Brought together by one of music’s biggest decision-makers in the world in Simon Cowell, London alt-indie outfit Dutchkid continue to turn heads with their latest singles ‘Lemonade’ and ‘Sugar’.
Dutchkid are more than a band. With songwriters, producers, film-makers and graphic designers as part of the group, the outfit sees no boundaries with what music they create. The collective signed to US powerhouse Ultra Music after fierce label interest and are now in the process of writing their debut album.
Frontman Jordi van Dyk and Jack Kircher virtually sit down for a chat as we discuss their new tracks, what the album will sound like and much more.
Talking the afternoon before Sugar’s release, Dutchkid received radio play three times in the space of three weeks on BBC Radio 1 for their single ‘Lemonade’ – which is a new record for the band.
On their great achievement, Jordi said: “It’s just us doing what we do – keep putting out music and building on what has come before. I think consistently putting out music and people getting to know us more will eventually kind of snowball and these epic opportunities come along. It’s still ridiculous; like how the hell has this happened. It’s crazy – very cool man.”
Jack added: “It’s nice to see a dream come to reality a bit. LIke everyone wants their song on Radio 1 at some point and we got played three times in three weeks is like ‘ah that’s mad’.”
When artists get to the level of Jack Saunder and Annie Mac (BBC) or John Kennedy (Radio X) things can begin to take off in terms of more radio play, interviews etc. Dutchkid already have a solid Spotify following thanks to clever marketing by Burstimo where they’ve reached store speakers in the US and UK as well as Spotify’s curated alternative playlists.
Written in lockdown, entirely over the internet and video calls, ‘Lemonade’ into the popular pastime of people watching, taking the point of view of an older man watching a group of young guns strutting past. He imagines what it must be like to be them and thinks he would love some of whatever they’re drinking!
Lockdown has been “super strange and super weird for music,” comments Jordi as musicians up and down the country find alternative ways to produce music.
He adds: “It’s been super interesting and fun just being able to make music online. I would go to the studio in my PJ’s anyway so the fact that I can just roll out of my bed and stumble down the stairs to find my studio, record something and send it over the internet has actually been a fun process.
“it feels a bit like a treat when you open up a project and something has been fixed or changed, or something has been added or taken away. You’re not quite sure what you’re gonna get every time you open that Dropbox project.
“It’s been a fun experience. Obviously I think we’d love to see people. That would be first priority; to be in a room with human beings.”
As for Jack, he adds that the band have always been very good at coaching themselves to make songs together and are able to keep projects moving forward. They have very creative minds who know how to merge their minds together to create musical art. But having that social interaction is something we can all say we’ve missed.
He said: “What we’ve missed most is just being able to hang out and catch up. Just being able to see each other and rehearse together has been really missed. So we can still make music but just, it’s like everyone, people can work from home but it’s just nice to be with people. That’s the hardest part of it all.”
I just saw a post by Jacob Collier where he was saying it’s 2021 ‘genre is dead’. You can literally do whatever you want, be whatever you want.
Jordi van Dyk, Dutchkid
With the rapid evolution of technology meaning artists can make music from literally anywhere thanks to apps like GarageBand meaning you can ditch the multi-million pound studios and work from your phone.
Even for Jordi he admits that just before our interview, he recorded a voice note of himself singing for a track he is working on.
He comments: “It’s pretty funny that you say about using apps for music. Just before this meeting, I am actually currently in a session with a producer and we’re taking a bit of a break. I was sitting on the sofa and he was like man, I need your voice to fill in this one hook that needed doubling and I was just pure lazy man.
“I don’t wanna go into the studio and sing into a proper microphone so I just sang into voice notes and I pinged him over a voice note just a few minutes ago to this new song we’re working on.
“The chances of us actually using that take are pretty high. The whole song is quite super quirky so it adds to the doubling.”
“The song always comes through. If it’s a good song, it’s a good song. That’s my philosophy to it,” replies Jack.
As ‘Sugar’ is now out in the world, I have to ask for details on their forthcoming album, which I’m told will stay as yet untitled.
