Deriving their name from one of many starting points found in origami, Kite Base is a new electronic, post-punk project side project comprised of Savages‘ Ayse Hassan (bass) and Kenda Frost. Interestingly, both Hassan and Frost have been friends for some time, and the project finds them combining their equally complimentary and yet contrasting songwriting and playing approaches and their shared passion for lower end frequencies, ethereal melodies and big, tweeter and woofer rocking beats. And in short period of time, the duo have received attention both across their native UK and elsewhere as early singles have been on ration on John Richards’ KEXP radio show, Mary Anne Hobbs‘, Marc Riley‘s, and Chris Hawkins‘ BBC Radio 6 shows and a live appearance on John Kennedy‘s Radio X show. And adding to a growing profile, the band has also received praise from Pitchfork and the duo’s cover of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Something I Can Never Have” has been publicly praised by Trent Reznor.
Kite Base’s forthcoming, self-produced, full-length debut Latent Whispers is slated for a May 26, 2017 release and the album, which was partially recorded at Hassan’s and Frost’s homes and was finished in a basement studio in Hoxton, UK, formerly known as MemeTune, which was owned and run by Wrangler’s Benge Edwards and John Foxx and The Maths, and was engineered and mixed by Chris Hamilton, who has worked with Squarepusher. Latent Whispers‘ first single “Soothe” features plaintive and ethereal vocal melodies with an angular and propulsive bassline reminiscent of Joy Division/New Order, enormous, tweeter and woofer rocking beats and a rousingly anthemic hook in a moody and forceful bit of post-punk that manages to be dance floor friendly.
Animated by Gergely Wootsch, the recently released music video for the song features origami that employs the kite base in its structure in some fashion, as part of a trippy dream sequence by two origami women, who bear an uncanny resemblance to Picasso paintings — thanks to their angular features.
The band will be touring across the UK throughout May and June. Check out tour dates below.
Tour Dates
* = supporting Thor & Friends
5/1: Leeds @ Brudenell *
5/2: London @ Lexington *
5/3: Brighton @ Green Door Store *
6/3: London @ Field Day
6/7: Glasgow @ Hug & Pint
6/8: Newcastle @ Underground
6/9: Manchester @ Night & Day
6/10: Macedonia @ Skopje Festival (w/ Slowdive)
6/11: Leeds @ Brudenell Games Room
6/12: Brighton @ Prince Albert
6/13: Birmingham @ Sunflower Lounge
6/14: Bristol @ Lousiana
6/20: London @ Corsica Studios
6/25: Glastonbury @ Glade Stage, 6pm