For dance producer KEPA, music offers an escape from the everyday. Balancing his creative life with running a real estate development business, he channels a very different energy into the studio, drawing from UK house, garage and contemporary dance-pop to create music built around movement, connection and release.
His latest single ‘All Night Long’ takes on one of pop's most recognisable celebrations. Reimagining Lionel Richie's classic anthem for the modern dancefloor, KEPA retains its infectious sense of joy while surrounding the familiar vocal hook with a driving house groove, warm synth bass, piano and saxophone.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Definitely piano. I’ve always loved just messing around with it, not really playing properly, just sitting down and seeing what comes out. It was only two or three years ago that I finally had the time to actually start learning and got a piano at home. I still love to just sit down and improvise sometimes. It’s kind of like meditation for me.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I’ve always listened to a lot of different genres, but my first real obsession with music was Linkin Park when I was in middle school. I still remember pretty much every word from their first two albums :) Then over the years I slowly moved more and more towards dance music… and here we are.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park, for sure. I was completely obsessed with that album. I listened to it so many times that I can probably still remember almost every word.
What is the one song you wish you could have written yourself?
There are so many! But I’d probably pick “One” by Swedish House Mafia. It’s just one of those timeless records for me. That sound really shaped a whole generation of electronic music.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I always try to get some distance from an idea after I’ve made it. I’ll leave it alone for a couple of days and then come back with fresh ears. If I still love it after that, then I know it’s probably fire.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Right now I’m really inspired by BUNT. I love that airy, dreamy sound, the vocals, the whole atmosphere of his music. That kind of emotional, escapist feeling is something I’m always looking for in music.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
I mean, I’d definitely be honoured to open for BUNT. But if I could choose anyone in the world, I’d probably pick Tiësto. He’s been such a big influence on me for so many years, so that would be a pretty special one.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
For me, it’s that moment when you’ve just made an idea and suddenly you’re like, “Okay, this is actually something.” That’s probably the peak feeling for me. There’s so much energy and excitement in that moment, and that’s when I feel the most inspired.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Mixing, definitely. Sometimes it gets way too tricky. You can literally spend the whole day trying to make something sound better, and then at the end of the day you listen back and realise it somehow sounds worse than it did when you started.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
There’s this idea I once heard from Ed Sheeran in an interview that really stuck with me. Basically, no one is great from the start. It’s like opening an old tap: at first the water comes out dirty, and you just have to keep it running until eventually the clean water comes through.
I really like that idea because it reminds you that you just have to keep making things. Not everything is going to be great, especially in the beginning, but you have to get through that part to eventually make something you really love.
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KEPA's new single 'All Night Long' is out now. Check it out in the player below.