Rays of sunshine finally kick in as the always ebullient Kitsuné teams up with London’s Ponystep for a summer mix CD ‘très mode.’ On one hand, Kitsuné, the record label extraordinaire that gave you Digitalism, La Roux and Two Door Cinema Club, is also a fashion label. Sure its ever colorful Maison compilations – almost ten of them now – have become the reference in everything that’s new and quirky in the world of pop, breaking today many of tomorrow’s important artists. It’s also an elegant – young and modern – clothing line based on quality that keeps on expanding and is soon turning into a bit of a phenomena in Japan.
On the other, Ponystep, the noted fashion-style webmag based in east London has built a global reputation for all things fashion, art and music. It also happens to throw some of the best parties around. No wonder, the man behind Ponystep is Richard Mortimer infamous for his BoomBox night, which rocked the British capital and shook fashion circles the world over. BoomBox’s sense of freedom and electro/pop party brought a breath of fresh air to clubland and attracted celebrities (Björk, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Jeremy Scott…) along with London’s fashion elite (Giles Deacon, Gareth Pugh, Henry Holland, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab…).
After Kitsuné released the BoomBox cd in 2007, an iconic snapshot of what was possibly the wildest club in the world at the time, the pairing is once more in full effect with Jerry Bouthier in the dj seat again. Bridging the Channel gap effortlessly, the Parisian relocated in London is Mortimer’s long-time musical collaborator-resident dj and also part of the Kitsuné family since early days. Sealing a vibrant appreciation based on mutual respect, Kitsuné-Ponystep – the ultimate fashion CD? – of course aims at mixing London edge to Parisian chic, two highly stylish and defined worlds yet quite apart from each other. Bouthier’s reputation as catwalk dj keeps on growing, notably since he was taken on board at Vivienne Westwood to provide the music to all her shows. He is a regular at the Fashion Weeks, season after season he produces the runway soundtracks of other fashion designers showing in London (Jonathan Saunders, Roksanda Illincic, Peter Jensen, Osman…) or Paris (Romain Kremer, JunnJ, Estrella Archs, SongZio).
Fusing pop, electro, indie, disco and more, Kitsuné- Ponystep mixes tracks and remixes from some of the hottest names around (Roisin Murphy, French Horn Rebellion, Booka Shade, Aeroplane, Lindstrom, Munk…); a truly international cast that goes as far as Sydney, Perth, NYC, Oslo, Berlin, Munich, Manchester and inevitably Paris and London. Seventy minutes designed to make you dance…and also, at times, move you. In today’s troubled times, emotion has become fashion’s latest by-word and is certainly an essential ingredient here: plenty of songs, with vocals and people playing instruments such as new Xenomania artist Florrie, Northern Ireland’s finest Two Door Cinema Club, Belgium’s Das Pop, Vienna’s Bunny Lake, Sweden’s Lo-Fi Fnk, David E Sugar… a far cry from the dull thump you often find associated with fashion soundtracks. As such Kitsuné-Ponystep is not just a dj mix, Andrea Gorgerino, Bouthier’s studio side-kick and half of their recording project JBAG (also a versatile dj unit that has remixed Ladyhawke, Kylie, Sparks and SExpress), knows like no other how to apply magic, and a bit of drama, as he does on the shows to enhance the aural experience.
