Kwes

Kwes
Born	Kwesi Sey
Origin	Lewisham, London, England
Occupations	Producer composer artist songwriter mixer
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Warp
Website	kwes.info

Kwesi Sey, professionally known as Kwes ( /kwɛs/;^[1] sometimes stylised as kwes, kwes., Kwes. or [o=o]. ) is a British music producer, composer and artist from London, England.^[2] Kwes is also currently signed to Warp as a solo artist and released his debut album, ilp, in October 2013. He has since gone on to produce music for the likes of Damon Albarn, Bobby Womack, Solange Knowles, Sampha, Loyle Carner, Black Coffee, Nubya Garcia, Mica Levi, Tirzah, Lucy Rose and numerous others.^[3] He also composed his debut feature length score for 2023 British rom-com film Rye Lane, directed by Raine Allen-Miller. It won a BIFA in 2023 for Best Original Music.^[4]

Biography

Kwes began playing his grandparents' organ at the age of four and his grandmother bought him his first small keyboard aged 5. For his tenth birthday, he received a radio/tape recorder with a built-in microphone, which launched his interest in sound recording.^[5] Kwes's younger brother is the musician Coby Sey.^[6]

In an interview in 2012, Kwes said he has synesthesia.^[7] His earliest synaesthetic experiences occurred around the age of 4 and he attempted to colour paper with the particular colours he was seeing when listening to music. These colours have been set since he first discovered his condition: "any form of a G-chord would have orange in it, and the other notes which are not G accompanying that G-chord would have an effect on the type of orange it is. Majors tend to be slightly brighter.^[8] Same applies for D which is always – yellow/green, E which is Yellow/gold, F which is violet/blue, C – Blue, A – light blue, B – yellow/gold/green."^[9] His synaesthetic impressions of his own music are translated in the artwork to his solo releases, including "Hearts in Home" and "No Need to Run".^[10]

