KMLN (pronounced: Kameleon) has been non-stop this year, following their dreams… It has been truly inspiring to see them take their music to the another level, and they have definitely hit a beautiful stride. Meet the talented Duo, made up of Shawna Hofmann + Christopher Wayne Tooker know as KMLN. These two are world travels, music junkies, and counter culture trendsetters. Always ahead of the cure, their music encapsulates their broad sense of world and it’s different cultural musical communities. To us, KMLN is the definition of a soundtrack for Love and Adventure. We caught up with Duo in preparation for the Sunday Open Air event in San Francisco, and for On&On’s next installment of Free Your Inhibitions….

Where were you born?

-Shawna: in Penticton Bc, Canada.

-Christopher: in Turin, Italy.

At what point in your career as a Artists, did you realize that you were “All In”.
-Shawna: I’ve been a self taught, self employed artist all my life with a series of media, having music be the constant throughout. in 2012, right before i met Christopher, I had made a commitment to pursue music only and drop the fashion business I had been running and designing for the previous 9 years. I felt it was time to focus on one thing and not feel so spread out all the time. And that’s when I also got serious about learning to produce music professionally and committed to learn my way around the studio propah!

-Christopher: Went from a baby playing pots and pans and imitating Michael Jackson off VHS cassettes, to realizing groove had won me over. In the early teens music became my obsession, getting deep into drums, bass, guitar and singing in too many bands some of which saw major label support. Although satisfying it felt limiting. In rome is where KMLN was born, deciding to move to Berlin after realizing I needed to drop everything and be “all in”.

What time of music did you listen to growing up?
-Shawna: i grew up in Winnipeg where the main event of the year was the Winnipeg Music Folk Festival each summer camping out in a National Park under the long prairie skies and featuring long sunsets and Aurora Borealis. This is where I gained my taste for the multitudinous traditional Folk musics of the world. And that’s what i still prefer to this day to listen to when at home.

-Christopher: Music has filled my days from the age of 6, then later listening to recordings of my bands practices or studio material. But other then that from Nina Simone to Deep Forest to Tool, i’d eat up whatever was put in front of me. Mainly live stuff though.

If you could remix one of those artists music, and open for them, who would it be?
-Shawna: Hard to choose one, but off the top of my head. Ladysmith Black Mambazo….oh wait Sheila Chandra

-Christopher: i think it would be the Jimi Hendrix experience, opening with a double drum solo with Mitch Mitchell.

What is your ideal set length, and what’s the longest set you’ve played?
-Shawna: Long morning sets are my fave when everyone is “in it”, like Sunday morning at Burning Man at the El Circo Dome and the set lasts 4-5 hours or more….everyone’s commitment to being really there is what fuels me. As soon as I feel the energy wane and I’m already tired I feel ready to pass on the torch!

-Christopher: ideal length would be as long as my legs held and there was 1 smiling person on the dance floor.longest official set has to be 8 hours in suicide circus in Berlin, but if we talk about cosy van parties……

What’s the best sound system you’ve ever heard?
both: Void

Where’s the best sound system you’ve ever played on?
-Shawna: Where there is so much love put into every aspect of the party and everything is dialed. And the sound person on whichever sound has total passion for music and sound quality. Because they all sound amazing in the right context.

-Chris: favorite moment remains golden gate berlin seeing sound guys at the end of parties tweaking for hours on improving the sound.

Can you describe how your style music sounds? (For context, it’s 3AM, and you are playing a warm open air venue, with an amazing sound system and there’s 1500 people who are huge fans of yours): 
-It definitely has Syncopated rhythm’s that speak to the multicultural hips in us. And it keeps all on their toes~ literally! You’re surprised at each new sound, because we never like it to settle on a loop 😉 Then there’s the emotional journey, leading you down lanes of memory, suspense, sentimental appreciation, sexy town and on n on down to the underworld. Then back around to your body as the wheel of life turns <3

What’s the most memorable set you’ve heard in the last few months?
-Butch!!! At Desert Hearts, hands down! Changed us musically period. we rediscovered a sound that neither of us knew the other loved and now we’ve incorporated that into our sets. Deep hi nrg psychedelic Tech House ha!

If you could go to space and return, how long would you stay for, who would you bring, and where would you go?

-Shawna: Definitely to one of our ancestor planets of the beings who spawned us and left us here on this experiment heaven hell gift of an existence Earth… But need some conclusive evident proof of exactly where that would be… Pleiades system? I would bring the humans I know in my heart are badass hard working, humble, lucidly conscious folk that I could trust to call me out when I’m in the wrong and inspire me when I need vision;) It wouldn’t hurt to have a full spectrum of science specialists, a strong inspiring team leader, engineers of all disciplines.

Chris: what she said, sounds like my cup o tea, with a “arc car” full of animals for sure

What do you think about On&On On&OnSF.com?
We live in the middle of the redwood forest and rarely hit the scene these days of late.Of the few memorable parties we’ve attended in the last couple years in SF, On&On were the parties we went to as fans of the music, actually bought tix to dance for reals! Thanks O&On for bringing that quality!

Big Thank You to KMLN for taking the time to connect with us for this installment of F.Y.I. Come listen to them play live Sunday, August 14, 2016 on the Midway Patio for Permission to Land. Discounted Tix Here .

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