The Sounds of Khemit label has had a prolific open year with a string of EPs and compilation albums featuring an array of music that taps into the melodic and ethereal end of the electronic spectrum. We caught up with the label’s A&R Chris Nhii for a quick chat as he departed for Burning Man.

WWD: Hi Nhii, welcome to When We Dip, and thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Where are you speaking to us from and how are things with you?

Hey! I am at La Guardia Airport in New York, on my way to Burning Man. It’s my first Burn and so excited for the upcoming days of adventure and discovery. Got pretty excited and inspired the last two weeks and finished a lot of new and fresh music. Can’t wait to play these on the playa.

WWD: Yourself, Wael and Row Weber started the Sounds Of Khemit label towards the end of last year and it seems to be going very well. How has your journey been so far?

Yes, we achieved some milestones pretty early. I am super thankful for this wonderful project. The communication between us three works pretty well and everybody knows his part and we totally trust each other. It’s a beautiful thing to work with like-minded friends. At the beginning I wasn’t really sure what to expect from being an A&R. To be honest, it really helped to be an artist and to have studied audio engineering at the same time. The connection to other artists helps to invite them to our label and with my bachelor of recording arts background and can make sure that the music reaches our standards in sound design and frequencies. After the first 2,3 releases we figured out a good and effective way to set up releases and now I am mostly enjoying listening to new demos from newcomers as well as acclaimed producers and artists. Our concept is to have a 3 – tracker EP with 3 different artists in 3 different stages of their careers. I think this is a powerful and interesting combination.

WWD: You’ve had some great releases and the forthcoming The Great Ennead is no exception. You have produced a track on the VA release titled Sandstone. As with all your music, it embodies the escapist ethos you follow. Was there a particular story behind this?

I found myself staring at a sandstone for like 20 minutes. Somehow it trigged some inspiration and I couldn’t wait to work with this mindset. All synth sounds in the song are one jam on my modular rack, the drums are partly foley sounds I created with brushes on the sandstone.

In general, I like to test how far you can go with synthesizers, Ableton, and effect pedals and still keep it in a musical context – I think this is where my escapist ethos is rooted.

WWD: Can you tell us a bit about your production methods? How do you get in the zone to produce such music?

This is a topic I talk a lot about with my patreons. The most important thing is to have a schedule. The brain needs to know when it should be creative and this works best with a routine. It’s not effective to wait for the moment to come to you to be creative. There are actually studies about this topic.

I am a very kick-driven producer. This is always my starting point. I rarely change the kick sound once I like it. From there I start jamming to get a groove together. Also, I am very precise with my mixdown at this point already, because the cleaner your mix is the more space there is to develop ideas on top.

WWD: The imprint states that the aim is to bring “harmony and joy to people on the journey of their everyday lives” and you can hear that in the label’s sound I think. Where did the inspiration come from and what is your initial connection with this style of music?

Sounds of Khemit is not only a music label. Wael the founder of Sounds of Khemit LLC has bigger plans for the future of Sounds of Khemit. I am taking care of the label only. We believe that everything is energy, thus frequencies are a crucial pillar of life. Sound is capable of increasing your energy flow. This is exactly what we want to do. Lift your vibrations. We are starting to host events in different locations and we are starting with a small gathering at ADE on Thursday at the House of Klassified. Please come and visit us!

WWD; The compilation features an array of talent including Solar Kings, Olivan, Somelee and LADS. What brings you and the artists that you collaborate with together?

This is a very interesting question. And funnily enough, I was thinking about this the other day. I think with a certain understanding of frequencies you develop as a human being. I enjoy all the artists on Sounds of Khemit because they have similar taste in sound design. Also, I’m very happy about the fact that some of my Patreons released already on Sounds of Khemit, like Sydka, Bawab and Benyebe. It’s great to see they get support by big acts like Bedouin, Hyenah, Black Coffee and more.

WWD: Which artists would you most like to work with?

I love to make connections outside the social media world and usually, these meetings are very inspiring. We want artists who create beauty for the sake of the art, not for the sake of a label or a specific crowd. We are looking for genuine and true artists.

WWD: We are keeping a close eye on the label and can’t wait to hear more. What does the future look like for Sounds Of Khemit?

While I’m going to continue to work on the label, Wael is working on the Sounds of Khemit community, membership, retreat, and energy centers, and hopefully soon our first introductory events.

Thank you for having me!
Much Love from La Guardia 🙂