Elkka

Rising UK house producer Elkka has evolved from struggling singer/songwriter to creating a truly distinctive sound. Danny Turner discusses her metamorphosis and newly released EP Euphoric Melodies

- Danny Turner

Raised on Britney Spears and The Spice Girls, and harbouring dreams of becoming a pop vocalist, Emma Kirby (aka Elkka) had a moment of realisation in 2016 that would transform her gruelling quest for success. Influenced by feminist pioneers and electronic musicians such as Laurie Anderson and Imogen Heap, the artist switched to production, taking full ownership of her sound to capture the authenticity she subconsciously craved.

Snapped up by Ninja Tune’s sub-label Technicolour, Elkka’s latest EP, Euphoric Melodies, highlights the power of seizing full artistic control. Its instinctive cross-pollination of house and electronica is built from an imaginative menagerie of syncopated cut-and-paste samples and vocal snippets. These elements bestow the EP a classic yet contemporary sound that articulates club culture’s customary sense of euphoric optimism, with more than a few interesting tricks up its sleeve.

You started as a singer/songwriter and evolved into a producer. Tell us about that journey…

“I grew up listening to pop music so my creative beginnings were traditional songwriting and singing. That’s the route I took when I started pursuing my dreams to be an artist and meant I was bouncing from session to session for a number of years. It was successful in some ways because I was doing quite well as a songwriter with people using my vocals on various tracks, but I didn’t feel I was getting anywhere as a solo artist. I felt quite lost to be honest and eventually hit a wall where I knew I needed to change or things wouldn’t happen the way I wanted them to.”

What was the breaking point?