Sensing Antenna - Kino

What does it mean to do something properly?

For Kino, doing something well isn’t about achieving perfection - it is about holding yourself accountable to the choices you make. His standard-setting is a lived process, drawn from close friendships, years spent in kitchens, and an enduring reverence for the art of mixing. Across his work, technical precision exists not for its own sake, but to create space for emotional flow. We spoke with him about committing to a standard, embracing imperfection, and staying connected to the moment.

Formation of standards

What is your earliest memory of noticing something being done particularly well?

Well, that's quite hard to remember exactly right now. But maybe watching one of Jeff Mills' The Exhibitionist series for the first time. It was so impressive - still is. The technique, speed, control, dynamic, and the creation during the mixes. It was also the first time I saw someone play with three turntables.

Listening to The Kings of Techno mixed by Laurent Garnier (the mixed version), which I listened to so much a long, long time ago, also inspired me so much. His way of telling a story across so many different genres - and still the story makes sense. You can listen to Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Arpanet, The Stooges, Detroit in Effect, BFC - everything in the same mix (his view of Detroit music) - and it all still makes sense to me, the way he goes through it. I think both sum up the art of DJing to me, even though they're both so different from each other.

What “done well” means

What shaped your standards - people, environments, or experiences?

For me, "done well" is about being responsible for what you choose to do. With responsibility comes discipline, passion, and value. It's not about perfection, or being perfect, but doing something the best you can do is "done well" to me. Respect, commitment, and value in what you choose to stand for are very important to me.

I think most of my standards came from people close to me - mostly close friends who inspired me to be better. As a group, we always tried to make everyone a better person and a better DJ. We always shared our knowledge and experiences.

Then there are life experiences - not only from music, but from anyone who does well at what they do. Outside of music, I would say the kitchen taught me a lot. Because I cooked for a lot of my life in restaurants and studied at a culinary institute for a year, I learned from that environment too. There are certain standards and techniques to follow that make for good practice. Even if you are doing it for free, or no one is watching, be honest. Do the best you can. That way, the standards become yours, and not for someone else. It becomes an inner motivation, I believe.

Attention & environment

How much does the environment shape whether something can be done properly - the space, the people, the conditions?

I believe if someone is given the right tools and equipment, in the best environment possible, you create the best scenario for the work to be done as well as possible (there is always the human factor) and experienced in the best way possible for everyone involved. It's easier, I guess, to express yourself, stay motivated, and connect when you have all the right conditions to perform.

When that isn't the case, connecting to the experience can be more challenging. That's where standards come in, I guess - you always try to do your best even if something fails. So even if the environment isn't ideal for performing, things can still be done as well as possible.

In terms of DJing, I would definitely always prefer to have the right crowd and community with the right energy, and sacrifice anything else (up to a certain point, clearly). I can still have the best time if the sound isn't great, or if I have to deal with other difficulties, as long as the right energy and crowd are there.

I don't know if limitations create something unexpected. I'd say you focus on what keeps you connected. Luckily, sometimes that is everything.

Craft vs expression

In your experience, where is the balance between technical precision and emotional flow?

For me, the higher you can take both, the better. Having technical precision is a matter of practice - perfecting your craft, working on becoming better with the equipment, sound, technique, control, and understanding or executing what you do technically.

Emotional flow, I think, is more about feelings and creation. It's a connection with yourself that's way more subtle. When you think and analyse too much, that connection gets complicated. I guess one comes more from the head, and the other comes more from the heart.

Maybe emotional flow is something that runs through you, which you're able to express better when technical precision is already there.

I think one feeds the other and vice versa - there has to be communication between both. But where the balance is, I don't know. As someone once said: take it serious, but not too serious.

Evolution of Standards

Do you think doing something properly looks different at different stages of life?

I think as you go through life, everyone changes - it's self-evolution. You accumulate more life experience, so your perspective on life changes too. Although doing something properly doesn't change much as a basic concept, your approach to it changes. You know yourself better, you adapt more easily because you have more experience, and you know what you want - and what you don't - much better than before. It's good to keep impressing yourself, too, I guess.

I know I used to tend to overthink and be very obsessive with details while I play, which can cut my flow. Eventually, I learned to redirect this in a healthy way - embracing "imperfections" to feel free, connected to the moment, and in touch with a bigger meaning.

Commitment to standards

What does committing to doing things properly ask of you over time - and what does it cost

Well, for me, commitment means dedication and a sort of obligation you have to whatever you choose to dedicate yourself to, I guess. It comes as a need - meaning you have to do what you do because you need to, for yourself.

I think the cost could be that you have to be ready to sacrifice certain things in life - things that would otherwise make you feel like you're not doing what you need to do. I don't know if I'd call it a sacrifice, actually. Maybe it's just being comfortable with accepting the things that come with your purpose.

I believe some people are lucky to find a purpose in life quite quickly; others take more time. The moment you realise and acknowledge it, if you aren't doing it, there's a feeling of unfulfillment that can make you feel empty or frustrated. When it's a need or a purpose that comes from within, it's easier to handle certain things in life for that higher purpose.

Balance is always key, I think - and remembering that we are not alone in that process, that you are part of something bigger than yourself. It's always important to be a good person, inside and outside of what you do.

There are always higher and lower moments in life, let's say. Always being at the peak is very hard to achieve. Accepting every moment, and always trying to improve and be better, is fundamental for motivation and for life itself.

Follow Kino