Rainbow Disco Club 2023
KAMMA & MASALO INTERVIEW

—What were your interests when you were growing up and how did you start getting into music?

Kamma: Both my parents were full-time DJs in the ‘80 and ‘90s so I literally grew up with vinyl records all around me. They both played 5 nights a week and their record bags were full of stuff varying from jazz and funk to boogie and disco to hip-hop and house.
I started digging and creating my own collection at quite a young age. I was in elementary school and obsessed with stuff like Roy Ayers, John Coltrane, and Guru’s Jazzmatazz. My parents took me to my first concert when I was around 10 years old, it was George Clinton Parliament in Paradiso, Amsterdam. Experiencing the funk and seeing all those colorful dressed people was a life-changing experience. In high school, I went to many different concerts on my own and also started to collect more electronic music.

Masalo: I grew up in a household with music ranging from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Prince, and De La Soul. My dad is a music freak, recording everything music related from our television to tape and always willing to show us something he recorded or a new song he had studied, as he is also an avid fan of the guitar. Growing up, it was a normal sight to have my dad inviting his friends over for jam sessions in our home while I was playing with Lego in the same room. My older brother has always been into rapping, beat-making, collecting music and DJ’ing and he had two SL1200’s so that’s how it all started. Whether we liked it or not, it was always a party at home!

—Tell us about the artists, people, and places that have influenced and shaped your music style.

Kamma: For me, in Amsterdam, there are two places that shaped me. The first one is Paradiso, where I went to concerts during high school a lot and stayed for the afterparty where DJs would play. Back then I was actually underage to go clubbing, but I knew if I went to the concert I could stay for the after-party.
The one place for me where I fell in love with electronic music was club Trouw. Experiencing DJ sets there from Ron Trent, Moodymann, and Antal & Hunee was mind-blowing. One time I remember seeing Larry Heard there and I was there with a group of friends and my dad. I realized how lucky I was to share these musical experiences with both friends and family.

Masalo: Of course, everything came from my family and from the aforementioned artists that they loved to play at home. But Japan holds a special connection to it as well. I grew up in a bi-cultural household, my mom is Japanese and my dad is a Dutchman. If my parents saved up enough money we would make the trip to Japan, so I was fortunate to spend some of my summer holidays as a kid in Japan staying with family. One of our cousins, Hagi-san, is a record collector and I have fond memories of me and my brother joining him and his wife digging the Japanese music stores and coming back with phat stacks of new music. Hagi-san had lots of records and the story goes that his room was getting too heavy for all the records, almost collapsing the whole floor so he gave a lot of records to my brother and I got CDs! One of those CDs was a ‘Viva! Emma Latin House Compilation’ that holds a Joe Claussell remix of Snowboy’s Casa Forte. I think I was around 14 years old when hearing that for the first time and it changed my life. I still play this tune to this day and I still get goosebumps hearing it. Our cousin might not even know this but he gave us the blueprint of what we do today!

—What are your thoughts on music originating from Japan, and what is your impression of Japanese culture?

Masalo: The amount of dedication and all the subtleties in it. As much as I like the American-influenced cross-over boogie and electropop sounds, I’m also very much into stuff like Geinoh Yamashirogumi. I think the Akira soundtrack that they did, is one of the most intense and emotive music pieces ever made. The drums, the chants, the trance. It’s all very pure. For me, it gets most interesting when both the concept of culture and the concept of time fuse and when this gets blurry and messy in a good way. Combining traditional and modern ways of music making as well as combining traditional culture with modern-day street culture. And it’s all about the subtleties of how to do that with class and brilliance and I think some of the Japanese composers are truly masterful in doing that.

Kamma: I’m here for the food.

—How did you two meet and what is the story behind your partnership?

Kamma: We bumped into each other in Amsterdam clubs Paradiso and Club Trouw. We went to the BoogieBash parties run by the legendary KC The Funkaholic.

Masalo: I tagged along with my older brother Momo and Kamma went with her parents. So we were actually one of the few youngsters on these dance floors and that’s how our connection got formed.

Kamma: Compared to my friends at school I was really an outsider in terms of music taste. So when I found another person into the same kinda music I was delighted. We’ve been clubbing together and started throwing our own parties together with more musically-minded friends. That party is now known as Brighter Days.

Masalo: We started Brighter Days really low-key of course, with us bringing our own equipment to small venues. We always asked the venue if we could bring our own sound system for the occasion. I think some of the venues still regret they said yes because we brought in way too powerful sound systems. Glasses on the shelves shaking and the owner giving us fierce looks, that kinda thing. But it was all good because we always brought a positive and respectful party vibe.

—Tell us about how you were introduced to Antal and the RUSH HOUR.