Discography

Year	Artist	Title	Release	Label	Credit
2024	Nubya Garcia	All tracks	Odyssey (LP)	Concord	Co-production, mixing
	Lucy Rose	All tracks	This Ain't The Way You Go Out (LP)	Communion Music	Co-production
	Nubya Garcia	"Fortify"	"Fortify" (Single)	Concord	Co-production, mixing
2023	Kwes	Original Score	Rye Lane	Searchlight Pictures	Composition
	Valentina	All tracks	All Are Lost (EP)	Tocca Te	Additional production, mixing
	Nadiah	"Draw The Line"	"Draw The Line" (Single)	NNN Recordings	Co-production, co-write, mixing
	Sampha	"Can't Go Back"	Lahai (LP)	Young	Additional production
	Ragz Originale	"Flashbacks" Ft. Sampha, July ft. Tiana Major9 & Venna	Bare Sugar (LP)	Mini Kingz	Co-Production, mixing
	Brother May	All tracks	Pattern With Force (EP)	Self released	Mixing
2022	Loyle Carner	All tracks except "Georgetown"	hugo (LP)	EMI	Executive production, co-production, co-write
	Hudson Mohawke	"Ingle Nook"	Cry Sugar (LP)	Warp	co-write
	Lil Silva	"Be Cool" (ft. Little Dragon), Backwards (ft. Sampha), Colours, Still (ft. Sampha & Ghetts)	Yesterday Is Heavy (LP)	Nowhere / Platoon	Co-production, co-write
	Loyle Carner	"Hate"	Hate (single)	EMI	Co-production, co-write
	Auclair	All Tracks	Giramata (EP)	Amorphous Sounds	Mixing
	Selah Sue	"Twice A Day", "Full of Life"	Persona (LP)	Because	Co-production, mixing
2021	Elan Tamara	All Tracks	We Can Fall (LP)	BOKKLE	Production, mixing
	Tirzah	"Ribs"	Ribs (single)	Domino	Mixing
	Zola	All music	Zola	A24	Mixing
	Tirzah	All Tracks	Colourgrade (LP)	Domino	A&R (all tracks), mixing on "Sink In", "Recipe"
	Brodka	All Tracks	BRUT (LP)	Kayax/[PIAS]	Co-mixing
	Black Coffee	"Never Gonna Forget" with Diplo ft. Elderbrook	Never Gonna Forget (single)	Ultra Records	Co-production, co-write
	Virgil Abloh	"Delicate Limbs" ft. serpentwithfeet	Delicate Limbs (single)	Columbia	Co-production, co-write
2020	Landshapes	All tracks	Contact (LP)	Bella Union	Production, mixing
	Loyle Carner	"Yesterday"	Yesterday (single)	EMI	Vocal engineer
	Duval Timothy	"Fall Again"	Help (LP)	Carrying Colour	OP-1
	Nubya Garcia	All tracks	Source (LP)	Concord	Co-production, mixing
	otta	All tracks	Songbook (EP)	BOKKLE/[PIAS]	Add prod, mixing, a&r
	Elan Tamara	"My Eyes"	My Eyes (single)	BOKKLE/[PIAS]	prod, mixing, a&r
	Denai Moore	"Hail"	Modern Dread (LP)	Because	Co-production, co-write
	Daniel Merriweather	"Paradise"	Paradise (single)	Self released	Add prod, mixing
	Nubya Garcia	"Pace"	Pace (single)	Concord	Co-production, mixing
	Selah Sue	All tracks	Bedroom EP (EP)	Because	Co-production, mixing
	otta	All tracks	after it all blew over (EP)	BOKKLE/[PIAS]	Add prod, mixing, a&r
2019	LA Timpa	All tracks	Equal Amounts Afraid (LP)	O___O	Mixing
	Daniel Merriweather	"Everything I Need"	Everything I Need (single)	Self released	Mixing
	Camelia	All tracks	Everytime / Sometimes (single)	Self released	Mixing
	Little Miss Sumo	All tracks	Little Miss Sumo (OST)	Walks of Life Films, Netflix	Composition, mixing
	Nérija	All tracks	Blume (LP)	Domino	Production, mixing, a&r, artwork
	Loyle Carner	"Still", "Desoleil", "Krispy", "Carluccio", "Ice Water"	Not Waving, But Drowning (LP)	AMF, Virgin EMI	Production, co-write on "Still", "Desoleil", "Krispy", "Carluccio". Additional production on "Ice Water"
	Arlo Day	All tracks	Bad Timing (EP)	Domino	Mixing, a&r
	Nérija	All tracks	NÉRIJA EP (EP)	Domino	Mixing, a&r
2018	Ragz Originale	All tracks	Nature (LP)	Mini Kingz	Executive Production
	Hilang Child	All tracks	Years (LP)	Bella Union	Mixing
	Tirzah	All tracks	Devotion (LP)	Domino	A&R, co-mixing
	Kwes.	All tracks	songs for Midi (EP)	Warp	Production, write, mixing, primary artist
2017	Kelela	All tracks	Take Me Apart (LP)	Warp	Mixing
