Kitchen Party demanded our attention with their debut Mixtape and this month sees them drop their introductory EP ‘Light’s.

It seems that all of the music hungry cool kids who are first in line to nurture emerging talent are vacating from MySpace and descending over to Soundcloud!

The site played host to debut mix-tape from girl trio Kitchen Party and became an overnight online click-fest with thousands logging on for a listen, including celebrity snapper Rankin, who tweeted about how much he loved it!

Now Alice, Tanisha and Jess return with their first EP ‘Lights’ which is an advanced collection of original songs and remixes. The three fashion savvy ladies have co-written the release with Cameron McVey, who is the man responsible for hits with musical heavyweights Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack and the cooler girl band of the 90’s, All Saints.

We caught up with them to talk about their inspirations and their love for old-skool Garage.

Are we wrong to assume you met at a houseparty?

Alice: Well i’ve known Tanisha for years! Jess and I met through a mutual friend at a party, ironically. We started working together musically around the same time that Jess and I moved in to our flat. The kitchen ended up being the hub of everything, parties, music making… so it just seemed appropriate that we used that as our name.

You cite so many diverse artists as influences. Who were you all listening too growing up and what is on your playlists now?

Jess: The sound of my house growing up was definitely Reggae, Motown and Soul. In my room there was MJ, Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Britney, J-Lo or anything I could generally get caught dancing and singing too. I also began to listen to a lot of Garage and Jungle as I grew up. Now I’m into so many different things. I love everything from  Amy Winehouse to Rhye, Rihanna to London Grammar, Wale to Totem. Soundcloud is an amazing place to discover new music. It’s where I first listened to Mele and Dusky.

Alice: Our inspirations are very diverse. I love Toni Braxton, TLC, Whitney Houston, Disclosure..the list is completely endless.

Tanisha: I listened to a lot of what my parents listened to growing-up. They introduced me to Motown and a bit of Jazz. They love R’n’B and Soul. Anita Baker is one of my mums favourites and they were listening to Aaliyah and SWV before me.

You seem quite style savvy. Who are your favourite designers and are there any favoured brands that you love?

I think we are influenced more by mood, how we feel on the day or by people whose style we admire rather than particular brands to be honest. We tend to go vintage or High street but when we dream we opt for the likes of Katie Eary, Givenchy, House Of Holland and KTZ.

Are you worried that image can sometimes overshadow the music with ‘girl bands’?

We are aware of that but music has and always will be our main focus. We try to concentrate on being ourselves and following our instincts rather than what is expected of three girls in a group.

’11th Floor’ gained you a massive amount of recognition. How did it feel to get such an overwhelming reaction to it?

When we released ‘11th Floor‘ we didn’t really know what to expect, I think when any artist or band release their work they’re putting a little piece of themselves out there, so the love we did get was great. It meant a lot and It’s nice to know you’re doing something that other people enjoy.

Tell us more about the debut EP ‘Lights’?

You’ve basically got an upgrade of our favourite tracks from the mixtape. There’s also some great remixes of ‘Lights‘ on there by Yumi & The Weather, Jamie Grind and Harry Wolfman. We added a little added old-skool vibe with our cover of ‘Anywhere‘. We just wanted it to be a continuation from ‘11th Floor‘ with an added extra.

You’re working with producer Cameron McVey. What can we expect the tracks to sound like?

When we work with Cameron we always manage to come up with some crazy harmonies! The sound will always have that UK flavour and we’re truing to keep it fresh.

What will the remainder of the year hold for you guys and what do you have planned for 2014?

We’re gonna be holed up in the studio working on some new music as well as playing a few live gigs in-between. We’re really excited about the coming year. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

 

Words: Shane Hawkins