From Iverson Mall vinyl binges as a pre-teen to being dubbed “a Wizard” on tour with American Rock luminary Julian Casablancas, the Pretty Girl County, MD native embodies the quintessential alternative African-American multi-hyphenate. Designed to kill and likely one of the most enigmatic artists of his era, we caught up with Tony Kill during another vanishing act to chat movie rentals, space, and time. Covertly bending the corner in a Bape toque, towing a dense stack of cult Blu-Ray discs with his trusty Roland Fantom X06 and SWV’s ‘New Beginnings’ in the trunk, Tony manages to survive the ebbs and flows of immigration while staying true to his roots. Climbing the corporate ladder in the Pacific Northwest hasn’t veered Kill from the supersonics. Fresh out of Video Cat, TAP IN WITH THE Adorable TONY CRUISE.
ET CETERA: ... WE’VE GOT ABOUT TEN TO KILL - TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.... TONY KILL: MORE THAN WE IMAGINE. I GOTTA BE PATIENT THOUGH - IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. THEN IT HAPPENS IN AN INSTANT AND YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT. IF YOU TIMED IT RIGHT. ET CETERA: HOW MUCH DO YOU PUT INTO A SINGLE PIECE? TONY KILL: WE TALKING TIME OR MONEY? I MEAN, TIME IS MONEY IN SOME CENTS. ET CETERA: PRODUCER’S CHOICE. TONY KILL: I PUT A LOT INTO A SINGLE PIECE FOR A SPECIFIC WOMAN. I HAVE SOME SUBSCRIPTIONS, A FEW BOARDS. LESS IS MORE. PUTTING LESS INTO A SINGLE PIECE FOR A SPECIFIC WOMAN MAKES THINGS TURN OUT BETTER THERE WAS A POINT WHERE I WANTED ‘EM ALL - BOARDS, CORDS, JUST NEVER ENOUGH. BY DIRECTING MY ENERGY ALL OVER THE PLACE I’D SEE GLIMPSES OF MY DREAM ONE MOMENT - ONLY TO PAWN THE SAME GEAR I JUST BUILT A CORE SOUND WITH IN THE NEXT BREATH. TODAY I’M RENTING A FEW BOARDS, BUILDING NEW PATCHES ON THE [ROLAND] FANTOM [X06]. IF CRATE DIGGING COUNTS I’M VIRTUALLY ALWAYS IN THE STUDIO
ET CETERA: PRODUCER’S WEAPON OF CHOICE? TONY KILL: IT’S THE FANTOM X06 FOR ME. FOR THE SESSION I’M RUNNING FL/LOGIC - ANYTHING BUT UNABLETO LIVE. [GET ME] SOME WIRED HEADPHONES AND I’LL LACE YOU. OPEN THE PATIO WINDOW WITH THE DIPTYQUE ROOM SPRAY AND ITS UP. ET CETERA: DO YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME ALONE? TONY KILL: I SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE STUDIO. I’M IN THE STUDIO BEFORE AND AFTER MY DAY JOB. THEY SAID DON’T QUIT MY DAY JOB - I JUST WFH WHEN I NEED TO COOK UP. I’M IN THE STUDIO NEAR A GLACIER OFF B.C.-99 BEFORE I HIT THE ATVS. I’M IN THE STUDIO IN THE WHIP OUTSIDE THE STUDIO BEFORE THEY LET ME IN THE STUDIO. I LIVE IN MY LAP. ET CETERA: BETTER YET - SHE LIVES IN YOUR LAP... TONY KILL: LIVE FROM THE 3.5MM WIRED HEADPHONES - WISH THEY CAME IN ORANGE. IT’S 2026 THERE’S MORE COMPUTE IN MY CROSSBODY THAN THEY NEEDED TO LAUNCH APOLLO 11. I’M IN THE STUDIO DURING MY RETWIST. I’M IN THE STUDIO BEHIND THE BOOTH AFTER THE RETWIST AND BEFORE MY SET THEN I’M IN THE STUDIO IN THE WHIP AGAIN BEFORE I I RETURN SOME DVDS. NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT - *GETS UP*
