DJ Kid Koala says his artistic creativity has grown with age — and his family

With a new album around the corner, longtime DJ and turntablist Eric San, aka Kid Koala, is bringing his hour-long multimedia stage performance The Storyville Mosquito to Quebec City next week.

The show features a silent film about a clarinet-playing insect alongside 15 on-stage performers who work with miniature sets, puppets, turntables and instruments. 

The artist, who was raised in Vancouver and now residing in Montreal, says the show illustrates the ubiquitous theme of trying to fit in.

“You’re witnessing a movie being made in real time in front of your eyes, so you could watch what we’re doing on the big screen,” said Koala.

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Now 48, the married father of two began his career as a scratch DJ in 1994. He’s put out nine solo albums and collaborated with artists on numerous other projects.

His new album, Creatures of the Late Afternoon, is set to debut in April. Every song is written and inspired by a collection of creatures playing musical instruments, the musician says.

“My kids and I were just painting and having fun making up weird characters and stuff.”

Koala spoke with Day 6 host Brent Bambury ahead of his three shows in Quebec City. Here is part of that conversation.

My first question is, how big is the mosquito? 

There are several versions of the mosquito in our show. There’s actually 75 puppets. But depending on what type of shot we need in the scene, and what kind of nuanced movement we might need from the puppeteers, we have a close-up mosquito — which is actually the biggest one we have. It’s probably, I’d say, three feet. 

And then the smallest one in the cast is during one of the crane shots, you know, kind of pull-away shots and that one’s under an inch tall. 

I love the detail and the nuance that seems to be in this entire event. So, I want to ask you how it’s created. If I go to see your show, what will I see unfold on stage? Who will I see helping it unfold? 

It’s a team of 15 performers up there, including a cinematographer and a couple of stage managers. We have a string trio and myself taking care of the music. And foley artists [doing sound effects]. Then a wonderful team of puppeteers. 

Let’s explain what foley is, because it’s one of those things that maybe, you know, people connected to the analog era and that they don’t think it exists anymore. 

When there’s a certain movement, especially because a lot of the show is quite cartoony in places, that it just feels right to have a sound effect at that moment. When he’s jumping off of something or landing on something, and the process of creating that sound at that exact moment in time is foley. 

I’m also up there with piano and drums and turntables. And this string trio we have is marvellous. They also have to play other percussion instruments, depending on what the scene requires. 

And what kind of reactions are you getting from audiences who are just following the story? Because this is all in the service of telling a narrative. 

It’s sort of my version of a live Charlie Chaplin film — a silent, dialogue-free film. But through the music, through the sound effects, through the action and the camera moves. 

The reaction has been really great. A lot of laughter in some moments and some more poignant moments. Some sniffles too. I hear some crying in a touching way. 

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Why do you think the story is so resonant? 

It is a universal theme. This mosquito, poor thing, moves to the big city to try to join an orchestra, and is met with a bunch of obstacles to overcome before he finds his voice. 

I think it’s every mosquito story — or every first story — in a way. 

Because it’s dialogue-free, we’ve been able to tour to Abu Dhabi or just recently in Taiwan and San Francisco, and the audiences can understand what’s happening in the show. 

There’s a level of audience participation, or a sense that the audience, in these performances, is magnified and that you, as the artist, are almost shrunken down there behind your turntables. Is that intentional or are you taking yourself out of the picture? 

I always consider myself a bit of an introvert. Even when I’m DJing in a club, I feel more comfortable behind a rack of turntable equipment or something. I was never the first one on the dance floor, so to speak. That kind of life of the party. 

However, with this show, it’s just such a wonderful team of artists and performers just working together. Performance wise, it feels like 15 of us on one surfboard. We’re just trying not to wipe out. But there’s this urgency to it.

You’re the father of two daughters. How did having kids change the way that you make music and the way you make art? 

First of all, it was the sleep schedule.

Most of my favourite fantastical ideas sort of come through the delirium. So I actually really enjoy the sleep deprivation. 

Looking back to my childhood, I remember watching these Charlie Chaplin films with my grandparents and my parents. And it was one of a handful of times where I recall all three generations enjoying the same piece of work. 

Of course, I was as a six-year-old, maybe laughing at the slapstick. But my parents maybe liked the love story — and my grandparents, maybe liked the philosophical subtext in the film. 

I think having your own children in the house, that’s an amazing test and audience. 

You have a new record coming out in April, Creatures of the Late Afternoon. What’s it about?

The concept is that every song is written by a collection of musical instrument-playing creatures. So sometimes I would just get into character for that. I was drawing and painting a lot of creatures with instruments throughout the pandemic. 

One is a sloth on bass. I said, OK, what would that sound like? What song would that sloth write on a bass? 

And that would be kind of the catalyst for me to go in the studio and write a little track for that creature. 

The Storyville Mosquito is so elaborate and delicate and intricate and visual. And it makes me wonder, as a turntablist, are you committed to always having elaborate stage presentations?

I think people ask that about me in visual art, too. If you had to pick music or visual art, which would you pick? And I really can’t. I would just be really sad if I had to give one of them up. 

Same thing with rocking parties and playing nightclub sets and dance floor sets. I really enjoy that.

Do I want to do that all the time? I think that’s the only place that turntables can live comfortably.

No, but I really do like the opportunity to bring it to different audiences, to bring it to different venues, and to tell different stories.

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Radio interview by Pedro Sanchez. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.