Estonian Kitty Florentine, an artist who creates soundscapes that dissolve boundaries, shares Icelandic remixes by Tonik Ensemble and Ruxpin. Kitty Florentine is the current hot topic in the Estonian music scene and her debut album, released three months ago, was a nominee for local Indie/Alternative Album of the Year.
Listen to a remix collection of “Inside” by two Icelandic producers, Tonik Ensemble and Ruxpin.
Kitty Florentine describes the collaboration:
This collaboration was brought together by my mixing/mastering engineer José Diogo Neves, who had worked with both artists for a while. I had long been aware of both of their works, and the texture and space they both created were a unique experience. We sent them one of my tracks; luckily, they were both inspired to invite it into their work. After I heard their interpretations of the song, I instantly got mental images of the Icelandic landscape and the colours connected to it, hence the name Icelandic Landscape remix. I remember the first time listening to Tonik's remix in the middle of the Nõmme forest. I had to turn back around and go home 'cause I got so cold from the relentless goosebumps it sent down my spine.
"One night, after being asked to do this remix and listening to the stems, I fell asleep and dreamt music, a fully-formed reinterpretation of ‘Inside’. It doesn’t happen often, but this was one of those occasions. In the dream, I put Kitty’s vocals into a sketch I already had on my hard drive. Little did I know when I woke up that it would work in reality as well,” shares producer Tonik Ensemble.
Ruxpin says:
„When I received the samples from Kitty, I first noticed the distinctive vocals. I tried to find some chord harmonies that might fit - and tried to go a completely different route with those than the original. I tried to find some balance between my musical landscape and hers. I wanted it to have a firm and constant rhythm, but the soundscapes should be fragile - and on the verge of collapsing."
Kitty Florentine in her music presents to you a fairytale that allows reality to expand and invites you to take part in a story of one person’s life experience, entangled in resistance, tenderness, rage and warmth. Her debut album, “Maladaptive Daydream”, was nominated for Alternative/Indie Album of the Year in Estonia, and she recently won the Raadio 2 Debut of the Year award.
Tonik Ensemble is the musical output of Icelander Anton Kaldal Ágústsson. Exploring the vast expanse of the electronic spectrum, it is a strong signature sound of contrasts: rich and stripped bare, minimalist but intricate, finely crafted and yet very intuitive. Eight track album Snapshots met with critical acclaim earning Album of the year titles from The Reykjavik Grapevine, Straumur and an award from Kraumur Music Fund. The new song "Constant" was also released this January as the first taste of an upcoming album.
The Icelandic electronic musician Ruxpin has been an active figure in the melodic IDM scene since 1999. His numerous releases on labels such as Elektrolux and n5MD have established him as an established producer and a master craftsman in his genre.
