Interview with Juliet Sikora (Kittball)

Juliet Sikora was set to play a 3 city mini-tour in South Africa this weekend.

South Africa is a unique place as any kind of music genre has its roots somehow in Africa – that’s the real magic for me.”

She will still play Durban at Kulture on the 5th August and Nicci Beach in Johannesburg on the 7^th of August but her Cape Town leg was cancelled yesterday.

This was supposed to happen at The Assembly which today announced they were closing down next Saturday. We can’t help but wonder if the two are related.

So that’s a real loss for Cape Town as Juliet Sikora is really, really good and we were excited to see her perform in the Mother City.

Over the next few weeks she is also set to play across Europe and her much anticipated remix with Tube & Berger on her Kittball imprint called The Rub has just been released.

This follows up their 2013 collaboration which became Pete Tong’s ‘Essential New Tune’ and reached number one on Beatport.

Kittball has also gone from strength to strength in recent years and is currently the 27th biggest selling label on Beatport over the past 12 months across all genres (#9 Deep House, #13 Tech House), with the likes of Purple Disco Machine and German Brigante in recent times.

We grabbed her for a very brief chat ahead of her gigs…

You worked with Tube & Berger on your first single ‘Together Now’ out on Opaque Music ten years ago. How did this come about and looking back on the time frame, how would say your approach to production has evolved?

Juliet Sikora: The boys and I met around 15 years ago for the first time. They called me and asked if I´m a singer (funny question, as I´m the worst singer on this planet). The truth is, Mr. Berger had fallen in love with one of my press pics and wanted to meet me. During the phone call, I asked them what they think about doing a collab track. This is how`Together Now` was born. Since then a lot of things have changed. Kittball has grown from a small bedroom label to a globally acclaimed, well known electronic music label. All our skills and careers have also grown with that too.

Back when you were working on ‘Larrys Garage’ did you imagine that it would do as well as it did? And in what kind of head space would you say were in at the time?

Juliet Sikora: From the first working session I somehow knew it would be something special, which is something I look to achieve with everything I do. This track was actually finished in 4 studio days, which is pretty quick with a good working flow. No obstacles, just working hard and thinking go for it!

South Africa is LEKKER, lovely people, beautiful landscapes, breathtaking beaches and the food – OMG!”

You’re currently working on something fresh in the studio. Can we have any hints on what the final product will be?

Juliet Sikora: I´m back in the lab with King Brain at the moment and also the boys from Return of the Jaded. Some Juliet Sikora solo singles are also in progress. New stuff is coming soon and it will be very housey for sure!

You will be playing your blend of House & Deep/Tech House during your South Africa tour. Why do you think this particular expression of electronic music appeals to you in the way that it does?

Juliet Sikora: I was infected by house music from artists like Franky Knuckles, Armand van Helden, DJ Sneak just to name a few, in my early age. Of course, when you add some different styles to your sets it makes it more exciting. It might be the case that I bring in a Techno track depending on the crowd and my mood. I like to take the audience on a musical journey with me showing them some old and forgotten tracks as well as I’m not a fan of playing only new and unreleased tracks.

Do you know much about South Africa? The parties, the music etc?

Juliet Sikora: South Africa is LEKKER, lovely people, beautiful landscapes, breathtaking beaches and the food – OMG! Last year I was in South Africa for the first time for two shows, one in Durban and the other in Joburg. I fell in love straightaway. South Africa is a unique place as any kind of music genre has its roots somehow in Africa – that’s the real magic for me.

Interview with Juliet Sikora (Kittball)