“Ahhh. Alex, you’re gonna have to pay us big money for us to tell you what the title is,” laughs Jordi. “We haven’t announced the title of our album just yet.”
“Following the trajectory, this one’s called Sugar, the last one was called Lemonade,” responds Jack. So who knows, the next one could be called Pancakes!
Layered with a warm synth bassline and drums with a rhythm all of their own, it has an irresistible groove and stands out from the conga-infused loop of beats of ‘Lemonade’.
Jack and Jordi confirm the album is currently in the works and they haven’t finished compiling all the 10, 12 tracks, or even a 60-track compilation album they joke. But in all seriousness, the Dutchkid debut album will be unbounded by genre as “it’s up for grabs” on what will be on the finished article.
“Everybody loves a box,” says Jordi as I wonder where he is taking this point. “Like ‘oh this perfectly fits into this. I just saw a post by Jacob Collier where he was saying it’s 2021 ‘genre is dead’. You can literally do whatever you want, be whatever you want.
“Don’t limit yourself to one specific sound and I think the sound that we have is natural to us. If the songs kinda sound like some sort of thread running through it, it’s because it’s us – it’s who we are. But I would say it does feel there are peaks of value. I think when we do eventually finish this album, I think it will be nice for the listener. Take the listener on a journey.”
Jack adds: “We are compiling the album as we go and if a song feels right for it then it will end up on the album. It could be 12 songs, it could be 10 or more. As we’re discovering what this album is, we’re releasing the singles as we go and that’s really exciting as it brings everyone in on the journey of it. So we don’t even have ‘this is going to be the exact product’ – I don’t like to call music a product – This is the art we’re making and we’re kind of painting it as we go.”
Jordi mentions that ‘Lemonade’ was in fact one of their newest songs written and has jumped the queue on some songs that are two years old – it’s whatever the lads feel is best suited to be featured on the LP.
“I’m stoked to get an album out but, not really sure what it’s gonna look like yet and what that’s gonna sound like – we just know we’re making an album,” he adds.
Being massive music fans themselves, and working within the music industry (Jordi as a songwriter and producer and Jack runs a recording studio) they listen to new music all of the time and have keen ears for great music. For Dutchkid’s electronic-based music, they are using analogue sounds and vintage equipment to make a killer alt-indie anthem.
As we’re discovering what this album is, we’re releasing the singles as we go and that’s really exciting as it brings everyone in on the journey of it.
Jack Kircher, Dutchkid
Jack expanded further, saying “I think we work quite hard to take those electronic samples and elements and make them feel as organic as possible so we do a lot of fun stuff to make it feel tangible and not so digital.
“I’m a big fan of old school analogue recorded records and that way of recording with old vintage equipment and when we mix them we run it all through them to get that tactile, energetic feel. But, a lot of it is still digital centered.
“Electronic-based elements are all 808 kicks and stuff. It’s about working really hard to pull it out of that world a little bit and more to that organic sound. That might be what you’re hearing and that energy. We like to see people having a good time when they listen to our music.”
As you may not have known, Dutchkid was actually put together by the illustrious Simon Cowell. Having not been formed in the traditional sense, the four complete strangers were placed together and started making music together.
Jordi says: “He outsourced these incredible people that were really good at what they do and kind of stuck us together so we’re actually like a supergroup. We’re huge,” he jokingly laughs.
It’s not like we missed something and they happened to appear on X Factor. “We were so good, XFactor had to cut us off it,” comments Jack as they both begin to laugh.
Looking to the year ahead, they have a show scheduled at Oslo, Hackney in December and hopefully, if things go smoothly, it will be a night to remember. “I’m fully expecting if that show goes ahead for it to be just mental,” adds Jack. “Everybody has been inside and not been able to hang out for a year and a half. By that time of the year there will be a lot of the album songs ready too so we’re already busy working on what that show will look like.
To listen to ‘Lemonade’ and ‘Sugar’, check them out below. Tickets are available on their website here.
