Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Kolour Kode
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Hard to come up with one singular memory, but I can definitely remember these songs playing all throughout childhood: “Samba Pa Ti” by Santana, “Suavecito” by Malo, “Mmmbop” by Hanson, and pretty much any Earth, Wind, & Fire song. These songs were playing around the house while my mom was cleaning on a Saturday, a boombox on a camping trip, and everywhere in between.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I was gifted a drumset at 2 years old from my paternal grandfather who did music his entire life and still to this day. So I was playing on that thing ever since, but my passion for actually learning how to read and write and eventually produce my own music started in early elementary school. As I became more musically literate, I wrote my own songs (many never saw the light of day), then dabbled in GarageBand maybe around 11-13 years old where I learned the basics of tracking instruments. Then when I started college in 2013, I got Logic Pro and never went back…
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I attended San Jose State University and I always was curious about “raves”. You know, those parties where everyone is jumping up and down to high-energy music with lights going all crazy. When I attended my first actual EDM show with production, which was David Guetta at SJSU on my 19th birthday, it hit me that what I was doing along with all the other 10,000 people in the crowd, is exactly what I want to make others do through my own music. I wanted to be up on that stage with the whole audience under my control. So I practiced and practiced producing by making remakes to my favorite songs and taking a stab at my own original songs. We at SJSU were also super spoiled with the amount of huge artists that performed at our arena. Just to name a few, we had Diplo, Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus, DJ Mustard, and more. This was a huge source of motivation. What’s crazy though, is my music project didn’t even start until after I finished college. I was barely getting decent once school was done. So in a way, college was I’d say, 30% actual practice, 70% dreaming and partying lol.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
While Bass/Tech House is my primary genre, I also dabble in Trap and Moombahton. I also don’t like to completely box myself in one genre over the other….my music and DJ sets are meant to feel like the quintessential house party–that feeling when the weekend is FINALLY here and you know you’ll walk away with SOMETHING that felt like it was for you. I aim to bring a healthy mix of nostalgia, deep cuts, mainstream, and trends of today that will hopefully be FELT first, and heard after. You might hear me flip an old disco song into some upbeat Tech House, your favorite 2000s pop/punk song into some Drum & Bass, or the most over-used TikTok sound over a Lofi beat…quite literally anything that moves me and I’ll try to do it for you too.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Creativity won’t always find you, and you can’t always find creativity. You can go into the studio thinking you’re going to make the coolest bass house song with a certain style and sound but spend hours on hours getting nowhere because it’s not “fitting” what you originally thought of. On the flip, actively searching for creative ideas no matter how prepared or resourceful you are can still end up in a period of stagnation with no progress. Sometimes you’ll have to be okay with going with the flow and let happy accidents happen. You even have to allow yourself to make some really crappy music. Lots of it. But the cool thing is, those many crappy sparks you made can always be revisited later in a better headspace. So, the more you show up, the more often you’ll be “ready” once inspiration takes spark.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
My DAW is and always was Logic Pro. As far as instruments, as long as I have at least a midi keyboard where I can play chords or melodies, I’m content. As far as plugins, I would say my top 3 are Serum (synth vst) , FabFilter Pro-Q4 (dynamic EQ), and KClip Zero (free clipper).
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Right now I’m really into this Colombian artist ANIBAL, who has crazy math rock/pop guitar chops and such smooth vocals. I actually discovered him very randomly when one of his guitar TikToks popped up on my feed and I kid you not, 2 seconds in I already wanted to remix it with my drums and arrangement. Definitely go check him out @anibal.delosreyes
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I think it’s a huge mix of my upbringing and specifically, my college days. Growing up, we had so much music playing around the house…oldies/disco, 80s/90s pop/hiphop/rnb, my formative years listening to alternative or pop/punk whilst playing in my own bands. Then once I hit college, it was a whole other ballgame: RAVES and EDM. The way the music is made and the effect it has on people, I think, is unmatched. There is also something about the whole production of the lights, the pyro, and the visuals that always interested me, even back in my “rock days.” The only thing that changed was the music taste. The love for performing, the sound of loud music over a big sound system, and the reaction of a crowd was and still is the constant thing.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Pure fun and joy. Like I mentioned, I want my music and DJ sets to feel like the ultimate release from life’s every day pressures and stresses. That perfect house party that has all your best friends, old and new in one place, where different tastes and styles are all celebrated. I hope I strike a nostalgic nerve that makes someone look back at their most happy and simpler times but I also hope to engage creativity and curiosity for the unknown future as well. But what’s most important is the feeling of the now. As long as my audience is currently having a good time and can leave the show or go to sleep with at least one thing they can relate to or enjoy…no matter their tastes, then I feel like I did my job.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Never underestimate the power of music. It reminds, it energizes, it paralyzes. So use it and FEEL it! You’ll be glad you did.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Hmmm I would say for sentimental reasons, I would love to perform at the basketball arena at SJSU. Going to shows there were some of the best times of my life. It’s also the perfect venue size for an EDM show. But for a festival, goodness it’s hard to decide between Coachella and EDC Vegas….EDC Vegas, to me, is as high as it gets. Even as an attendee…it’s like when you were a kid and you went to Disneyland. Then the trip was over and the only thing on your mind was “when is the next time we’re going again?” that’s how I see EDC. Coachella on the other hand, as a pure-bred California kid, I think might be the biggest honor though. Would love to play at both though!
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
The one and only King of Pop, MJ! I feel like disco and funk are such core inspirations in the type of house I make (groove-first, sound-design second). And I just think an MJ topline would be SO good on any modern dance music track.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
All Links https://linktr.ee/kolourkode
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kolourkodemusic
Spotify
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@kolourkodemusic?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@kolourkodemusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey
Get my DJ collective back up and running so we can start playing festivals! Shout out Gleam Music Group
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I’m really just a dude that is blessed with so many musical inspirations and tastes and that I hope they’ll connect with some of it. Thanks for featuring me, Formula Indie Sessions!
