CRSSD is back for its annual Fall Edition to take place at Waterfront Park in sunny San Diego this October 1st + 2nd. Per usual, the festival is featuring a handful of ace talent including Zhu, Cashmere Cat, Kaytranada, Thomas Jack, Justin Martin, and many more alongside up and comer Kungs who I had the pleasure of chatting with. As of lately it seems like House music has been diluted into 500 different sub-genres creating a wave of noise and Kungs has managed to overcome the tide with his groovy and vocal infused House tunes. Based in Aix De Provence, France, it’s safe to say that Kungs has a flair farthest from the Western sounds we are used to hearing.
Set to give us an energy fueled and groove based set at CRSSD, see what Kungs had to say about it all down below.
EDM MANIAC: What can we expect to hear from your live set at CRSSD?
KUNGS: Usually me set is getting more and more powerful minute after minute. At the beginning I like to create a chill and groovy vibe and then I’m going more and more into the “Happy house” vibe and even future house. Obviously I always adapt my set to the crowd to make it the most efficient I can!
EDM MANIAC: Describe what the Kungs sound represents in 5 words or less.
KUNGS: Happiness, Groove, Melody, Party
EDM MANIAC: Any sets at CRSSD that you absolutely cannot miss?
KUNGS: I would say Kaytranada, Claptone, Riton, Louis The Child, FKJ and MK
EDM MANIAC: What age did you start making music and what motivated you to do it?
KUNGS: I started 3 years ago to create beats on my computer. When I was younger I used to listen a lot of melodic house tracks on youtube channels like La Belle Musique or The Vibe Guide and I was like “ok I like this vibe” then I bought Ableton and started playing with it. I didn’t know anything about this software before so I’ve learnt everything by myself. I have to admit that my very first remixes were pretty bad haha. But after hours and hours spent on this software I was able to create better stuffs like my unofficial remixes of Bob Marley “Jammin” or “West Coast from Lana Del Rey” which had a great success on Soundcloud.
EDM MANIAC: Your Soundcloud is extremely impressive. You’ve got an amazing variety of originals and remixes, 89k followers and have accumulated over 34 Million+ Soundcloud plays. What factors do you think contributed to your success so early on?
KUNGS: Thanks ! I’m definitely a Soundcloud child.
What I like with it is that you can be nobody with absolutely no fan, so if the track is good it will organically takes a lot of views. I guess it’s also easier to share a track instead of a picture or a video so people use to share a lot. Then to make your Soundcloud profile growing you need to be active on the plateform by posting on a regular basis new remixes, reposting the track you like in order to create your virtual musical landscape and keep answering to the comments. Three years ago when I discovered Soundcloud you could share everything including unofficial content without being scared of being striked… Good old days…
EDM MANIAC: What has it been like working with the Paris based and groove driven label, Sound Of Barclay?
KUNGS: Amazing, what I like in the Barclay Label is that they are not focus only on the electronic music, so the inspiration and collaboration opportunity is wide ! They let me create and release the music that I really like, I think that it is the most important thing.
EDM MANIAC: What is it like knowing you are about to embark on your first tour across the states?
This is so exciting ! I just can’t wait to share amazing moments with my fans in the US, it’s been a while that people are asking me to come over so I’m thankful that “This Girl” made it happen!
EDM MANIAC: What does it mean for an international artist like yourself to have a major agency like CAA (Creative Artists Agency) representing you?
It means a lot, I like the fact that they are focused on building my profile by selecting the best venues at the right moment. Some agencies only think about the amount of money the promoter can invest to have an artist playing at his club / festival, that’s definitely not their way of thinking and I really appreciate this.
EDM MANIAC: Anything you’d like to share with everyone before you go?
KUNGS: I’m currently finishing my debut album, it will be out worldwide on November 4th. I’m looking forward to show you the different aspects of my music. Actually you’ll obviously find some groovy and “happy house” tracks as “This Girl” but you’ll also discover some emotional tracks and other kind of productions. I took a lot of pleasure doing this album, I had the chance to work with really talented singers so I just can’t wait to share these new tracks with you!”
Well there you have it folks. You heard it here first from Kungs himself. From across the globe straight to CRSSD for his debut San Diego set, Kungs is as ready as can be with his arsenal of funky House tunes for this one of a kind party. It’s gonna be a rollercoaster of a ride starting with emotion and trekking down the path of sonic happiness. Make sure to get your CRSDD tickets HERE before they run out. Time is ticking and it’s likely to be a bomb time out in sunny San Diego!
