Editorial & Sync
Kitty Amor
Biography
Kitty Amor is a London-based DJ, producer, label boss, promoter, curator, radio host, writer and activist, with an uplifting and empowering musical message at the heart of her work. As she’s risen to become a respected leader within her scene, Kitty has been a tireless champion of African and African-influenced electronic music, a sound she wants to help transcend the continent’s borders and reach fresh ears across the world.
The many years of experience Kitty has amassed as a DJ—with recent sets including fabric, Tresor 31 Festival, Tomorrowland’s CORE Tulum, and a residency with Sondela at Bora Bora in Ibiza—made it natural that she would eventually produce and release the sound she is most passionate about. With her debut solo record landing in 2023 and the launch of MahabaMusik, her new label, Kitty now proudly steps forward to flourish in her full artistry.
MahabaMusik, a sub-label of Defected, one of the world’s biggest dance labels, will be a home for Kitty’s own music and will offer a space for upcoming artists to be heard and seen for their talents. As a passionate tastemaker, Kitty’s goal with MahabaMusik is to express the global influences of an ever-growing sound within electronic music. The label will begin with “Solitude,” Kitty’s collaboration with the vocalist Nathan Nicholson. It’s a track created for heaving dance floors, with synths layered over Afro-Tech drum patterns, and is a powerful demonstration of what’s been inspiring Kitty when performing globally.
The release of the epic “I Saw An Angel” was another massive milestone for Kitty. The track, written alongside the Nigerian singer-songwriter Somadina, received a major-label release via Warner Music Africa and Parlophone Europe, an impressive illustration of just how far Kitty has come. It was only in 2022 that she made her production debut with “Khoisan,” a collaboration with Thakzin that was released by the esteemed German label Get Physical Music. The track’s powerful emotional energy would have been familiar to anyone who’s experienced her DJing around the world in recent years.
The highlights of Kitty’s touring schedule are almost too numerous to mention, but include shows at leading venues like Printworks, Sub Club, Ministry of Sound, Eden, Brixton Academy, Hï Ibiza, Watergate and The Warehouse Project, and festival appearances at Defected London, Waterworks, Love Saves The Day, We Out Here, Defected Malta and Croatia, and Corona Sunsets in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
South Africa is a particularly special destination for Kitty: The country’s music is essentially what birthed her career. Kitty is therefore extremely passionate about giving back to the country, through touring, collaborating and elevating SA talent beyond its boundaries. And it's a relationship that works both ways. Black Coffee, the globally famed leader of SA’s electronic music scene, called on Kitty to support him at his outdoor festival in London in 2022. Kitty has also had the honour of hosting Da Capo, one of SA’s other leading artists, at her much-loved Sessions event.
The non-stop DJ performances around the world have been mirrored by Kitty’s appearances on renowned radio stations and mix series. Sets for BBC Radio 1, Mixmag Lab, DJ Mag HQ, Triple J, Apple Music and Resident Advisor, alongside a live set on Channel O, a national television station in South Africa, have helped Kitty to reach more fans of electronic music than ever. Kitty's work goes beyond the clubs and her productions, as she became a prominent columnist for DJ Mag. Writing her own series of Afro House columns, she has given a voice for the scene and created further reach for the culture and those involved.
In 2021 you may have seen Kitty and her longtime friend and collaborator Sef Kombo on the cover of Mixmag under the headline: "Sef Kombo and Kitty Amor are leading the UK's Afro house movement." This followed a further Mixmag piece, with the publication’s Marcus Barnes reporting on Kitty and Sef’s Motherland and Sessions events, saying that, “The crowd is energised, united and as eclectic as any you might find in London on a Saturday night…An inspiring representation of the diversity of the city’s Black community.” Kitty has now headed up the Motherland parties for five years out of Grow in East London, creating an inclusive space for lovers of African electronic music to unite and let loose.
In fact, you could say that Kitty’s overall mission is towards empowerment and inclusivity. She had to fight for years for her sound to be heard beyond the underground, and this struggle has shaped her desire to uplift the people around her. It’s extremely important to Kitty that the Black community are no longer isolated in underground scenes, and are made to feel welcomed in mainstream spaces—from the stage all the way to the dance floor. Her desire is that women of colour in particular will be inspired by her journey, leading to more people from her background being seen and heard across the board.
Kitty’s meteoric recent rise as a champion of African electronic music hopefully points towards a brighter future for the talent coming up in her wake.
