Kllo, a two-piece Aussie band made up of cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam, will be gracing the stage at Live at Leeds 2017, bringing us their ethereal electronic soundscapes.
The pair say they weren’t close growing up, having the “awkward cousins that’s only see each other at Christmas or family get togethers” kind of relationship, making them hesitant when their mums suggested they formed a musical partnership. However, after a few sessions working alongside one another Chloe tells us they “became close and made music fluently and comfortably together”, and this is certainly evident in the quality of the music they have produced.
Having grown up developing their influences and styles separately we wondered if the pair shared similar tastes or whether their sound is an amalgamation of their individual influences. “We have a similar direction with where we would like to take Kllo and we love similar artists and sounds, but we grew up with different influences. I think that really shows in our music, my love for RnB/Soul tied with Simon’s love for experimental electronic music.”
Despite this youthful deviation, the two influencing styles collaborate and show through their creation of tracks which express their creativity from mellow soulful sounds to the more up-beat electronic mixes, yet all remaining distinctively Kllo, thanks to Chloe’s recognisable vocals. And what about current influences? “We draw a lot of inspiration from international artists such as Little Drago, Caribou, Jaques Greene but also from our surrounding friends here in Australia such as Jack Grace, Christopher Port and Buoy.”
Not only is their sound distinctively Kllo, but it’s evident they also have a strong sense of style and artistry which come together to complete the whole package. Their look fits effortlessly into the ultra cool street styles of Melbourne and London allowing the music to speak for itself.
“It’s a great way to set the tone for a musician. We are lucky enough to work closely with a few local friends in the fashion and art scene. Pai, James Robinson and Hamish Mitchell have helped set the tone for us, but it also just depends from artist to artist. We believe that fashion and image is just an added bonus to an artist, if the music is great enough it’s not so important.”
The end of 2016 saw Kllo fly across to the UK and Europe supporting NAO, getting their sounds out to our audiences. We asked them what they thought of the UK music scene, which, of course, served as a source of inspiration, allowing them to immerse themselves in one of the most creative and innovative music scenes in the world. “It was very inspiring to be in the place where a lot of our sound originated. Meeting new people and going to gigs over there [the UK] has definitely impacted on the direction for the album and helped solidify our sound.”
Having performed at festivals in the past the band say they are excited to be involved with a festival that showcases both emerging artists, new music and local venues. “Usually festivals aren’t as intimate as an individual show because people aren’t necessarily buying tickets just to see us, but that is also the fun part of playing festivals. You just never know what to expect”. So the best part of playing festivals? “Playing our music to an audience that may have never heard of us before. It can be challenging but it’s also an incredible experience to have people connecting with our work for the very first time”.
2017 is an exciting year for the band, with the plan to complete and share their debut album: “It’s very special to us and we hope resonates with others”. We certainly expect the band will be a hit with the audiences of Leeds and can’t wait to hear the final product if its any reflection of what we have already been gifted on their EP releases. Their latest EP Well Worn showcases their diversity and creativity, with the electro-poppy bouncing tracks ‘Walls to Build’, ‘Collide’ and ‘Don’t Be the One’ teamed with the soulful, sensual ‘Sense’ and the trance inducing warping sounds in ‘On My Name’. Lyrically, musically, stylistically: Kllo are certainly forging a distinct and formidable path.
Isla Tweed
(Image: XLR8R)
Make sure you check Kllo out at live at Leeds on 25th April 2017 and keep your eyes peeled for that debut album and hit download.