MR KITO is the musical solo project of Eric Michot, a French multi-instrumentalist and producer. He has called Cape Town (South Africa) home since 1996, where he has played extensively within the local indie music scene. Starting in 2012 he began writing and recording his own songs, and we are certainly glad he did! He’s currently Ranked #1 on Reverbnation for Indie Music, and with a sound as exquisite as his, a background and proficiency in various musical genres, as well as his business savvy, there is no doubt in our minds that MR KITO is an amazing artist to carry the coveted title of Indie Band of the Week!
MR KITO’s 7th and latest album Where Are The Lizards? released under Eric’s own Presence Records and we at RockRevolt are fortunate for the chance to chat with him.
Why MR.KITO? How did you come up with that name?
Luc, my son, 6 years old at the time, said that he had been bitten by a “Mister Kito” during the night, meaning to say “Mosquito”. I loved it and labelled my solo project accordingly.
Too cute! What would you say are your biggest influences?
Everything I ever heard influences my work, my taste, how I interpret and perceive music to be as a whole – consciously and unconsciously. Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Serge Gainsbourg and The Velvet Underground are a few of my musical influences. Life influences include many spiritual teachers who have walked this earth and their teachings. They have undoubtedly formed a solid foundation in my perception of what is real.
I have also been influenced by modern day thinkers such as Eckhart Tolle, Maxwell Maltz and Napoleon Hill to name a few! 
Eckhart Tolle is definitely a great one! You currently have five albums and two EP’s out. Can we expect a new album coming out soon?
I am in the process of recording a new album, due for release early next year.In this album I am taking greater risks and exploring a wider range of emotions and musical styles. I must admit, I am very excited about this forthcoming new release! This excitement has a lot to do with my current emotional and creative space – I am allowing “what is” to be. I am confident that this release will be the best so far and trust that it will be well received again.
When did you realize that you wanted to be a musician and what were your first steps into the music industry?
Music has pretty much always been part of my life. My late father was a rather skilled guitar player amongst other things, so I was exposed to the art of music from an early age. Later as a teenager, it became a personal interest. I collected vinyls, explored all kinds of musical genres, and learned to play guitar, bass and drums.
At 18, I played rhythm guitar in a rock band in France. I took on the bass when our bassist resigned just before a small European tour and loved it! Since then I have never looked back and kept the bass guitar as my main instrument when playing for bands.
My diverse musical abilities give me great deal of freedom. I am responsible for all instrumentations in MR KITO’s albums – guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, percussion and so forth. As well as singing all the parts. In addition to this, I produce my own tracks. This breadth of engagement means I have access to a broad spectrum of creativity and skills. I consider myself as versatile; being able to complete and enjoy the various musical tasks is a reward on itself. Adding to this mix is also the fact that I manage my own record label “Presence Records”. This affords greater personal control of the marketing aspect as well.
Alongside MR KITO I run another project called “Super Sumo” which serves the dance music genre since it is a EDM (Electronic Dance Music) project. We’ve recently released the single “Count Down” featuring the talented Bunny Love on vocals. We are doing pretty well in Europe as the single peeked at n3 in Charts and it also features in a Mixtape hosted by Iggy Azalea.
You are originally from France. Would you say living in Cape Town have influenced you and your music?
Yes indeed. Cape Town offers a scenic and beautiful environment. This can set the tone for a very pleasant creative journey. There is a vibrant energy here, so much to do and therefore Life to experience. I find Cape Town to be a place where one can re-invent oneself as well. There are no limits.
Moreover Cape Town and other large urban centres in South Africa, are very cosmopolitan African cities with elements of European and African culture coming together creating a distinct “Afro” culture. Many musical genres are represented and shared amongst the diverse communities. SA is indeed multicultural and South Africans are exploring all opportunities for self-expression through the arts. I find that here people integrate global trends and add their unique flavor into the mix, as well as providing the global community with original ideas and material too. It’s a fair exchange of creative ideas.
MR KITO – All Is Near
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Is the formation of a band in your plans for a near future?
I am considering setting up a live act at the moment to respond to the increasing demand for live performances. MR.KITO was never really about playing live; it was always more of a studio project. Since I am responsible for all instrumentation and production on the albums, it would be interesting to audition musicians to play the various parts. I think it is important to have a concrete strategy in place before anything can take place. That being said, I am more and more open to the challenge, we will see what the future holds!
Is there anything you would like to say to finalize our interview?
I woud like to thank you and the Rock Revolt Magazine Team for the opportunity to share what I do with others! I also want to thank your readers for taking the time to read, listen and thereby support musicians and bands by giving them a sense of purpose. Without an audience, music and arts would quite simply be non-existant.
Thank you for the interview. Hope to see you playing in the near future!
Thank you and all the best!
Connect With MR KITO:
WEBPAGE | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | REVERBNATION | ITUNES
by Victoria Oliveira, RockRevolt Magazine Journalist
