Forward flow

>> Jaffa's David Kakon talks about new friends and new directions

by SCOTT C

David Kakon's first release on Montreal's Nude Recordings couldn't have made more of an impact for the well-spoken local keyboardist and mathematician. Jaffa's Elevator was basically adopted by the lounges of the planet, remixed by some of the best in the business and is probably still charting somewhere in the world. The Mirror spoke to Kakon, now on tour with DJ Bruno from Ibiza's Café del Mar and percussionist Nappy G from Groove Collective, about his recent success and the production of Jaffa's forthcoming second album.



Mirror: Now that you're working on your second album, how do you see your debut, after all of the response it received upon its release?

David Kakon: I don't think of it at all, actually. I mean, I'm a perfectionist and I've tried not to look back since we started production on the second album. Elevator served its purpose, and I appreciate the response. It opened a lot of doors for me, but at the same time I try to move forward.

M: So does that imply that the new album is completely different?

DK: It has the same feeling to it, but it's a different time of the day, a different mood. The first album was done when I was in school and I was just chill, but now I'm feeling really happy, life is good and I guess this is how it comes out. It's a little more upbeat than the first record, but the common denominator is still me.

M: How many of the opportunities that arose from the success of the first album have translated themselves into the production of this record?

DK: As many as possible. I've been working very hard, and Oliver [Sasse, from Nude] has been working very hard to make every opportunity a reality. Generally, everything went the way I hoped it would.

M: What's the story with you working with Nappy G from Groove Collective?

DK: He's the greatest guy I know--like, everybody loves him. He's a really amazing percussionist, first of all, and he's just great to have around. Everybody gets along with him. I brought him down to Montreal to work on the album with me, and the vibes have been great.

M: Was working with him just a matter of calling him up?

DK: I met DJ Bruno at Café del Mar, and we had a little impromptu jam session with him playing records and me playing keys. People went crazy. This was at a party organized by my European distributor Stereo Deluxe, who had met up with Nappy at a festival in Vienna. So we just toured around Europe like that. We quickly became friends and it was clear that we were going to work together after that.

M: So that's basically the setup for the tour in North America, the combo you stumbled upon while playing with Bruno?

DK: Yep.

M: Does it ever get repetitive?

DK: No, because every night the keyboard parts are different, the records are different and Nappy changes up every night and it works out great. I really have to keep up. It challenges me, it keeps me focused and creative--and vice versa for everyone else.

With Mark Dillon, John Creamer and Mark Lewis at Sona on Saturday, Dec. 1, midnight, $25