Looking for something fresh and exciting in the UK Hip-Hop/Rap scene? Look no further than new Experimental Hip-Hop artist Kid Lightning. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kid Lightning and discuss his exciting new single 2:59 AM.
Kid Lightning’s new single quickly reels you in the rolling crunching sonic feast. The distorted and dream-like textures that suck you into the first few bars of the tune empty your head of all thought before slamming you without mercy straight into the bit-crushed mania that makes this track so distinct. The two-and-a-half minutes that follow are a masterclass in the creation of ever-increasing intensity.
A core element of 2:59 AM is the captivating experimental sound design. By creating a landscape so inescapably intrusive, Kid Lightning’s vocal becomes an anchor for us to hang on to while he attempts to weather the storm. This results in a vocal that, despite being packed into a landscape of rich heavy sound design, is still as clear as day. Kid Lightning says that a large inspiration for this experimental sound design was a 2022 album by the band AV Dummy titled PORNOVIOLENCE. Kid Lightning described that this album was influential in the way that it juxtaposed massive, monolithic soundscapes with tiny, granular elements. This concept is something that Kid Lightning utilised very effectively in 2:59 AM.
Another fascinating creative choice that Kid Lightning revealed to me was related to the track name 2:59 AM. He explained that all of the lyrical content was written at or after the time of 03:00 AM. Kid Lightning described that the reasoning behind this is if he isn’t asleep by then then he may as well do something productive. This reasoning aside, the feeling of sleeplessness is heavily present throughout the track due to the insomnia-influenced lyrics and surreal vocal processing.
On the subject of lyrics, I would encourage you to listen out for the use of word painting within 2:59 AM. On the outside, Kid Lightnings’s use of word painting is relatively simple; the word loud is repeated three times and is used to crescendo into the final and most intense part of this track. Although this kind of feature has been used in many other tracks, Kid Lightning demonstrates how this effect can be used to the full. For example, before this point, most other intensity-boosting features such as volume automation, distortion, song structure and perceived loudness have already been utilised. Just when you think it can’t get any more intense, Kid Lightning gives himself the ability to utilise these features again by using word painting as a final boost, seemingly creating this shift in intensity with his own voice.
If you have listened to a Kid Lightning track in the past, you will know that mental health is a topic that can frequently be heard in the lyrics. I asked Kid Lightning how the topic of mental health/illness affects his own creative process. He firstly expressed his appreciation to the artists and rappers who normalised the expression of mental illness as a topic, paving the way for today’s artists to further build upon the topic in a safer and more accepting environment. Kid Lightning presented the idea that mental health was akin to a musical instrument in that it can completely change how a piece of music is heard. He went on to say that in his own creative process, Kid Lightning is an idealised version of himself that he uses to filter his own thoughts and emotions. He described how this method of writing was beneficial for his personal well-being, yet stressed that for himself, balance is important. Elaborating on this, he describes the importance of showing the better days as a reminder to himself and others that you aren’t always at your lowest. This method of showing the genuine reality of his own highs and lows really shows within Kid Lightning’s detailed, nuanced and often emotional vocal performances.
2:59 AM is out now and available to listen to on all major streaming platforms, as are Kid Lightning’s other fantastic albums and collaborations such as Poet and Luna. Kid Lightning’s next single Silver Line will be released on all major streaming platforms on the 14th of April.
The full interview with Kid Lightning can be listened to in podcast form below.
Voltage Controlled Media 