UK artist James Knights has been involved with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. During the past few years he set up his solo-project KNIGHT$. He first released the EP “What’s Your Poison?” (2016) and moved on with another EP “Alligator” (2017). Early 2019 saw him unleashing his debut album “Dollar$ & Cent$” on Cargo Records. The songs are an electronic fusion between ‘pop’, Italo-disco and Hi-Nrg. It’s an album getting people into dance and simply making them happy. This is what James Knigthts has to tell us about it.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: How did the Knight$ project see the daylight and what have been the sources of inspiration?
James: I took a little break from making music in 2015 when my previous project ended. At that time I was unsure if I would make music again at all. Then, after 9 months the idea of KNIGHT$ took a hold, and I felt ready to be creative again.
Q: You’ve just released the debut album “Dollars & Cents”. A debut full length always is something particular so what are your feelings regarding this debut and the final achievement?
James: 2019 felt like the right time to make a full length LP after my first two EPs (“What’s Your Poison?” and “Alligator”) went down quite well. I had so many ideas coming forward during 2016, so I knew we could get real quality songs. From the fan response I really feel it’s some of the best stuff I’ve made.
Q: Some of the songs and especially the new single “Gelato” are pretty Italo-disco and Hi-NRG like. It’s pretty kitsch and fun, but still my favorite track from the album. Tell us a bit more about this song and the crazy clip?
James: I can remember I wanted to write a song that would be easy to listen to, with no struggle in it at all. Just flowing constantly. It was Summer and I looked out of the window and really wanted to capture this feeling of optimism I had.
Yes, the video is quite funny. There’s a small club where I live with some nice lights. We didn’t have much time to shoot, so we shot the video over four or five hours. I was exhausted by the end from all the dancing and ice cream eating!
Q: You’re more familiar with electro-pop music (Scarlet Soho, Boytronic) so what are the main differences in the global production work with Knight$?
James: I think KNIGHT$ has similarities with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. It’s still my voice, and that hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s just that with KNIGHT$ everything can happen a lot faster. If there’s a good idea coming I can record it immediately and get it out there. The magic is to not overthink anything at all and let the songs flow.
Q: Disco, Italo-disco, Hi-NRG… they all have something pretty fun-, happy- and party-like. I think we’re missing this today and especially in times the world is featuring a lot of terror and horror. Can we see Knight$ as a cure to feel better?
James: Absolutely! Life can be hard enough in 2019. I don’t want my music to add to the listeners woes, or contribute to my own. I refuse to be a part of this trend, and will do almost anything to grasp some positivity from wherever it’s hiding!
Q: I noticed you already did several live performances. Tell us a bit more about the live concept, the first reactions and what’s the next step for Knight$?
James: So far I am very pleased with the response. The audience is younger than I had before, and the show is packed full of energy for 60 minutes! We’ve been opening for Peter Heppner, Heaven 17, and in July we will head out with A Flock Of Seagulls in the UK. We can thaw the coldest of hearts wherever we go!
Since you’re here … … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 2 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
