UK artist James Knights has been involved with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. During the past…
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$” on Cargo Records. The songs are an electronic fusion between ‘pop’, Italo-disco and Hi-Nrg. It’s an album getting people into dance and simply making them happy. This is what James Knigthts has to tell us about it.
Q: How did the
Knight$ 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!
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