I know why you’re here. You want to out find out who the hell camoufly is. I get it, we’re on the same team. We’re human after all and being terribly curious is in our DNA. I admit that I was tempted to set up this guest mix and interview as a Trojan horse to get the scoop, but then I appealed to all my professionality and instead I delved into all the other amazing aspects of camoufly’s project, to know more about the background of his goofy, colourful avatar. The identikit that has emerged is of a person that, beside the undeniable production skills (that you can see live on his Twitch channel), has clear and fresh ideas about his values, his vision and his future within the modern music industry. Now, I can see the disappointment on your face, but don’t worry. We’ll have our chances to figure out his real face. For now, enjoy this great chat and this bonkers guest mix, flavoured with tunes by Gemi, Mac Miller and multiple IDs.
You don’t provide geographical coordinates, personal information, nor a face. In short, all we have on camoufly (apart from excellent music) are URLs. That’s why I feel right to define it as a project child of the World Wide Web, of which it embodies the values of decentralization and freedom of expression. Did I hit the mark? What influences contributed to establish the philosophy, aesthetics and sound of the project?
Thank you for the compliments, it really means a lot to me. First and foremost I got to give props to Daft Punk for being the first artists I knew that used to hide their faces. I’m kind of trying to take this concept one step above, like many other artists are doing too, by not sharing any additional info on my identity. There’s not a precise reason why I do this, I just had this “camoufly” profile where I started sharing my music without any information about me, and people enjoyed the songs a lot. So I thought to myself: “Is there a real need to share my identity if this is just enough?” Music is how I communicate, and as of now there’s no need for anything else in my opinion.
Regarding the aesthetics and sound, I think Mura Masa, Sam Gellaitry and Lido are my main references. I get so much inspiration from their music.
Explain what ‘Kawaii Bounce’ stands for, as if you were explaining it to my grandmother.
Haha, well. “Kawaii Bounce” is just bounce-y music that’s not really that hard hitting, but still enjoyable. It also incorporates sounds that may remind the listener of Eastern cultures, such as chimes, flutes, bells, etc. Not everything I’ve done is “kawaii bounce” though. I always love to explore new territories!=
I’ll just tell them to go listen to Daft Punk, or Kanye, or Madlib and then tell me they’re not making art!
The music you’ve released so far is pretty much all based on sampling. We are in 2020, but often this practice (together with remixes) is not yet seen as a full-fledged art. What would you answer to the detractors who claim that re-working already existing music is a low art?
I’ll just tell them to go listen to Daft Punk, or Kanye, or Madlib and then tell me they’re not making art!
Logic questions at this point: are the samples the starting point of your creative process or a consequence?
Many times samples represent a starting point to my projects. I just love searching for unused samples, or looking at songs in a perspective that no one has noticed before. Then I just let ideas flow out.
I think I speak for all readers when I ask you how did you come up with the idea to collage 15 Lido songs into one? How long did it take you to create ‘life of lido?’ Is he a fan of it?
It’s easier than you could imagine. Lido had the original idea to take one album from Kanye and flip every song into one single track. From that idea, he started a series called ‘Life of Peder’ (from Life of Pablo, Kanye’s 7th studio album + “Peder,” Lido’s first name). Then one day I found these Lido stems on Reddit and thought “What if I flipped a couple of Lido songs into one single track just like he does?” And that’s how it came together. He also loved my idea and shared it on Twitter and Instagram. It was a really heartwarming moment to me, since I’m a huge fan of his work.
I really love the little community that I’m growing on Soundcloud, Audius and Bandcamp. I feel a much closer connection to all these people, which is something that cannot happen on major streaming platforms, if you ask me. And this closer connection makes everything more “special” to me.
Currently you’re not on the major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal) where most of the general audience consumes music. Despite that you’re still having excellent results, but do you think is possible to carry on a career in the medium/long term without the “help” of these hubs?
I want to be honest. I think it’s very difficult, and I’m planning to be on every platform soon. But I also care about the cohesion of what I’m doing, so I may want to share a couple of other flips before entering the world of streaming services. Also I really love the little community that I’m growing on Soundcloud, Audius and Bandcamp. I feel a much closer connection to all these people, which is something that cannot happen on major streaming platforms, if you ask me. And this closer connection makes everything more “special” to me.
A couple of weeks ago, a saw a tweet of yours where you brought up a fascinating concept of “evolving albums” and the possibility to update an audio track after uploading on digital distribution websites. Tell us more about this vision.
The thing is, I knew about that idea through Life of Pablo by Kanye. He edited a couple of things on that album a week after its original release, so I thought “Why is there no possibility to have a morphing album?”. You know, something to which I can add tracks through time, or edit them. Or edit the cover art depending on seasons. I don’t know why this ain’t a possibility in the internet era. Maybe it will cause problems to DSPs, I don’t know!
Let’s face it, some of your tracks are perfect for Tik Tok. Have you ever thought about jumping on the app?
Lately I’m addicted to TikTok videos of any kind: short love stories where one of the protagonists dies; people doing the most insane, cringey comedy sketches; videos of this man who drinks lemonade with a chicken hat while listening to a song he just discovered. It’s a strange, strange world. I’d love to hear one of my songs randomly pop up in a TikTok like these ones.
What if I told you that I bet my cassette collection on the fact that you will publish an original before the end of summer? Would you have good or bad news for me?
I have originals, I showcased them before and I did it in this mix too! When will I release them? I don’t know, I really want to release all my flips so they won’t end up collecting dust in my laptop. But… I also think your cassette collection is safe :)
If I’m not mistaken, this is a particularly active month for you in terms of mixes and online sets. What have you cooked for us in this mix? Since you are a pure producer, what is your relationship with the art of DJing?
This mix, like every other mix I make, is just a collection of songs I love. I also like DJing! I’ve just been invited to Audius Fest and I really wanted to do some live DJing, that’s why I recorded my first live set for the occasion.
You are not KAYTRANADA side project…right?
Haha, I wish I was Kaytranada! He’s the goat, much respect to him and to what he does.
Tracklist
1. skype ringtone (jume edit)
+ tennyson – 7:00 AM vs. common – the light (mr. carmack mashup)
2. jerry folk – scale it back
3. how to dress well – & it was u
4. charli xcx – out of my head (feat. tove lo & ALMA)
5. octbr – party girls
6. kentrick lamar – loyalty. (feat. rihanna)
7. whereisalex – be your girl.
8. cashmere cat – night night (feat. kehlani)
9. camoufly – ID (rosalía flip)
10. project paradis – cut 22
11. gemi – get it
12. montell2099 – SUSU
13. asau – aberration
14. sam gellaitry – take me back
15. camoufly – ID
16. camoufly – ID
17. camoufly – ID (lil uzi flip)
18. sømething – like this (VIP)
19. tsuruda – q-edits #2
20. camoufly – ID
21. camoufly – ID (dragonball durag flip)
22. camoufly – ID
23. camoufly – macintosh plus
24. camoufly – avril 14th
25. mac miller – blue world
