A belated welcome to Grenoble's finest, the unique Miss Kittin aka Caroline Hervé, singer, DJ, producer, solo artist and prolific collaborator. This post was originally intended for last Friday but it was replaced at short notice as I ran out of time to finish it. Fingers crossed it was worth the wait!
I first discovered Miss Kittin's music two decades ago via Felix Da Housecat's album, Kittenz And Thee Glitz, and her partnership with Michel Amato as Miss Kittin & The Hacker. Happily, the latter duo returned earlier this year with their third album titled, er, Third Album.
This selection mostly focuses on Miss Kittin's singles, collaborations and remixes from some top-notch artists, including Vince Clarke, John Foxx & Ben 'Benge' Edwards, Vitalic and Laurent Garnier.
Miss Kittin's videos are also good value so for your extended entertainment I have picked four from today's selection. Ostbahnhof, from Kittin + Hacker's Third Album, was released as a single in January and I've included the lyrics below, a love song to clubbing in Berlin and the inspiration for today's post title.
1) Voicemail: Felix Da Housecat ft. Miss Kittin (2001)
2) Hide (Nhar Vocal Remix By Bernhard Siefert): Kris Menace ft. Miss Kittin (2013)
3) Ride (Vince Clarke Remix): Dubfire & Kittin (2017)
4) Where Is Kittin? (John Foxx & The Maths Remix): Marc Houle ft. Miss Kittin (2013)
5) Madame Hollywood (Album Version): Felix Da Housecat ft. Miss Kittin (2001)
6) Maneki Neko (Chateau Marmont Remix): Miss Kitten (2013)
7) Hometown: Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2007)
8) Rippin Kittin (Tobi Neumann's Glove Tension Dub): Golden Boy ft. Miss Kittin (2002)
9) 1982 (Vitalic Remix By Pascal Arbez-Nicolas): Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2002)
10) Ostbahnhof (Album Version): Kittin + Hacker (2022)
11) Silver Screen - Shower Scene (Laurent Garnier Remix) (Album Edit): Felix Da Housecat ft. Miss Kittin (2001)
12) Party In My Head (Thieves Like Us Remix): Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2009)
Maneki Neko: Miss Kitten (2013)
Hide: Kris Menace ft. Miss Kittin (2013)
1982 (Vitalic Remix By Pascal Arbez-Nicolas): Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2002)
Ostbahnhof (Album Version): Kittin + Hacker (2022)
2 pm on a SundayIt's the best day they sayFlat white, toasts, shower and black sneakersI jump in a taxi, it's playing 80's musicTime has already stoppedDestination OstbahnhofThe wall reminds me it was realOnce there was a West and an EastI used to be just a touristUntil I gave you more than thisI see the line, I see the lightBut inside it's always darkLine is 2 or 3 hours long at leastAnd I am not even on the listSo I put on my famous smileAre you playing today they sayIt's been a while, I don't know whyAnd I don't bother, we belong foreverDestination OstbahnhofI just wanna dance aloneThey let me in with no sticker on my phoneI know the deal, I know the scoreNo pictures inside OstbahnhofFirst stop at the wardrobeYou leave a tip you start to strollYou raise your hands you wanna prayYou ARE in the techno templeElectric power in the power plantI am about to disconnect from who I amTequila shots in my throatOrange and cinnamonStairways to heaven or hellStep by step on The BellsI climb my way to the topAnd I stopI take a deep a breathI lived it a thousand timesIt's always the sameAre you ready?
I shall devote some time to this later as I only ever heard one track by Miss Kittin long ago and it's a nice memory stirrer to see her name here. Ages ago it was the track 'Rippin Kittin' I heard on a compilation album (I can't remember which, unfortunately). I loved it and so I was excited to include it as a track on a fairly random comp I was putting together for a friend I frequently exchanged eclectic music with. It made me laugh to hear back that he'd been playing my comp on a few car journeys and that his 5-year old son had latched onto this one song! Maybe not the best lyrics to pick up!
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for reigniting that memory and I'll explore the rest of your comp next...
Thanks, C, your Rippin Kittin recollection had me chuckling. I think she's great and I only wish I'd seen her DJ. Unfortunately, discovering her music around 2001/2002 pretty much coincided with the end of my nights out clubbing... Rippin Kittin is fairly representative of Miss Kittin's other music so I'd definitely recommend checking out her albums as a solo artist or with The Hacker.
Delete