Mixcloud / SpotifyDionne is an illustrator currently based in Manchester, UK.
Hi Dionne! Can you tell us a little bit about your tape and your song selections?
It’s a playlist for walking, specifically through a city, headphones on, the hustle and bustle. It’s taken on a kind of nostalgic feel lately as busy city streets are currently a thing of the past, it’s definitely something I’ve been missing this year!
I’ve always been drawn to cities. I’ve lived in Berlin and London and now Manchester, when I lived in London I worked in a bar on the edge of Soho for a bit, and my favourite part of the day was getting off the bus with my headphones on and walking through the crowds on the way into work. It could be anything, jazz, hip hop, techno, afro-beats, trip-hop, soul, anything with a nice beat I guess, and it has to be kind of busy and soulful, nothing too minimal or conceptual.
Hi Dionne! Can you tell us a little bit about your tape and your song selections?
It’s a playlist for walking, specifically through a city, headphones on, the hustle and bustle. It’s taken on a kind of nostalgic feel lately as busy city streets are currently a thing of the past, it’s definitely something I’ve been missing this year!
I’ve always been drawn to cities. I’ve lived in Berlin and London and now Manchester, when I lived in London I worked in a bar on the edge of Soho for a bit, and my favourite part of the day was getting off the bus with my headphones on and walking through the crowds on the way into work. It could be anything, jazz, hip hop, techno, afro-beats, trip-hop, soul, anything with a nice beat I guess, and it has to be kind of busy and soulful, nothing too minimal or conceptual.
What direction did you take with your cover art, and what was your process?
I take a lot of photos when I travel, and as travelling is off the cards this year I’ve been looking back through old photos a lot. This drawing is based on a photo I took when I visited New York, it’s the view from the top of the Empire State building and it made me pretty nostalgic for the city buzz. It’s a combo of digital drawing and scribbling with good old fashioned crayons, I usually work with a bit of both.
I take a lot of photos when I travel, and as travelling is off the cards this year I’ve been looking back through old photos a lot. This drawing is based on a photo I took when I visited New York, it’s the view from the top of the Empire State building and it made me pretty nostalgic for the city buzz. It’s a combo of digital drawing and scribbling with good old fashioned crayons, I usually work with a bit of both.
What are your fave album covers, records with a great music and artwork combo, or musical projects with a visual component?
I often buy records by artists I’ve never heard of based on the album artwork, I’ve ended up buying some pretty weird stuff just based on the record sleeve though, it’s a risky game. Jazz has a particularly rich culture of amazing album artwork. Anything by Sun Ra is usually really cool to look at and really gets across the chaotic experimental vibe. I’m really glad vinyl is still a big thing because it adds a whole tactile and visual element that’s missing from streaming, and even CDs to an extent.
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery – The Comet is Coming
2015, Impulse! Records
Artwork: Nat Girsberger
Oblique Parallax – Sun Ra
1982, El Saturn Records
Artwork: Irwin Chusid
The Magic City - Sun Ra
1973, Impulse!, ABC Records, Saturn Reseach
Artwork: Don Bied
What did you listen to growing up?
After a short Spice Girls stint I got pretty into punk (probably via Avril Lavigne, let’s be honest), lots of Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy but also things like Bad Religion and Black Flag. There was the usual Grunge phase and I got into the Smiths via my dads CD collection. I was also pretty into hip-hop and R&B as a kid though so it’s a real mix! I’ll listen to pretty much anything these days.
And what’s on heavy rotation for you at the moment?
I’ve been watching Dark (the TV series) and the soundtrack is amazingly weird, so I’ve been listening to that a lot. Also Hector Plimmer has been doing these ‘Soothing Sounds’ sessions on Worldwide FM which have been a godsend during lockdown! I highly recommend checking those out if you need to chill out a bit.
After a short Spice Girls stint I got pretty into punk (probably via Avril Lavigne, let’s be honest), lots of Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy but also things like Bad Religion and Black Flag. There was the usual Grunge phase and I got into the Smiths via my dads CD collection. I was also pretty into hip-hop and R&B as a kid though so it’s a real mix! I’ll listen to pretty much anything these days.
And what’s on heavy rotation for you at the moment?
I’ve been watching Dark (the TV series) and the soundtrack is amazingly weird, so I’ve been listening to that a lot. Also Hector Plimmer has been doing these ‘Soothing Sounds’ sessions on Worldwide FM which have been a godsend during lockdown! I highly recommend checking those out if you need to chill out a bit.
What’s happening in your creative world at the moment?
I’ve just opened up my online print shop where you can grab some art for your walls.
I’m also part of an exhibition with The Storybox Collective and the William Morris Society called William Morris: Wallpaper Man.
Where can we find you?
︎ dionnekitching.co.uk
︎ @dionnekitching
︎ @dionnekitching
Cheers, Dionne!
TRACKLIST
Mr. Scruff - Get A Move On! / Nightmares On Wax - You Wish / Tricky - Hell Is Round The Corner / Moodymann - Pitch Black City Reunion / DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World / Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts #2 / Bruce - Æon / The Diabolical Liberties - Sliders / DJ Yoda - Thornton Heath / The Comet Is Coming - Birth Of Creation / Ezra Collective - What Am I to Do? / Mala - Calle F / A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation / Quantic - Life in the Rain / UNKLE - Lonely Soul / Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy / Björk - I Miss You (Dobie Rub Part One) / St Germain - Rose rouge / Miles Davis - Ghetto Walkin' ︎
I’ve just opened up my online print shop where you can grab some art for your walls.
I’m also part of an exhibition with The Storybox Collective and the William Morris Society called William Morris: Wallpaper Man.
Where can we find you?
︎ dionnekitching.co.uk
︎ @dionnekitching
︎ @dionnekitching
Cheers, Dionne!
TRACKLIST
Mr. Scruff - Get A Move On! / Nightmares On Wax - You Wish / Tricky - Hell Is Round The Corner / Moodymann - Pitch Black City Reunion / DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World / Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts #2 / Bruce - Æon / The Diabolical Liberties - Sliders / DJ Yoda - Thornton Heath / The Comet Is Coming - Birth Of Creation / Ezra Collective - What Am I to Do? / Mala - Calle F / A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation / Quantic - Life in the Rain / UNKLE - Lonely Soul / Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy / Björk - I Miss You (Dobie Rub Part One) / St Germain - Rose rouge / Miles Davis - Ghetto Walkin' ︎