Spending the 2010s at the heart of the Parisian electronic music scene, French producer and DJ Kartell channelled influences from soul, disco and R&B into slick and sultry beats that sparkled with the mirror-ball glitter of ’90s French touch. In 2021, Kartell escaped the big city to relocate to his birthplace of Tours, building a new basement studio and setting to work on producing his most personal project yet.
That project is Everything Is Here, a 15-track statement that expands his already diverse sound in new directions, taking cues from everything from ’70s soft rock to alternative hip-hop. With more of a live and instrumental feel than his earlier work, the project invites a varied cast of collaborators, including Tkay Maidza, Barney Bones and Kurtis Wells to furnish Kartell’s polished, funk-laden productions with pop hooks and extra personality.
We caught up with Kartell ahead of the release of Everything Is Here to find out more about how the album was made, and he was kind enough to leave us with three production tips for good measure.