaced with traces of her Ghanaian roots, along with her Punk-reminiscent vibe as an artist has led to features from Bandcamp Daily and NPR... Although what really can't escape mention is how she serves as an inspiration for plenty of women out there in the producer community to - let me put this nicely - do what the fuck they want and follow their passion regardless of any roles expected of them.

Stereofox Records recently dropped a single with Kilamanzego titled "Does It Matter If You Do?" (stream on all platforms here) which has landed on 4 Spotify Editorial Playlists and has been supported by a range of curators across the world. Even though the track sounds bright thanks to its mix and vibrancy, there is a tad bit of a darker undertone to it.

"Does It Matter If You Do?” is an internal conflict of love and torture at the same time. The question itself asks whether or not anything is worth fighting for or if anyone is worth fighting for - Kilamanzego

In this interview Kilamanzego share's with us her creative process behind this gem, the personal lessons she learnt from it and the African artists she admires right now.

Okay, here's the scene: You're in your adolescence and your friend unexpectedly comes over for a visit. You guys are chilling in your room; what kinda posters are hanging on your wall and what sort of music are you introducing to your friend?

Hope Conspiracy, Missy Elliot, Kill Bill the movie... Unfun fact: I lost all of my posters (including the ones listed) while moving. But yea, hardcore punk and eclectic hip hop. 

You've settled in a number of different places although you eventually started making beats when you moved to the West Coast. What happened during your time in Oakland that inspired you to start producing?

I randomly came across this dope person named Simone back when Tumblr was at its peak. She had a box hairstyle, and unique fashion sense, the photo was bursting with all sorts of vivid colors and strong African vibes. A year or so later when I moved to Oakland, I was at the post office and started to leave because I left something at home. As I looked up, the crazy coincidence is that Simone was in the same line. We started excitedly chatting, talked about starting a hip hop duo, started meeting up for practices. I realized that we needed beats but since we couldn't afford them nor did I think anyone would take two unknown women who are just starting out seriously, I decided to get Ableton and try it out. The rest is history. 

How do you feel about being associated with genres such as Future Bass and Vapor Twitch? Do you have a personal connection with either of those genres?

I have no idea what those genres mean, lol. I mean, I know artists who are associated with it including myself, but our styles are so vast that it's hard to categorize them accurately under those terms.

How have your techniques and creative processes changed since you started?

I started to get more and more precise and intentional with how I create rhythms in my percussion and in the pockets. 

The latest release "Does It Matter If You Do?" is doing really well! During its production what would you say were some of the challenges you encountered, and how did you overcome them?

I'd say my main challenge was mixing the final drop. It got to the point where I was like "oh well, this doesn't really work to my ear but this will have to do." And that's how I overcame it, really. At some point you have to stop mixing and say it's done haha. Turns out that's everyone's favorite part of the track, funny how that works!

I've noticed the track has quite a paradoxical nature to it. Sonically it's bright and it really stands out, yet thematically it's somewhat dark since you mentioned: "it's both a bleak and promising look at existence". What were some of the lessons you learned about yourself after creating "Does It Matter If You Do?"?

To quote my dad: "Life is a roller coaster. It always goes up, then down, but then it goes back up again, repeat." Not too long ago it was really hard to get my head out of the trenches, but thankfully I have the most caring friends and family ever who want the best for me and I was able to push myself out of it.

I love the fact that you proudly show your Ghanaian heritage throughout your visuals. In which ways would you say your background has come to influence your craft?

You can hear flourishes of West African percussion, drums, and vocal chops throughout my beats. It's also how I arrived at my name, so I'd say it influences everything.

Who are some of the African artists that are inspiring you right now?

Amaarae, Rvdical The Kid, Øbed, and even visual storytellers like photographer extraordinaire Prince Jyesi and writer/director Michaela Coel. 

In your opinion what would you say novice producers can do each day to improve on their craft?

Never give up working at your craft. Practice every chance you can get and allow yourself to obsess over it. If you're only half into it, you're gonna get half the quality out.

So… 1) An artist/band you would have a D.M.C (Deep Meaningful Conversation), 2) An artist/band you’d love to party with. 3) Artist/band you would like to be within the studio for a week. You can pick from artists that are dead/retired.

1) J Dilla

2) Brockhampton

3) Missy Elliot