Some releases astound even the harshest critics. Some releases are so powerful and inventive that everyone stops and takes stock of the majesty of them. Kiba’s ‘Echoes’ is one of those. Inherently beautiful, powerful and with production that is inimitably Kiba, the EP had so much to offer.
The USA based producer reached new heights, working with Simplify to release these tracks, and has definitely hit some of the industry’s heavyweights with a reality check on who to be watching out for this year. We caught up with the man responsible and asked him some questions about the EP and how it came in to existence.
T.H.E – So – can you sum up the inspiration behind the EP? And what made you choose the name ‘Echoes’?
Kiba – Well, what’s interesting about this EP is that these tracks are actually some of the first tracks I completed when starting the Kiba project. At the time, Kiba wasn’t even a thing, and I was trying to put together something that would be representative of the vision that I had in mind. I knew I wanted it to be experimental, melodic, a bit cinematic, and an overall storytelling type of experience. I’ve actually had all these tracks finished and ready for over a year and a half, but didn’t really know what the best way to go about releasing it would be.
The concept and name of ‘Echoes’ came from what was going through my head a few months ago. I was going through a breakup which hit me pretty hard, and I moved away from my home in San Francisco to Seattle pretty spontaneously. So there were a lot of big changes that happened in a really short timeframe and my life was just completely different.
The idea basically was that everything can change, but memories will stay with you. The word ‘Echoes’ is pretty much a parallel to the concept of memories. Something from the past that is still around in the present.
T.H.E – Do you think this EP has a lot of influences in it, or is it based on your own experiences?
Kiba – I’d say it has to be a mix of both. I pull influences from all aspects of my life into the projects that I work on, and try to blend it all together into one cohesive piece of work. I think that’s kind of what every artist does though. Take bits and pieces of the different things you personally love and combine them to make something that is uniquely you. Nobody has the exact same life experiences, likes, and taste that you do, and therefore nobody will have the exact same style that you do.
T.H.E – Do you think there is a stand out track?
Kiba – Hm, it’s hard to say! ‘Before You’ I think might be my favorite track that I’ve ever worked on, and it was such a great experience to work with Landry Cantrell who is an incredibly talented artist. It definitely stands out as the ‘single’ of the EP I think. I’ve been hearing a lot of great feedback on ‘A New Horizon’ as well, which is much more of an experimental piece. It’s hard for me personally to decide between those 2, but I’m actually very curious about what others would say.
T.H.E – From start to finish, how long did the EP take to complete?
Kiba – It took me a really long time to make actually, probably much longer than it should have. I’d say around 6 months or so to get all the tracks done. I have a really slow production workflow as is, but I was also working on some other tracks for a different project at the time. Getting the cover art, video content, and everything else sorted out was an entire other process which took me like 4 months. Definitely a huge time commitment, but I was really passionate and super ambitious about it, so I loved the whole process!
T.H.E – Can we expect more projects like this from you in the future?
Kiba – Very likely. I really enjoy working on projects that are bigger than just a single release since I can be a bit more weird and experimental with some of the tracks. Would love to do an album at some point in the future as well.
T.H.E – Do you have anything else in the pipeline for us at the moment?
Kiba – I do have one track that is nearly finished, and a few works in progress/collabs that I am planning to get finished soon hopefully. I’ll also be dropping my first piece of Kiba merch very soon, so keep an eye out for that!
T.H.E – Finally, if you could describe ‘Echoes’ to someone in one sentence, what would it be?
Kiba – Hm, I think I’d have to go with the tagline that I’ve been using!
“Life will flash by in the blink of an eye, and sometimes memories are the only things you can hold onto.”
