Unicorn Kid makes chip music. This is nothing to do with potatoes and everything to do with computers and games consoles. We had never heard of it - until Unicorn Kid came along.
With his trademark lion hat and energetic live performances, Unicorn Kid caught the eye of the Pet Shop Boys who asked him to remix their single 'Did You See Me Coming'. Following that he was invited to tour America with the currently-quite-popular Owl City. Not bad for an 18 year old from Edinburgh.
With a single due next month, and a slew of live dates supporting Hadouken!, we caught up with the noisy rave wonderkid and found out why he's definitely not the next Calvin Harris and the ludicrous promises he was made when signing his big exciting record deal...
Hello Unicorn Kid. Important things first. Do you like haggis?
I’m normally a vegetarian, but I like vegetarian haggis. It’s mostly oats anyway isn’t it? So it tastes relatively similar as far as I understand. It’s not even done in a sheep’s stomach any more, it’s done in plastic.
Indeed. So, you’re young, making music and out at clubs a lot. Are you living in an episode of hit E4 youth drama ‘Skins’?
Not at all! My life is relatively boring. I get up in the morning, sit in front of the computer, eat and compose music until I go to bed. Apart from that, unless I’m away on tour or whatever, my life isn’t very Skins at all. I’m sure most of my fans have more exciting lives than me.
Do you ever give yourself a headache listening to your music all day?
Every day. I sometimes have Windows booted on my Mac and I don't know how to turn down the screen brightness when I do that, so the combination of 8-bit loops and an LED backlit monitor on full often bring on horrible headaches.
Have you ever had to use a fake ID for one of your own gigs?
No, but I’ve been thrown out several times for not being old enough.
Before or after you’d played?
Before! The bouncer was like "Do you have ID?", and I said "No, I’m playing". And we got chucked out. So I was like, "fine we won’t play" and the promoter was like "no, no, no…"
Was that the worst gig you've ever played?
Playing In The City this year was pretty horrific. There is nothing more depressing than playing to 40 industry people in a damp Manchester pub.
But it paid off because you’ve bagged a record deal now?
I am signing my deal this week. I can’t tell you the label (RP: it’s Ministry Of Sound). It’s a secret (Ministry of Sound?). I can’t even tweet it (It’s Ministry Of Sound). Then I’m finishing mixing my single that’s going to be out on ‘whatever record label I sign to’ around March. It will have a Norwegian singer, Kate Havnevik, on it. And basically working on the album, finishing that in June, bringing it out at the end of September, and see what happens from there.
In music terms, the sweet and delicate Kate Kate Havnevik is your polar opposite. How on earth did this collaboration come about?
She was on the Owl City tour with me. It’s funny because she really liked one of my really old tracks ‘Biscuits’, and used to sing the melody acapella in the car. She said she wanted to do a song with me and I thought it would be really cool but didn't know how we were going to do it. But between the two of us, we recorded back and forth from our homes and it sounds great.
And will you feature more vocalists on the album?
Probably half and half. Kind of six tracks with singers, six instrumental.
Is there worry with the label that industry big wigs will tone you down and look for commercial hits?
It’s already happened really. I think people want me to be some kind of top ten commercial artist, but that’s not really what I am. I’m not the next Calvin Harris. I just make what I make. I’ve been signed as Unicorn Kid and that’s what they’ll get. Obviously it would be good to have some radio tracks, but I think those happen accidentally. There was a time when I was trying to create commercial track and it wasn’t happening. I just froze up and couldn’t write anything. I was like fuck this I’m just going to do what I want and suddenly things are moving a bit faster.
Did any A&R men ever do anything embarrassingly 'youth' in an attempt to get you to sign to their label?
I went out with a guy from a label one night and mentioned that I liked taxidermied owls and that I'd wanted one for ages. The next day my lawyer is sent a re-draft of the contract and, along with everything else, it stated that I would be given a real taxidermied owl upon signing. I don't really think of that as embarrassing though, I think it was actually completely brilliant and amazing. I didn't actually end up signing to them.
So, of all fantasy animals, why did you name yourself after a horse with a horn?
There’s no real story behind the name, it just kind of came about and fitted in with the fun, magical nature of the music.
We expected you might have a unicorn hat rather than a lion.
I was looking for a unicorn hat at the start, but it didn’t exist. I think I was 15 and I had my first show coming up and I passed a stall that was selling lion hats, cat hats, monkey hats and stuff like that. I wanted an excuse to buy one just because they were so cool. So I settled for a lion, wore it to the first show, put some pictures on Myspace and it took off from there. I have to wear it. I can’t even abandon it now if I want to.
Is it getting a bit smelly?
I actually have lots of them. We’re putting them into production soon so I’ll have an endless supply then.
Have you worried about finding a tarantula in your bananas?
No, but somebody put a picture on Facebook of a tarantula in their grapes - it was Soft Toy Emergency actually - no, never come across tarantula in bananas. Is this a fear of yours?
Yes, and now we have to add grapes to the list of fruits to be wary of as well. It's probably best to leave it there before we develop a fear of greengrocers. Thanks Unicorn Kid!
Make friends with Unicorn Kid here.
Buy some music hereish.
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