PLAYY. Mix #173 – Thor Rixon
South African producer Thor Rixon is possibly best known for his energetic experiments in live and electronic sound production, his inherent playfulness resulting in moments of wicked absurdity like 2015’s viral hit, Fuk Bread. Since moving to the global mecca of hedonism – Berlin – Rixon’s productions, always drenched in rich sounds, textures, and peculiar tones, have grown more decadent (and more cheeky). This is perhaps most evident on his latest project, Nawti Baby. The two-track EP sees Rixon join forces with his longtime partner Kitty Kat, who makes her dance music debut providing sultry vocals and lyrics dripping with attitude, perfectly complementing Rixon’s propulsive and louche soundscapes. For PLAYY., Rixon presents a mix of music that locates his current creative output somewhere in the foggy annals of underground dance floors, filled with characters as colourful as they are dark, as sinful as they are mesmerising.
Set the tone for us. Where is Thor Rixon currently at creatively?
I always seem to be all over the place. I can never stick to one thing and keep at that for too long as I get bored and just simply love and thrive off of creative exploration. So many people have told me that I should focus on one thing and stick to it but that’s just never felt natural for me so why should I put myself in a box when I could be pushing myself and trying new things and getting excited by new sonic ideas and paths. For the last few years I have found myself making lots of dance music, but even within dance music I have explored many different genres and subgenres. Currently I’m having a lot of fun making house, on the faster side, with little sprinkles of techno here and there. Aside from music, one of my other passions is film. I recently finished a short film which is currently on the festival circuit which will be released early 2024. I’m also currently writing a feature film and another short film which will head into production next year.
What sorts of things are inspiring the current direction of your sound?
Lately I’ve been very inspired by musical artists such as River Moon, Yoshinori Sunahara, Cobrah & Jensen Interceptor to name a few. I’m also inspired by my friends and peers both in Berlin and South Africa who are all doing beautiful things across many different mediums. The sesh and the dancefloor is where a lot of inspiring moments happen for me. I usually get to a point when the music and vibe is correct and I find myself dancing with my eyes pretty much closed for hours just lost in the soup.
On your latest EP ‘Nawti, Baby’ you’re working with your partner Kitty Kat. How has the experience of collaborating with each other been?
We started writing music together when we’d just started going out during the lockdown. We wrote some more chilled stuff in the beginning as that is the world that Helena likes making music within and then we wrote some more sassy stuff which is more my thing, which you’ll hear on the EP. It was a funny process to be honest as we both had very different tastes and ideas of where the tracks should go, which caused us to butt heads a few times during the process. But in general it was fun we’re both happy with the outcome… I think. Haha. (P.S. Helena still thinks her version was better).
Download / stream Nawti Baby here
This is Kitty Kat’s debut. How did you go about creating a sound for her that feels distinct from your own?
We didn’t really think about it too much. Helena just had these lyrics in her head and some ideas for the beats which I then expanded on. We are both fans of sassy and sexy dance music that makes you wanna shake your booty so we set out to try to make something that encapsulated that feeling but in our own style. This sound is only the first taste of what’s to come.
What does the new year look like for Thor Rixon? Any projects that you’re particularly excited about?
So I recently did a life coaching workshop with a good friend of mine who helped me align my chakras. So basically, the outcome of that session was the plan to release 8 EPs within 2024. As I mentioned earlier I can never stick to one genre so each EP will have its own flavour and style of dance music. All the music is pretty much done, it’s just a matter of mixing, mastering and finishing the artworks at this stage. So expect an EP from me next year every 4-6 weeks.
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