Team Talk: Kllo
CHE Proximity’s Matt Bladin caught up with Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam, better known as the acclaimed musical duo, Kllo. A creative team that has toured the world and recently released their second album. They chat about what ‘inspiration’ means in their process, their music and creativity everywhere.
Collaboration is one of the greatest sources of inspiration. And making your best work with a partner isn’t just an ad-land thing - it’s a universal experience felt in many creative disciplines.
How do you stay curious?
C+S: We stay curious by finding new music and experimenting with different equipment.
Learning new things and getting better at our skill set sparks a lot of curiosity.
When creative expression is part of your job, does looking for inspiration or ‘being inspired’ begin to feel like work?
C+S: It all depends on who you’re creating with and how connected you are to the music. It doesn’t feel like work when you're into the idea, but if you’re struggling to find what it means to you, then it’s difficult to stay inspired.
Is staying inspired something you need to keep practicing?
C+S: I don’t think you can practice being inspired. It’s such an organic process. It happens without thinking about it, it’s more of a feeling.
Are there any original thoughts left?
C+S: Yes. A lot of styles have been done to death, but there will always be room for original ideas.
From your experiences as a creative duo, do you think what we find inspiring is purely subjective or universal? How can two people can look at the same thing and be move in completely different ways?
C+S: Everyone is different, therefore they will interpret art differently. We can be inspired by the same thing, but what’s special is how each of us express that in our own unique way.
How do you keep your mind open to a reference or idea your partner is really into, even if you’re not feeling it?
C+S: It’s a waste to give up on an idea before seeing it through.
It’s also important to communicate and trust your partner. Sometimes great ideas start off as questionable ones.
How do you work as a team to overcome writer’s block?
C+S: We combat writer’s block by giving ideas time to breathe. The less it feels like work, the easier things come. We usually start a whole new idea and come back to the one we are stuck on once we’ve had some space from it.
How are you staying inspired and collaborative in the current climate of isolation?
C+S: The internet makes collaborating very easy for musicians like ourselves. Our music is created and recorded onto our computers so we can send ideas over email. We also have skype, so if we really wanted to, we could do a session online.
What do you want Kllo to inspire in other creatives?
