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TarikMoody doesn’t have much regard for genre boundaries. As a DJ for 88.9 RadioMilwaukee, Moody spins a little bit of everything, and as a principal behindthe concert series Unlooped, he delights in having local indie-rock musiciansplay hip-hop, or in pairing jazz players with electronic acts. In his view, ahotter flame under the local melting pot makes for a stronger, better-roundedmusic scene. It was that attitude that drew him to Kiings, a young Milwaukee electronicduo with similarly wide-ranging tastes.
Kiingsfirst captured Moody’s ear last year with their track “Explain Myself,” aremix, of sorts, of Quadron’s cover of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” that soundslittle like either artists’ version. The track sparked Moody’s imagination. Hehad been nurturing an idea for a remix of a song by the Milwaukee indie-folkband Field Report, and Kiings seemed like just the act to help him realize it.
“Heapproached us with the idea, and we thought it was fascinating, because whoreally remixes that stuff?” said Kiings producer Sean Foran, who along with hisgroupmate Chris Siegel created a peppy, beat-happy reworking of Field Report’s“Route 18.”
“Thatremix got us thinking about how great it would be to do remixes for otherWisconsin artists,” Foran said. “We thought, why not bring out the best ofWisconsin, or at least the artists that we really like from Wisconsin, andstart collaborating, and maybe make something happen. We wanted to make aproject that would show off all this talent on a bigger stage.”
Takingadvantage of Moody’s suggestions, the duo worked with an eclectic assortment ofWisconsin acts for what became WarehousesPossessed by the City: A Wisconsin Remix EP, which they released onBandcamp this month through Moody’s Unlooped Records. Kiings’ PostalService-ified Field Report track is joined on the EP by an up-tempo reworkingof Boy Blue’s “Table Talk” (featuring new vocals from Hannah Gabriela of theindie-pop band Vic and Gab); a glitchy reconstruction of Altos’ ominous “Sing(for Trouble)”; a trip-hop treatment of Gina Barrington’s sultry “Cupid”; and awidescreen remix of “Laura,” a track from the Madison indie band Phox.
Inaddition to raising Kiings’ profile, the remix project has had the added benefitof helping them forge connections with other local artists, some of whom maycontribute to the full-length album the group is currently at work on.
“Buildingstrong bonds with other artists is really important to us because we’reproducers. We don’t sing, so even when we’re making original material, we wantto work closely with some of the artists we’ve already worked with,” Siegelsays. “There are so many local artists that we’re really fond of and want tocontinue to collaborate with. Basically, we want to be known for being open tomaking a wide variety of music, taking chances and helping to build a solidcommunity of local musicians. We don’t care if somebody raps or if they play ina folk project; we just want to work with talented people.”
To stream or download WarehousesPossessed by the City, go tokiings.bandcamp.com.
Kiingsfirst captured Moody’s ear last year with their track “Explain Myself,” aremix, of sorts, of Quadron’s cover of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” that soundslittle like either artists’ version. The track sparked Moody’s imagination. Hehad been nurturing an idea for a remix of a song by the Milwaukee indie-folkband Field Report, and Kiings seemed like just the act to help him realize it.
“Heapproached us with the idea, and we thought it was fascinating, because whoreally remixes that stuff?” said Kiings producer Sean Foran, who along with hisgroupmate Chris Siegel created a peppy, beat-happy reworking of Field Report’s“Route 18.”
“Thatremix got us thinking about how great it would be to do remixes for otherWisconsin artists,” Foran said. “We thought, why not bring out the best ofWisconsin, or at least the artists that we really like from Wisconsin, andstart collaborating, and maybe make something happen. We wanted to make aproject that would show off all this talent on a bigger stage.”
Takingadvantage of Moody’s suggestions, the duo worked with an eclectic assortment ofWisconsin acts for what became WarehousesPossessed by the City: A Wisconsin Remix EP, which they released onBandcamp this month through Moody’s Unlooped Records. Kiings’ PostalService-ified Field Report track is joined on the EP by an up-tempo reworkingof Boy Blue’s “Table Talk” (featuring new vocals from Hannah Gabriela of theindie-pop band Vic and Gab); a glitchy reconstruction of Altos’ ominous “Sing(for Trouble)”; a trip-hop treatment of Gina Barrington’s sultry “Cupid”; and awidescreen remix of “Laura,” a track from the Madison indie band Phox.
Inaddition to raising Kiings’ profile, the remix project has had the added benefitof helping them forge connections with other local artists, some of whom maycontribute to the full-length album the group is currently at work on.
“Buildingstrong bonds with other artists is really important to us because we’reproducers. We don’t sing, so even when we’re making original material, we wantto work closely with some of the artists we’ve already worked with,” Siegelsays. “There are so many local artists that we’re really fond of and want tocontinue to collaborate with. Basically, we want to be known for being open tomaking a wide variety of music, taking chances and helping to build a solidcommunity of local musicians. We don’t care if somebody raps or if they play ina folk project; we just want to work with talented people.”
To stream or download WarehousesPossessed by the City, go tokiings.bandcamp.com.