ET CETERA: ARE YOU ALRIGHT? TONY KILL: ...I HAVE TO ... RETURN SOME TAPES. ET CETERA: PEOPLE STILL RENT TAPES THESE DAYS? PUT US ON. TONY KILL: THERE’S SPOTS FOR VIDEO CATS LIKE YOU AND ME. THERE’S A SPOT AROUND WHERE I STAY NOW - LOCAL AND INDEPENDENT WITH RENTALS, PHYSICAL MEDIA SALES, COLLECTIBLES. I HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A “MEMBERSHIP.” THAT MEANS ONCE A WEEK I HAVE TO REMEMBER OTHER PEOPLE EXIST. IF I DON’T DO NOTHIN IMA DIG. THEY SELL CDS TOO, CAME UP ON SOME EVELYN CHAMPAIGNE KING THE OTHER DAY ET CETERA: THAT HUMAN INTERACTION ASPECT ... DOES LONELINESS AND COLLABORATION INTERSECT FOR YOU? TONY KILL: SOUND GIVES ME A SENSE OF CONNECTION BEYOND SPACE AND TIME. IN A SOCIAL SENSE THOUGH; OUT HERE, YEAH I SUPPOSE SO - I MEAN, SOMETIMES YOU GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR. IT DOESN’T ALWAYS FEEL THAT WAY. I’’VE ACCEPTED NOT KNOWING WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE ACCEPTED. I’M HERE TO WORK. ET CETERA: THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO NOT KNOWING. TONY KILL: LORD KNOWS. I’LL GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR THAT. ET CETERA: IS/WILL KILL POP? TONY KILL: IF NOT I’M GUARANTEED TO SPARK THE BRAIN OF A NIGGA THAT POP 4 REAL. ET CETERA: IS THERE TENSION BETWEEN KILL AS A PRODUCER AND KILL AS AN ARTIST? TONY KILL: THE NAME GAME IS STILL SOMETHING I’M UNRAVELING. JUST THE CONCEPT OF A NAME ALONE, I FIND MYSELF GOING BACK AND FORTH...LIKE, OBVIOUSLY. IT’S ANOTHER SILHOUETTE IN A SENSE MORE OF AN ESTIMATION OF SOMETHING. NAMES ARE COOL OR WHATEVER WHEN THEY’RE INTENTIONAL BUT NAMES ARE REALLY COOL WHEN THEY COMPLETELY SUBVERT THE IDEA OF A CERTAIN FUNCTION ALTOGETHER ET CETERA: THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOMETHING TONY KILL: BINGO - THEY ALREADY KNOW *112 VOICE* ET CETERA: DID YOU ALWAYS CARE ABOUT WHAT THEY KNOW YOU FOR? TONY KILL: I’M WORKING ON THAT; YEAH, PERHAPS MORESO THAN I GAVE MYSELF CREDIT FOR. HA, CREDIT. CARING ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK IS ASTRONOMICALLY INEFFICENT. ET CETERA: WHAT ARE YOU KNOWN FOR? OR BEST KNOWN FOR? TONY KILL: IDC (I’M DEFINITELY CRANKIN)... LEAVING WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE? NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT - *GETS UP* *SITS DOWN* ET CETERA: TECHNICALLY YOU MENTIONED IT BUT YEAH, YOU’VE MADE SOME PRETTY DRASTIC CHANGES THESE DAYS; THIS WEEK EVEN... TONY KILL: I KNOW RIGHT? WE’LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. I’M WORKING ON SOMETHING. ET CETERA: YOU SPOKE OF THE SILHOUETTE EARLIER, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE BEEN ENCOUNTERING THE SILHOUETTES OF OTHERS TONY KILL: OUT OF SELF-PRESERVATION AND NECESSITY. AND I DON’T REALLY ASK FOR MUCH MORE FROM FOLKS ANYMORE. I HAVE BEEN FEELING LIKE A SILHOUETTE OF MY OWN SELVES, A NAME, A SPECIFIC “SOUND” ET CETERA: IS THAT WHERE THE CONCEPT FOR YOUR SECOND SINGLE, ‘SILHOUETTE’ EMERGED? TONY KILL: MAYBE IT’S ABOUT SOME AUTOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS I HAD AT THE TIME. I SAY I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES BECAUSE IN MANY CASES, PERHAPS I SHOULDN’T. IN THE WORDS OF SWV, “USE YOR HEART AND NOT YOUR EYES.”

Submitting Form...

The server encountered an error.

Form received.