Interview: 5 minutes with KLYMVX
Based in Paris, and formed in late 2014, KLYMVX (pronounced “climax”) are a French electronic-music DJ and producer duo consisting of musicians and producers Axel and Hovig. Influenced by an array of inspiring talent such as Grey to The Chainsmokers and Lost Frequencies. But KLYMVX’s intricately crafted future-electro-induced innovation might deem the duo more comparable to acts such as Kygo, Alan Walker or even the ever-influential Daft Punk for their appeal to innovate and immerse audiences.
The duo’s latest single ‘Siento’ is an instant seasonal classic; kicking off with soulfully strummed acoustic guitar lines sitting comfortably underneath vocalist Marissa Chibli’s velvetine yet fiery and passionate vocal delivery, the solid production; pounding beats, waving basslines and complimentary synth blasts make this a definite standout in KLYMVX’s growing catalogue, and is sure to be left on repeat all over the planet.
We caught up with KLYMVX on spreading energy and chasing smiles:
(Be sure to stream KLYMVX’s latest single ‘Siento’ below!)
Set the tone for us. Why the arts?
We chose the arts because it’s the best way to spread positivity, love and good energy to the world. Some things are too delicate to be expressed without melody. It’s important for us to put feeling into our productions – if you feel emotional while listening, well I guess it means we did the job! Also it’s because we suck at everything else!
Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?
Inspiration can come from everywhere. Sometimes it’s just the situation that inspires us, so we start thinking of sounds, arrangements and melodies. But sometimes we just hang out in the studio playing around with synths, trying out different things.. and then BOOM! Something comes out then we start putting our ideas into melody form. It also really depends on our mood!
Does your material feature any collaborations?
We don’t have any collaborations with other producers yet. But we do work with some amazing people. Amazing singers and amazing songwriters!
What’s on your current playlist?
Our playlists are pretty versatile. We listen to all kinds of music, from score music to hard trap stuff etc.
Axel’s playlist:
NOTD – I Wanna Know ft Bea Miller
Clean Bandit – Solo ft. Demi Lovato
Jeremy Zucker – Better Of ft. Chelsea Cutler
Bazzi – Mine
Charlie Puth – Change
But also Lauv, Nina Nesbitt, Sasha Sloan, Steve Jablonsky, Clara Mae, The Chainsmokers, Cazztek, Loote etc
Hovig’s playlist:
The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
Shallou, Riah – Lie
Post Malone – Rockstar
LeBoeuf – Sorry (LeBoeuf remix)
Steve Jablonsky – My Name is Lincoln
And also Diplo, Damien N-Drix, Lucas & Steve, Valentino Khan, Skrillex etc
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
The audience’s smile is the best connection ever. When you see that they’re feeling the music deep inside in their bodies – that just makes us smile, and when we see that they smile back, the feeling is just great! As long as we are all smiling during a show, no matter the size of the crowd or the venue, we’re just chasing that feeling. And so far our fans have never let us down!
What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?
We love to mix all types of music. Of course we do electronic-pop but we take a little bit of something in every genre we like. For example we love to put ethnic vibes, retro vibes, even scoring music, we still have this deep/tropical house influence as well. And when it comes to a specific sound like a synth – just playing around and tweaking sounds until it’s what we want.
Take us through a day in the recording studio.
Well, a day in the recording studio with KLYMVX is pretty exhausting, and also very funny to be honest! For instance, sometimes we spend so much energy making jokes that we forget to actually work (kidding of course). But basically we arrive around 10am and start by talking to the engineer who is our friend, debating about news and the industry etc. And then we start working. After like 20 minutes the engineer leaves the room and we’re alone in the studio so we can do everything we want. Drums, keys, synths, percussions. After 2-3 hours, a few tracks recorded, and 283 jokes made, we start to get hungry so we’ll eat lunch. After the break we don’t stop until we think we have something good. We never waste a studio day even when we make too many jokes!
Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?
When our exam song at school “Fallen” started to grow on the internet, we were like “ok, let’s do this!”
What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?
Our drinks! Because it’s a important to stay hydrated! (Also a backup USB flash drive)
Any emerging artists on your radar?
NOTD (and not just because they are our friends!)
What gets your creative juices flowing?
The feedback we get every single day drives us to give the best of ourselves to make the best music we can. Also our amazing team and entourage, their motivation is inspiring. And when we’re out of inspiration we just take a little break to empty our minds.
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
Our best friends are Logic Pro, Kontakt, Serum, M1, sometimes Massive and Sylenth1 of course. As well as all of our mixing software when we’re not in the studio, with the big console and the 1 million dollar rack. Oh, and of course our instruments (guitars, keys etc.)
Any side projects you’re working on?
We still producing for French hip-hop. We recently turned Gold for the 2nd time for an album we produced!
How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?
Since we entered the industry, we’ve spent a lot of time searching for the best topline, the best songwriter and the best singer.
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?
A lot of new music is coming; singles, remixes and also shows!
Order ‘Siento’ single by KLYMVX
For more information follow KLYMVX on Facebook
