Riding off the back of his recent hit with A-Trak, Kideko drops his first solo release on Toolroom, since his huge ‘Soul Searcher’ collab with Wh0 in 2021. ‘Holding On’ utilises a famous disco sample, cleverly shifting the vocal hook, upping the pace and working in his own killer bassline and production. ‘Holding On’ is set to be another feel good club weapon, that’s sure to be on repeat this summer.
In this interview, Kideko breaks down the making of his latest track Holding On, offering a window into his sampling process, drum programming, and how his roots as a drummer feed into the rhythmic DNA of his work. From plugin tips to reflections on early hits and recent collabs, it’s a grounded look at the mindset behind the music—balancing instinct, precision, and just enough experimentation to keep things moving forward.
You’ve always had a knack for flipping classic sounds into something fresh. When you were working on ‘Holding On,’ what was your process for reshaping the sample to fit your vibe? Did it take a lot of trial and error, or did it click straight away?
Whenever I’m sampling something I usually drag my favourite parts of the sample into the project and start playing around with bass lines. This one came together pretty quickly, I usually find the ones that happen quickly are usually the best as I haven’t had time to over think things.
Your basslines always hit that sweet spot—driving but not overpowering. How do you approach designing a bassline that moves the track forward while keeping everything balanced in the mix?
When I write bass lines there’s a lot of just playing around on a keyboard until something feels right. The sound choice depends on what else is going on in the track, if the focus is a vocal or a riff then I’ll use a more subtle bass sound and make sure there’s space for the other elements. I quite often use a bass line that is a 1 bar phrase that loops which I think gives that driving energy.
Your background as a drummer must give you a unique perspective on groove. When programming drums, do you think more like a producer or a drummer, or is it a mix of both?
I think it’s a mix of both that play into each other, I learned drums at a young age and I think one of the reasons I was drawn to dance music was because the drum rhythms and groove are so important. The drum sound selection can also totally change the way a track feels so I do spend a lot of time considering that and going through different drum sounds.
Brighton’s got such a diverse music scene, and your sound has always felt quite open and unboxed. Do you think the city has shaped the way you produce, and do you ever pull inspiration from unexpected places?
Definitely, it feels like whatever you’re into musically there will be something for that in Brighton but also away from music it’s a very open minded city and even just walking around in Brighton inspires creativity
With so many great records under your belt, do you have a go-to process when starting a track, or does it depend on the project? Where did ‘Holding On’ start—drums, bass, vocal?
I wouldn’t say I have a go to starting point specifically but I like to get basic drums in as soon as possible to get a groove going as that’s the most important part of dance music to me. ‘Holding On’ started with the vocal that I extracted from an old 70’s sample then I focused on the drums and bass, I wanted those to feel club ready but also have a playful feel.
Your music always feels polished but still has that raw, club-ready energy. How do you strike that balance when mixing and mastering your tracks? Are there any particular tricks you swear by?
I think the balance comes from sound selection and choosing which elements are gonna be upfront in the mix. I like adding a lot of saturation to things to get a nice grit but also making sure that the main riff or vocal is upfront in the mix. I love using FabFilter Saturn 2 and Black Box HG-2 on my drum bus.
You’ve worked with some huge names, from A-Trak to Tinie Tempah. When collaborating, do you find you adjust your production style to fit the artist, or do you stick to your sound and see how they adapt?
It depends on the collab because I think some collabs are interesting because you can hear the elements from each artist in the track but equally it can sometimes feel like collaborating is a license to try something totally different and experiment which is fun.
‘Crank It’ was a massive moment back in 2016. Looking back, what do you think made that track work so well? Has your approach to production changed much since then?
I think ‘Crank It’ worked well because it had a sound that worked in a lot of different worlds, all sorts of DJ’s from different genres were playing it. It also had a catchy vocal that could work on radio but still felt like a high energy club track. We made that just having fun without thinking about who we’d want to play it which I think is what helped make it unique.
Every producer has that one track that nearly drove them mad in the studio. Was there a particular element in ‘Holding On’ that took longer than expected to get right?
As much as I can definitely agree with that and have been there before, thankfully this track came together pretty quickly – I’d say arrangement was probably the trickiest part to get right because there aren’t a lot of elements in the track so it had to be structured in a way to keep them interesting.
With all the new production tools and plugins coming out, are there any recent discoveries that have changed the way you work? Or do you tend to stick to a tried-and-tested setup?
I’ve played around a bit with some AI and released a track with an AI voice but I haven’t used it loads, it can be useful for recording demo vocals and them making them so they don’t sound like me. I’m intrigued to see where that goes and how plugins will adapt with AI software.
Holding On is out now on Toolroom