Last week we had a killer liftoff to our Mothership Radio guest mix series as the France native, KERYS kicked us off with her Celtics charm and bass! You can tune into her guest mix here.
Who Are Ya?! Q & A with KERYS ML: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get your artist name?
KERYS: My real name is Elodie, I currently live in Rennes (France) and I’m 21. I got my artist name by looking around the local folklore (Breton.) In the Breton language, Ker means city. The city of Ys is a legendary city in Brittany that was submerged by the sea. After looking it up, I was inspired to start this whole underwater themed project.
ML: How long have you been making music? Do you play any instruments? What is your hardware / software setup like? How do you feel technology has evolved your music?
KERYS: I’ve been making music for 5 or 6 years now, I don’t really remember when I started. I play badly the guitar but it’s something I want to improve in the future because I love this instrument. I also have a kalimba. I produce in Ableton Live 10 and I own a midi keyboard. I don’t have hardware and it’s not really something I’m looking to acquire. All the plugins I own get the job done. Technology is such an important part of my music tools and I’m always looking for new innovations to expand my sound palette.
ML: What music genres are you most interested in? Who are some artists you admire?
KERYS: Everything in the bass music spectrum interests me a lot. At the moment, I’m listening to a lot of future and melodic riddim, as well as drum & bass and midtempo. I admire a lot of people, for different reasons. It can be because they have an interesting concept/branding, because they’re pushing limits, etc… My top 5 right now would be TRYPLE, SHSTR, Voltra, Samplifire and HVDES.
ML: Tell us about your music influences and background – can you elaborate on how you developed your sound for us?
KERYS: When I started producing, it was mainly synthwave/retrowave. I then discovered midtempo, which I love. I try to keep the retro feel in my verses and have a hard hitting drop. I’m also obsessed with vaporwave. There’s something about slow down material that really pleases me. I’m also kind of influenced by Eliminate, as he’s the only one I know that have a sea-related concept. My sound is the result of me thinking to myself ‘what if I mash this and this?,’ trying to combine the best of what I hear.
ML: What’s a message that you always try to portray to your fans?
KERYS: Don’t be afraid to explore new territories.
ML: What inspired you to get into making music? What continues to inspire you?
KERYS: I always wanted to learn an instrument and then learned about music production. I always loved building universes and having a creative hobby helps me relax in my free time.
ML: What are some goals for your music production? What about any memorable moments you’ve enjoyed in your musical journey?
KERYS: My main goal is just grow and keep having fun. What I like about it is that I can go to you own pace and as long as I’m satisfied, everything’s alright. My most memorable moments are the milestones : first song, first label release, first livestream, etc… I think my favorite is making the set for the Abyss Experience festival. It was a long process because I had to make 3D loops but the result was very worth it.
ML: Anything else you would like to share before signing off?
KERYS: Thank you for this interview, it’s always a pleasure to share more of behind the scenes.
Kenavo! (*goodbye in Breton)
CONNECT with KERYS:
Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
LISTEN to KERYS:
Spotify | SoundCloud | YouTube
