by LORRAINE CARPENTER

Miss Kittin is the voice of electro. Since her collaboration with the Hacker, which climaxed with First Album in 2001, France's dame of deadpan has been sought and snared by artists such as Felix Da Housecat, Golden Boy, T.Raumschmiere and Sven Vath. In Europe, she's equally renowned as a techno DJ, with residencies in Frankfurt, Zurich and Barcelona bolstering her busy schedule of tours and one-offs.

Now, with the recent release of her own record I Com, a Europop, electropunk, blip-hop and ballad extravaganza co-produced with Tobi Neumann and Thies Mynther (aka Glove), she can escape the "feat." prefix and record stores can finally add a Miss Kittin card to the Techno/Electro area. The Mirror e-mailed Miss Kittin (aka Caroline Herve) about work, play and out-of-body experiences.

Mirror: Are you still based in Berlin?

Miss Kittin: Yes yes yes DOOOOD! Between Berlin and the moon sometimes.

M: How's your German?

MK: Pretty shit. But I know all the insults required to be cool in this town.

M: I understand that you had some bad experiences working in France and you're not fond of the current scene there. You recently said, "I hate France" -

MK: It's a bit extreme to take "I hate France" out of context. Typical journalistic behaviour, dear. [Okay. See www.artistinterviews.com/music/misskittin.htm for context.] What I mostly don't like is people complaining, thinking they are the best, criticizing before knowing, but I suppose that's universal - so human. I just say it about France because I grew up there. Parisians who come to party in Berlin realize the world isn't turning around Paris. Travelling is the best thing to make you feel humble.

M: Are you still on Laurent Garnier's radio show?

MK: Unfortunately, I had to ask Laurent for a break because of the album and the job I do for Mute. He asked me just one thing: to be crazy. So I record some stupid improvisations about music, sometimes poems, jokes, using effects on my voice. It's totally freestyle.

M: What's your role at Mute?

MK: I'm a consultant. Mainly, my job is to reflect the club scene, as I travel a lot, get demos and promos. So I regularly prepare mini-compilations with info about each track I find outstanding, innovative, or club-killer.

Pints and needles

M: Has giving up alcohol had a major impact on your DJing? How can you live in Europe and not drink?

MK: Ha ha ha! I am not against alcohol, but at the moment, I don't feel like it, that's all! It's really funny to go to a club, drink water and find yourself still on the dancefloor at 9 a.m. in the middle of the freaks! It's a new style of clubbing for me - very interesting! Also, I see all the good vibes it produces, as a lot of cool people come to me in peace without being aggressive. I love it. And it sounds like I play better and better, that's what people tell me. No need to get loaded to be rock 'n' roll!

M: You've talked about how important it is for you, as a DJ, to dance. Why don't most DJs dance?

MK: I strongly believe DJs who dance play better because they live music through their body, but I don't criticize the ones who don't. It's a personal thing, if you like to shake your ass or not. Sometimes I can't dance, I get annoyed on the dancefloor, but it's usually super natural to me. I don't do it because it's cool to see Miss Kittin dancing!

M: I read that you once had an out-of-body experience while DJing.

MK: It was at Studio 672 in Köln for the Kompakt label night. I was crazy drunk. I know that my moves came so much in a flow, I didn't have the feeling it was me doing it. Suddenly, I really saw myself from above doing these moves! It lasted for half a second, but it was bizarre. I feel lucky.

M: On I Com tracks like "Professional Distortion" and "Happy Violentine," you discuss the down side of your job - constantly being in the public eye, having no time for love, etc. Are these serious drawbacks for you, or is it venting?

MK: Nothing in my music is serious, really. It's just part of anyone's life - that's why it's pop music. I am not talking about unknown feelings!

M: Are you DJing or playing live on this tour? Or a combination?

MK: DJing. I am too lazy to fix a live show and, by the way, DJing is the best thing I do. I stay humble with live shows, which are strictly linked with the Hacker. Why should I carry all the live show nightmares on my own, as I can share it with my Hacker?

Rave digger

M: What was it about rave culture that captured you?

MK: To be part of something as it started, where people who you never knew what social class they came from met in a forest to party without caring about what time it was and what day we were. A big FUCK to everything. It made you feel more alive than you ever did. I still feel that way, especially when I DJ.

M: There seems to be a division in electro between artists who were influenced by '80s synthpop and new wave and those, like you, who came from rave and techno. Can you hear it when you listen to other artists?

MK: This is too intellectual for me. Music is something I feel - I listen to it, I like it or not, doesn't matter who did it and where he comes from. But as a matter of taste, yes, I feel a difference between the dark side I love and the over-the-top-kitsch side I hate, not only in electro, in any kind of music.

M: I couldn't help but notice the "I beat that bitch" refrain by L.A. Williams in "Requiem for a Hit." The sound of the words seems to overwhelm the meaning after a while, but I'm guessing you're laying on some irony at the same time.

MK: Yes, it sounds good to me AND I like the fact that a little white French countryside girl can sing a ghetto booty track with a stupid R&B break. I've always been playing ghetto Chicago tracks like "Dance Mania." I even visited the label when I first played in Chicago in '96, so it's a real tribute.

M: Judging from I Com, particularly the title track, you seem fascinated by the union of sex and technology. Do you think these are positive developments for people who feel isolated, or will it only produce more isolation?

MK: It's like drugs: use, don't abuse. Tools are supposed to serve your ideas more than substitute your frustrations. Some people dig into isolation anyway. I am not an isolated person. Doing e-mail interviews may look like I am isolating myself from the outside world, but I probably say more interesting things than on the phone or face to face. Also, it gives me the peace I need to communicate with the ones I care for and love. Meeting, talking to unknown people all the time sucks my energy, it makes me isolate myself. Back home, I don't wanna see or talk to anybody!

M: You've also written a song about cloning yourself. If this were a reality, and you could have control over the clone, what would you do?

MK: Chris Korda [a fellow artist on the Gigolo label] said he would have sex with himself. I don't think I would do that, but it's interesting to think about!

With Dead Combo and DJ Frigid at Rialto
on Saturday, July 24, 9pm, $20

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