909rewind Vol. 8… Miss Kittin
Welcome to 909rewind, a new series from 909originals that delves into the early careers of some of dance music’s biggest names, uncovering hidden gems and familiar classics from the archives.
We dive into an artist’s back catalogue to uncover rare singles, albums, productions, remixes and more… the tracks that helped shape their sound and set them on the path to legendary status.
This week’s 909rewind heads to Grenoble, France, to explore the back catalogue of one of the most influential women in techno over the past 20 years… Miss Kittin, aka Caroline Hervé.
Having been a regular on the French rave scene in the 90s – “1993 was rave madness, driving around the country with Belgian club tapes… living for weekends”, she told Astralwerks a few years ago – Hervé got into DJing somewhat by accident, taking over from her then-boyfriend when he failed to sync two records properly. 🙂
By the mid-90s, she was playing regularly – including at the infamous Dragon Ball raves in the south of France – and had the opportunity to meet DJ Hell, who had just established the International Deejay Gigolos label.
This meeting led to the release of the Champagne EP, alongside The Hacker (aka Michel Amato), which spawned early electroclash classics such as 1982 and the jocular Frank Sinatra.
“I love Frank Sinatra and the American crooners and romantic jazz in general,” Hervé told pHinnWeb back in 2001. “I was looking for a rhyme to “area” and here it came.
“What you don’t know, is when I said “He’s dead”, I really thought he was. A friend told me it was funny because he’s still alive. I couldn’t believe it and felt guilty, especially when he died three months later.”
Developing a reputation as an established vocalist with a sultry, continental eloquence to her lyrics, Hervé would cement her reputations through tie-ups with artists such as Golden Boy (on the epic Rippin Kittin), Sven Väth, Felix da Housecat, Antonelli Electr, and others, before releasing her first solo album, I Com, in 2004.
She remains an important figurehead on the techno scene, through both her label, Nobody’s Bizzness, and via collaborations with any number of notable names.
For this week’s 909rewind, we go back to the early 2000s, and the tracks that helped shape what is now a twenty-year career.
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