Soundtrack of My Sound: Kidnap

Kidnap, the multifaceted London-born producer, DJ, and lyricist, unveils his second studio album, Something Lost, Something Gained, out now on [PIAS] Électronique. This ten-track journey is deeply personal, capturing Kidnap’s evolution from a globe-trotting DJ performing over 100 shows a year to a new father embracing reflection, nostalgia, and gratitude.

Featuring collaborations with Leo Stannard, Chelou, Gabrielle Aplin, Dwara, and Aaron Smith, the album seamlessly blends melodic house, indie, ambient, and acoustic textures with cinematic depth. Each track exudes Kidnap’s refined songwriting, made to resonate on both the dancefloor and in moments of quiet introspection.

To celebrate the album’s release, Kidnap dives into the inspiration behind each track in our new feature, Soundtrack of My Sound.

Here, he discusses the stories, emotions, and influences that shaped each song, offering listeners a rare glimpse into the creative process that birthed this evocative album. From the uplifting piano riffs of ‘Starling’ to the introspective tones of ‘Lost Without You,’ Kidnap’s insights reveal the heart behind Something Lost, Something Gained and the personal journey he invites his listeners to share.

Overgrown ft Leo Stannard

The album is designed to be a journey – moving from nostalgia about the past to excitement about the future. I wanted to start the album with Overgrown as it is the most intensely nostalgic. It’s a song about missing the days when we were young and carefree. Ultimately it is a letter to my friends to let them know that I miss them. I wanted the production to feel tender at moments during the chorus but also develop into a powerful beat that had a strong intensity of emotion. 

Alive ft Aaron Smith

I wrote all the melody parts for Alive on the piano before taking them to my friend Barrie who is an excellent guitar player. We recorded him playing the melodies and then added some additional rhythmic and textural layers. I tried to give all the earlier tracks on the album a slightly degraded feeling, as though the listener is watching back their memories on faded tape. Later on in the album I then mixed the tracks to feel a little sharper and more clearly in focus. 

Lost Without You ft Gabrielle Aplin

Continuing with the theme of nostalgia, Lost Without You is another song about being lost in the past. My aim with this song was to find a way to have punchy synth chords playing what is quite a subdued and reflective set of chords. I really enjoy the contrast between the two elements – it sort of works and sort of doesn’t but in a pleasing way. 

Feels Like Home ft Gabrielle Aplin

Feels Like Home is a song about the moment you run into an old friend and a rush of memories come flooding back. This was one of the more challenging tracks production wise as there were so many layers. I wanted the track to have quite a raucous feeling when the chorus kicks in so I ended up using quite a lot of live drums to give it extra punch. 

Ghost Dance

Ghost Dance is a haunting interlude designed to be a bridge into the more subdued section of the album. Although it is only a minute or so long, it became one of my favourite parts of the album. I made it using automated filters on sections of my own vocals that were pitched up high and then covered in reverb. I layered in some cello parts and an audio recording of a creaking wooden ship for extra spookiness!

Something to Say ft Chelou

I think of Something to Say as a tone poem, rather than a song. Chelou and I wrote it at the piano and guitar initially before creating the full production. We thought about adding lyrics to the hummed melody part but I felt just leaving the melody unadulterated by words was a purer expression of what we wanted to say.

Looking Back

Looking Back is a short melody idea that fills me with nostalgia each time I hear it. 

It doesn’t move anywhere musically and is intended to be a reflective moment rather than a story. To me it feels like the sound of being lost in thought.

Starling ft Dwara

As we reached the later stages of the album, I wanted the music to feel more forward looking than reflective, and so my aim with Starling was to write a piece of music that felt like hope. Once I had the main melody written, I could hear how the track should develop. I wanted to write a lush instrumental number that constantly evolved and featured a simple vocal hook. Once the music was finished I worked on the lyrics with Dwara and our friend Sinai. We took inspiration from Emily Dickinson’s poem ”Hope” is the thing with feathers’.

Fortified ft Dwara

With Fortified, I wanted to write another track that felt optimistic and looked to the future.

The lyrics of this song (written again with Dwara & Sinai) are about perseverance and a commitment to moving forward. To mirror this idea in the music, I wanted to write synth parts that felt like they never quite concluded and were always moving on. I used a lot of suspended chords in the harmony to achieve this feeling. This gives the track a restless energy which I really enjoy.

Vision of a Floating World

Once the rest of the album was finished, I wanted to write an instrumental track with total creative freedom – leaving aside considerations about track length, structure etc. So to do this I wrote about 12 distinct sections using the same sound palette and harmony ideas without worrying about how they all fit together. Once I had them all made I started trying out different combinations and eventually arrived at the final structure. It moves quite unpredictably and I don’t think I could’ve achieved this if I’d written in a more traditional method. As the final song on the album, I was trying to capture a feeling of acceptance at the end of the journey.

Kidnap ‘Something Lost, Something Gained’ is out now on [PIAS] Électronique. Get it HERE