Masalo: Through the Rush Hour shop and the Rush Hour parties like Disco3000 and the legendary nights in Club Trouw and OT301. Those were some really refreshing experiences, because even though Amsterdam has quite a big electronic music scene, sometimes it felt too much in one direction in terms of sound. We think the Rush Hour parties were really broadening up the spectrum of what a DJ could play and Antal and the DJs he invited are masters in that. We felt that the different music tastes and people with different backgrounds came a bit closer together at those parties.

Kamma: Imagine a concrete basement stacked with speakers blasting out tracks from Fela Kuti, Peven Everett and Carl Craig. Those were some intense moments and we felt right at home. It all grew organically from there on, with releasing our music on the label, playing at the parties and it’s something that is still growing and growing and we are very grateful to share this all together.

—This will be your first time DJing together at Rainbow Disco Club. What are you looking forward to most from your experience here?

Kamma: We’ve had the pleasure to have been here twice in past editions. The first time visiting the festival and the last time Masalo was DJ’ing on the Rush Hour Day. So in that sense, it feels very familiar and it has always been a highlight to immerse ourselves in this unique setting with the best music and crowd. So we are sooo excited to play there together for the first time!

—For Your Love (Kamma & Masalo Radio Mix) was a huge hit. What was the story behind this track?

Masalo: We came across the original by Dutch/Belgium group 'Discothèque' during a digging session and it instantly hit us when we heard it. As with some older compositions, some song parts were not really convincing in the current landscape, for instance, modulating into a new section where it gets way too happy, like total cheeseball stuff. Stuff that would make people leave the dancefloor immediately, well at least we would. Then again we respect the original work and didn’t want to ruin the initial intention, so we cut out some parts, extended some parts, did lots of surgical eq’ing, and lots of testing during our gigs! Every time we played it at festivals it just exploded!

—Tell us about your thought processes when you’re DJing and producing tracks.

Kamma: When DJ’ing, it’s not so much a thought process but more a process of feeling and being receptive and having your intuition guide you. DJ’ing is very much about the sensibility of all of us being in a room or field and sharing the journey together.
When I’m in my studio making music, the sounds are really reflecting my state of mind. For instance, when I meditate before making music, the tracks can be very dreamy and cosmic, but when I’m in a different mood they can be dark and intense. Like DJ’ing, it all depends on intuition.

Masalo: And it’s also very much about creating both a physical and mental space that has the tendencies of a club space. This could be reached by turning up the soundsystem or headphones. It’s not a good example of how we should treat our ears but personally, I need the intensity. After a certain amount of time I trim the volume down, but coming in strong and with the right intention, that helps to give the initial spark and the rest is again; intuition and reaching a subconscious state leading the process and hopefully aligning into something magical. It’s not always the case, but when it does, you instantly feel it.

—What’s in the works for you two in the near future?

Masalo: We are compiling a double LP for Rush Hour with some of our choice cuts. A compilation that will hold reissues from legendary artists, some of those tracks that never made it on vinyl, some special edits we play in our sets, and unreleased work of local talent. This will be dropping in the very near future!
Kamma: Also Masalo is doing a release with Japanese producer Manabu Nagayama, coming out soon on Rush Hour. If you’re lucky there might be some ‘test-pressings’ available in some Japanese record stores as we speak…


—Finally, please tell us about your look, and what you like to wear.

Kamma: I always wear comfortable clothing, most of the time baggy and oversized. I love that fashion outdoor stuff like a waterproof/windproof jacket that is meant for hiking mountains. I guess I really got that from my dad.

Masalo: I have no idea how to describe it, but I will try: haute couture meets streetwear meets outerwear. Class with a practical purpose and I like durable technical fabrics. Mostly black. I definitely did not get that from my dad.



KAMMA & MASALO
Natural born DJ’s Kamma & Masalo have been enriching the Amsterdam scene and beyond with their mind-bending synergy and open-hearted approach to music. Both talented artists in their own right, together they form a phenomenal DJ tag-team with an organic flow and ability to transition effortlessly between contrasting sounds. Their tour de force Dekmantel Boiler Room along with a full touring schedule of club and festival appearances has moved and inspired dance music culture around the world.

KAMMA
Kamma’s path to her craft could not have come more naturally, a child to parents who have both DJed professionally for over 25 years. Her instinctive nature and open-mindedness make her a purveyor of a wide range of sounds, going deep beyond her traditional roots. With an effortless contrast of energy and emotions, she journeys into complex rhythms, dreamy waves, and new-era electronics.

MASALO
Masalo’s diversified upbringing strongly translates into his musical output, with hybridism being a key philosophy in his DJing. His production art embodies this same spirit, getting much plays and support from music lovers worldwide. His choice productions have found their home on the Rush Hour label, the imprint he’s closely connected with.

Date: April 29th (Saturday), April 30th (Sunday), May 1st (Monday)
Location: Higashiizu Cross Country Course
3348 Inatori, Higashiizu-Cho, Kamo-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture
Rainbow Disco Club rainbowdiscoclub.com
Ticket： ZAIKO / RA