Hiya Kai Moa, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
Thanks for having me – it’s great to be here! I’m from Birmingham, UK, and, honestly, I’ve been into music since before I can remember, so it’s difficult to talk about the early days. I got my first drum kit when I was 2, and spend most of my time playing around on a keyboard (mostly learning which numbers correlated to which instrument). But yeah, I’ve been obsessed from the start.
What’s the live music scene like in Birmingham right now?
It’s actually pretty good. It was amazing when I was at university, but they knocked a whole bunch of venues down to make room for banks and offices (classic). The scene is returning though – there are some great gigs happening every week, regular open mic/deck events, and plenty of electronic music venues (large and small). Hopefully it continues to get better!
Anyone we should be looking out for?
I’m really loving Lockerz’s sound right now. I always find myself leaning towards anything that has a clear jazz influence. Crackazat is another great example of this.
Do you think its easy to become a victim of our surroundings sometimes?
Yes. Absolutely. In so many ways, it’s almost impossible to explain here. But yes, we often find ourselves trapped or stuck in ruts without fully realising how we got there. Autonomy is my #1 focus for 2026, so I’m trying to identify what’s keeping me where I am and disrupting my daily routine in different ways.
What are your ambitions for the project?
To put it simply – to have the EP in a public space so people can hear it. I’ve been working on this project for a few years, and it got to the point where I just had to put it out. Other than that, I don’t really have any ambitions. I’m not even sure if this project will get another release. We’ll see.
Whats your favourite social media platform to use and why?
I don’t have a favourite platform – I honestly hate them all! That being said, I have created an Instagram profile for this project. I doubt I’ll do much with it, but hey – at least it’s there.
We believe its essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
I completely agree that having a presence on socials is a great way to target masses of people and have your music appear in spheres it might not otherwise reach, but I think it depends entirely on what your goals are for a project, and the demographic that you want to reach.
I’m turned away by the fast-paced, low-attention-span nature of social media, so I’d rather focus my PR efforts on the local scene, radio/blogs/reviews, and slightly more long-form types of media.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
Tragic. Fake. Over-saturated. It’s a real mess out there.
Whats your thoughts on AI generated music?
Some of my favourite musicians have been using AI for years to help create textures and sounds. Arca, for example, has been a huge inspiration for this project, and I know she uses AI tools. I think it gets a bit tricky when music is solely created using AI. It’s like playing FIFA and saying “I won the world cup”.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
What’s work and what’s hobby. I’ve been working in the music industry since I’ve been at Uni, and the biggest thing has been working out what will pay my bills, and what I do for fun. This project is a “hobby” project, for sure.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
I’m loving Atripp, Sam Alfred, Salute, MPH etc at the moment. The new Boldy James/Nicholas Craven record is so sick, and Dean Blunt’s new work is amazing too. That being said, I’m currently listening to Interstellar Space by John Coltrane
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
I don’t even know where to start – there are too many. It’s not funny at all, but my worst experience on stage was while I was playing for a stage show, and the guy playing the lead role shouted at someone on the front row who had tourettes. I’ve never wanted the world to eat me up quite so much as that.
Got any fun, funny stories from life on the road?
Flying out my bunk when the bus driver almost missed the exit was a good one. Thanks drive…
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
I do! L = ∅ came out on the 3rd of July. It’s the 2nd single from an EP that’s coming out on the 28th of August. A very different vibe from the 1st single, so go check that out as well! But yeah, the whole EP is essentially 2 parts IDM/Industrial, and 2 parts Dream/Alt-Pop. I think it really works as a body of work, so I’m pretty stoked for the whole thing to drop so people can hear the full work.
What was the recording process like?
Pretty lengthy. As with most tracks, they were just random ideas until I started properly tinkering with them, but oh boy was there a lot of tinkering. It took me quite some time to get the tracks sounding how it was in my ear, but once I had that, I got in the studio to record all the live drums and vocals, and then from there it was a pretty straight forward mixdown to what you hear.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Nope! That’s why it’s available for you to hear – because I decided to stop tinkering!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Other than my first single (Sea), I have some more new music out under another name – Moa Bay. The track is called “Interests” – go check it out for some fairly up-tempo Deep House vibes.
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