Rising Stars: Meet Miles Jordan of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miles Jordan.

Hi Miles, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been a big dancer and part of the underground music scene since I was young. When I went to school in Athens, Georgia, I would frequently drive down to Atlanta each weekend so I could lose myself in raves. I started off in the bass music scene, listening to a lot of Dubstep, then once I was back in Atlanta I floated around the House and Techno scenes before finding myself firmly tied into the underground club scene. Dancing has always been a huge and important part of my life, so I had a lot of fun learning different dance styles to party in these scenes and sharing that joy with others.

By the time I moved back to Atlanta, I wanted to become a deeper part of the music scene, so I decided my role would be VJ. One of my talents is 3D and motion graphics animation, so I set out to make the visuals behind the DJ when they played. However, about two years ago I realized that what I actually wanted was to be the vibe curator myself, to make and play the music. So I began DJing, starting with one of my first loves in music, Jersey Club, and have been slowly becoming more and more a part of the amazing club culture in Atlanta.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been easy, and by far the biggest culprit has been mental health. I’ve always been an incredibly ambitious and imaginative guy, but a lot of my passion and interest for things were sabotaged by depression and anxiety I’ve dealt with since I was young. At times, I grieve for the life I feel I could have had if I’d gotten into music earlier, not necessarily because I’d be more successful now, but more because of the art I could have made and the communities I could have been part of.

Still, I think the biggest takeaway I could give someone struggling the same way I did is this: “you can’t properly chase your motivations and dreams if you don’t get your mental right.” I likely wouldn’t have been as ready to approach art back then the way I am now, because I was too preoccupied just trying to survive in my own head. It becomes much easier to do what makes you happy once you’ve finally learned how to be happy.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a dancer turned open-format club DJ/producer based locally out of ATL. I spin frequently at places like Banshee in EAV, and because of my dance background, I know precisely what to play to get people moving. My music taste is too broad to be limited to just a couple of genres, so my sets are dynamic, where I bounce between genres like Jersey Club, Ghetto Tech, Breakbeat/Drum & Bass, and many more. What sets me apart from other DJs is my stage presence, because these are all my favorite songs, so I respond with an incredible amount of energy that’s infectious to the crowd. That energy attracts other dancers too, dance circles frequently open up at the front during my sets, and I’ll even step out of the booth to dance in the circle with them. This dance connection also pushes me to learn the dance styles of each genre I spin, so I know how to pick the best songs.

I also run a platform called Kult of Kilo, dedicated to music sharing, discovery, and throwing parties to tie it all together. I use Kult of Kilo to host events that highlight myself and new talent in Atlanta, and I post content dedicated to music genres and history to help people find even more songs. My music history and genre knowledge run deep, and I enjoy sharing that with others so they can learn more too. I’ve also just gotten into producing, primarily making Jersey Club, though I’m excited to expand past that and learn more about music production.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
For general to-dos and productivity (this is on the techier side of things), there’s an open-source task manager app called “Super Productivity” that I highly recommend.

For learning more about music, two websites are invaluable to me: Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music and RateYourMusic.com. The former is a long-running visual project mapping out almost all the electronic music genres and how they’re connected, with some snark and humor from Ishkur as he writes about the music. The latter is amazing for discovering new genres you didn’t know existed, or figuring out what genre that album you love actually is.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_king_kilo/ https://www.instagram.com/kultofkilo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kultofkilo
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thekingkilo https://soundcloud.com/kultofkilo