Biography
Kitty Amor is a London-based DJ, producer, label boss, promoter, curator, radio host, writer and activist, with an uplifting and empowering musical message at the heart of her work. As she’s risen to become a respected leader within her scene, Kitty has been a tireless champion of African and African-influenced electronic music, a sound she wants to help transcend the continent’s borders and reach fresh ears across the world.
The many years of experience Kitty has amassed as a DJ—with recent sets including fabric, Tresor 31 Festival, Tomorrowland’s CORE Tulum, and a residency with Sondela at Bora Bora in Ibiza—made it natural that she would eventually produce and release the sound she is most passionate about. With her debut solo record landing in 2023 and the launch of MahabaMusik, her new label, Kitty now proudly steps forward to flourish in her full artistry.
MahabaMusik, a sub-label of Defected, one of the world’s biggest dance labels, will be a home for Kitty’s own music and will offer a space for upcoming artists to be heard and seen for their talents. As a passionate tastemaker, Kitty’s goal with MahabaMusik is to express the global influences of an ever-growing sound within electronic music. The label will begin with “Solitude,” Kitty’s collaboration with the vocalist Nathan Nicholson. It’s a track created for heaving dance floors, with synths layered over Afro-Tech drum patterns, and is a powerful demonstration of what’s been inspiring Kitty when performing globally.
The release of the epic “I Saw An Angel” was another massive milestone for Kitty. The track, written alongside the Nigerian singer-songwriter Somadina, received a major-label release via Warner Music Africa and Parlophone Europe, an impressive illustration of just how far Kitty has come. It was only in 2022 that she made her production debut with “Khoisan,” a collaboration with Thakzin that was released by the esteemed German label Get Physical Music. The track’s powerful emotional energy would have been familiar to anyone who’s experienced her DJing around the world in recent years.
The highlights of Kitty’s touring schedule are almost too numerous to mention, but include shows at leading venues like Printworks, Sub Club, Ministry of Sound, Eden, Brixton Academy, Hï Ibiza, Watergate and The Warehouse Project, and festival appearances at Defected London, Waterworks, Love Saves The Day, We Out Here, Defected Malta and Croatia, and Corona Sunsets in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
South Africa is a particularly special destination for Kitty: The country’s music is essentially what birthed her career. Kitty is therefore extremely passionate about giving back to the country, through touring, collaborating and elevating SA talent beyond its boundaries. And it's a relationship that works both ways. Black Coffee, the globally famed leader of SA’s electronic music scene, called on Kitty to support him at his outdoor festival in London in 2022. Kitty has also had the honour of hosting Da Capo, one of SA’s other leading artists, at her much-loved Sessions event.
The non-stop DJ performances around the world have been mirrored by Kitty’s appearances on renowned radio stations and mix series. Sets for BBC Radio 1, Mixmag Lab, DJ Mag HQ, Triple J, Apple Music and Resident Advisor, alongside a live set on Channel O, a national television station in South Africa, have helped Kitty to reach more fans of electronic music than ever. Kitty's work goes beyond the clubs and her productions, as she became a prominent columnist for DJ Mag. Writing her own series of Afro House columns, she has given a voice for the scene and created further reach for the culture and those involved.
In 2021 you may have seen Kitty and her longtime friend and collaborator Sef Kombo on the cover of Mixmag under the headline: "Sef Kombo and Kitty Amor are leading the UK's Afro house movement." This followed a further Mixmag piece, with the publication’s Marcus Barnes reporting on Kitty and Sef’s Motherland and Sessions events, saying that, “The crowd is energised, united and as eclectic as any you might find in London on a Saturday night…An inspiring representation of the diversity of the city’s Black community.” Kitty has now headed up the Motherland parties for five years out of Grow in East London, creating an inclusive space for lovers of African electronic music to unite and let loose.
In fact, you could say that Kitty’s overall mission is towards empowerment and inclusivity. She had to fight for years for her sound to be heard beyond the underground, and this struggle has shaped her desire to uplift the people around her. It’s extremely important to Kitty that the Black community are no longer isolated in underground scenes, and are made to feel welcomed in mainstream spaces—from the stage all the way to the dance floor. Her desire is that women of colour in particular will be inspired by her journey, leading to more people from her background being seen and heard across the board.
Kitty’s meteoric recent rise as a champion of African electronic music hopefully points towards a brighter future for the talent coming up in her wake.
Editorial & Sync