KILEDJIAN

David Kiledjian is a multi-instrumentalist musician and producer whose talent and creativity have made him a key figure on the Lyon music scene. Born into a family of multiple origins, he draws his inspiration from his Armenian and French roots, which are reflected in his eclectic, borderless music.
From an early age, David developed a passion for music. He learned saxophone and piano, and explored a variety of musical genres, from jazz to hip-hop to electronic music. These varied influences shape his unique style, which skilfully blends traditional sounds, jazz and modern beats.
As a producer, David has worked on personal projects such as Fowatile, HILA, Dowdelin, and with talented artists Tigran and BKO, giving them a platform to express their creativity and originality. His musical sensitivity and keen ear have given these artists an innovative touch to their productions.
Renowned for his technical mastery and sense of innovation, David Kiledjian now presents his solo project under his own name.
In 10 tracks, KILEDJIAN builds a bridge
between jazz, languages and folklore from the 4 corners of the globe, hip-hop and the electronic avant-garde. His unique compositions, tinged with captivating melodies and bewitching rhythms, take us on an unprecedented sonic journey.
Since his very first creations at the turn of the millennium, David Kiledjian has sailed through electro-acoustic worlds : from the Caribbean to Armenia, not forgetting Africa.
With KILEDJIAN, a personal project, he concentrates on his subject while playing as a collective, surrounded by hand-picked guests: Cindy Pooch, Sako Wana, Macha Gharibian, Celia Wa.
“The Otium Mixtape” is a bold fusion of traditional sounds and contemporary beats. This meeting of old and new creates an immersive musical experience, where the boundaries between cultures dissipate to make way for a certain universality.
This passion for finding links between seemingly distant and contradictory universes, even finds its way into the title of this opus: “The Otium Mixtape”, in reference to the time of creative and studious idleness promoted
as an art of living in ancient Rome. In those days, the idea was to limit working hours to what was strictly necessary for some, so that they could escape daily routine without which there can be no great human discoveries, cultural or scientific advances.
It was during a creative retreat in a small house by the sea that he undertook, without any pressure whatsoever, to lay a fortnight’s worth of frames. Played on keyboards with alphanumeric or simply black and white keys, they were followed by notes of sax, flute, violin and homemade percussions that would later form the basis of the album.
“I liked the material I had created, finding it coherent and singular. So I decided to extend the gesture by using these sketches to provoke encounters”, explains KILEDJIAN, who, after this moment out of time, returned to his studio in Lyon and began to work on Lanmou Lanmou, Dowdelin’s second opus, released in
January 2022.

In the months that followed, Kiledjian left his natural shyness behind and invited guests he hardly knew to come and meet him in his studio in Lyon.
These were artists he had come across mainly on social networks and whose work inspired him. It’s during these fraternal, convivial tête-à-têtes that the tracks on this mixtape take shape, usually over a baked lamb and a good bottle of wine.
“On the importance of having a studio at home,” says the producer, who thus desacralizes the moment when the little light above the studio door turns red, signifying to everyone that we’re recording.
“I like it when creating music is part of everyday life, when you alternate between recording and peeling vegetables for dinner”.
This way of working is in line with the spirit of creative free time, which is at the heart of Otium.
Now available, these 10 tracks “to the glory of free time, and the active idleness so dear to the hearts of Antiquity”, invites the producer
who is already preparing the next Dowdelin album.
Kiledjian is more than just a musician and producer. He is a visionary who is constantly exploring new musical horizons, in search of unique sounds and rhythms. His rich artistic background and boundless creativity make him an artist in a class of his own, making his mark with his singularity and undeniable talent.
“The Otium Mixtape” marks the launch of a solo career under the name Kiledjian, which is undoubtedly demanding and shapeshifting, witnessing a musical journey without borders and in perpetual evolution, which brings together along a common horizon.