Richard Sharp

Control.

It's been a keyword for DJ/songstress/electro-pop icon Miss Kittin from the get-go.

In her early work, collaborating with the likes of The Hacker, Felix Da Housecat and Golden Boy, she was almost a physical embodiment of the word, clad in the rubber, nurse-fetish gear of a full-on dom, chastising the velvet-rope club culture with the voice of a coldhearted Nordic princess: "To be famous is so nice/Suck my dick/Kiss my ass/In limousines we have sex/Every night with my famous friends."

As a DJ with a trio of mixed CDs, a strong global following and a ceaseless work ethic, she's skillfully moved beyond the narrow confines of electro-clash, blending techno, house and IDM for appreciative audiences from Bogota to Belgium. With "ICOM," Kittin's recently remixed 2004 album for Astralwerks, she exercised the ultimate in control, writing and performing a set of hard-driving, sexually charged and self-reflexive tunes.

Miss Kittin heads to Chicago this week for a DJ set at Sound-Bar. We spoke to her about music, sex and owning your image in the cutthroat world of the DJ.

You've been playing in Chicago for quite a while now. When did you first play here?

Miss Kittin: It all started in France in '94, when I was just a beginner. I was playing in my area in a club and I opened for Mike Dearborn. He liked what I did, so he invited me to play in '95 in a big party organized in a roller-skating rink. Chicago was the first place in the States I ever played. I was so young and so happy to be here. I remember that in France the rumor was going around that I was playing here. A lot of people were quite jealous--they thought I was having an affair with Mike. It's crazy--ten years later, I'm still playing in Chicago, only now I'm headlining.

I've read that you didn't make a dime off of your work with Felix Da Housecat on "Kittenz and Thee Glitz." True?

MK: Well, we got an advance, then no news. I cannot tell you how many records have been sold. No one ever gave me a royalty statement. I talked to Felix about it and it happened to him as well. This is a big mystery, and it's due mainly to my lack of professionalism. I was a beginner and I didn't protect my ass enough. I don't blame Felix. I don't blame anyone except for myself. It happened to me and I learned and I would like to not make the same mistake again. You have to be aware, you know.

Sounds like you've become a little more careful.

MK: Well of course, I'd have to be stupid not to. Most of the artists I know are good in the studio and the rest they're not so interested in. They're not interested in how their records are promoted, the artwork, whatever. They don't have that global view about their work. I am the opposite. I know how I want my music to be represented, how my image is presented.

You seem to have taken a very deliberate approach to your image, with the nurse's outfit, the fetish gear...

MK: Yeah, when I started out, everybody wanted to believe that I was, in every sense of the word, a dominatrix, when that's definitely not the case. They don't have to know that though. Maybe it's cooler if they still think I am. People project in music what they want to hear. That's entertainment.

You wrote and sing all your own songs on "ICOM." Do you prefer DJing or making your own music?

MK: I love to DJ, for sure. That's my first love. I love to be able to fly around the world with my little suitcase and play records for people. I would be very sad if I couldn't do that anymore or if I was obliged to only play my own music. On the other hand, writing lyrics and singing is such a great joy. It's a great moment when you write your own song. The ability to transcribe emotions on paper is really amazing.

At your live sets, there's definitely a sexual vibe between you and the audience. Is that something you think you deliberately cultivate?

MK: Never. But I think it's something you have in any outstanding artist. Not that I'm saying I'm outstanding. But when I go and listen to a group that I like, I need to feel this energy. It's not something that you can really push or create. It's really interesting actually because it's so wild. Maybe it's a protection, because I'm more of a quiet person. People think I'm strong but they also know I'm vulnerable. That's where the sexual thing comes out, I think.

Miss Kittin performs a DJ set with live vocals alongside Johnny Love at Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario, (312)787-4480, on October 20. $20 cover.

(2005-10-18)

Also by Richard Sharp

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