		"Waitin", "Take Me Apart", "Enough", "Better", "LMK", "Truth or Dare", "Turn To Dust", "Altadena"	Take Me Apart (LP)	Warp	Additional production w/ various
	All We Are	All tracks	Sunny Hills (LP)	Domino	Co-production, mixing, a&r
	ELIZA	"Wide Eyed Fool"	"Wide Eyed Fool" (single)	ELIZA	Mixing
	Loyle Carner	"Florence", "Mrs C" and "Sun of Jean"	Yesterday's Gone (LP)	AMF, Virgin EMI	Production, co-write (on all tracks); Production, co-write and mixing (on "Florence")
	Coby Sey	"Petals Have Fallen"	Petals Have Fallen (single)	self-release	Add. production; mixing
	BILA	"Didn't Lose"	Didn't Lose (single)	self-release	Production, co-write
	Coby Sey	All tracks	Whities 010: Transport for Lewisham (EP)	AD 93 (Whities)	Co-mixing w/ Coby Sey
	Elan Tamara	"Long Walks"	"Long Walks" (single)	self-release	Production
2016	Solange	"Don't You Wait", "Where Do We Go", "Don't Wish Me Well", "Scales"	A Seat at the Table (LP)	Saint, Columbia	Co-production, co-write w/ various
	PAULi	All tracks	The Idea of Tomorrow (EP)	PAULi	Co-production
	Kano	"My Sound"	Made in the Manor (LP)	BPM, Parlophone	Additional production, co-write w/ Blue May and Jodi Milliner
	Hudson Mohawke	"Indian Steps"	Lantern (LP)	Warp	Additional production w/ Hudson Mohawke
	Samuel	All tracks	Luv Cry (EP)	Big Dada	Production, co-production
	Nao	"It's You"	15 February (EP)	Little Tokyo, Sony	Production, co-write
	Rosie Lowe	"Right Thing"	Control (LP)	Wolf Tone, Polydor	Production, co-write w/ Dave Okumu and Rosie Lowe
	Samuel	"These Days"	These Days (single)	Big Dada	Production
2015	George Maple	"Gripp" ft. Kilo Kish	Vacant Space	Future Classic Pty, Virgin EMI	Production, co-write
2014	DELS	All tracks	Petals Have Fallen (LP)	Big Dada	Production, co-write w/ various
	Kwes.	All tracks	ilpix (EP)	Warp	Production, write, primary artist
	Moko	"Missing Love"	Gold (EP)	MTA, Virgin EMI	Production, co-write
	Shivum Sharma	All tracks	Flicker/Only You (single)	National Anthem	Production[11]
	Rosie Lowe	All tracks	Right Thing (EP)	37 Adventures	Production, co-write w/ Dave Okumu and Rosie Lowe[12]
	Pusha T	"Who I Am" ft. 2 Chainz and Big Sean	My Name Is My Name (LP)	GOOD, Def Jam	Sampled
	Eliza Doolittle	"Don't Call It Love"	In Your Hands (LP)	Parlophone	Production, co-write[13]
2013	Kwes.	All tracks	ilp (LP)	Warp	Production, write, primary artist
	Valentina	All tracks	Wolves (EP)	Greco Roman	Production w/ various[14]
2012	Bobby Womack	"Whatever Happened to the Times"	The Bravest Man in the Universe (LP)	XL	Production w/ Damon Albarn and Richard Russell[15]
	Kwesachu (Kwes & Micachu)	All tracks	Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.2 (mixtape)	self-release	Production w/ Micachu
	Kwes.	All tracks	Meantime	Warp	Production, write, mixing, primary artist
	Speech Debelle	All tracks	Freedom of Speech	Big Dada	Production, co-write[16]
	Sunless '97	All tracks	Making Waves (EP)	Abeano/XL	Production[17]
	Valentina	All tracks	Weights (EP)	Little Chaos	Production w/ Blue May[18]
2011	Elan Tamara	All tracks	Organ (EP)	Big Dada	Production
	DRC Music	"Customs", "Three Piece Sweet Part 1 & 2", "If You Wish to Stay Awake", "Departure", "Three Piece Sweet Part 3 (bonus track)"	Kinshasa One Two (LP)	Warp	Production, co-write w/ various[19]
	DELS	"Hydronenberg", "Moonshing", "Eating Clouds", "Violina/Bread Before Bed", "DLR", "Droogs", "GOB"	GOB (LP)	Big Dada	Production, co-write
2010	Dog Bite	All tracks	Machino Machino/Take Your Time (single)	Young Turks	Production[20]
	Elan Tamara	All tracks	Shadows (EP)	self-release	Production[21]
	Kwes.	All tracks	No Need To Run (EP)	Young Turks	Production, mixing, write, primary artist
2009	Elan Tamara	All tracks	Gold Fishes (EP)	self-release	Production
	Kwesachu (Kwes. & Micachu)	All tracks	Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 (mixtape)	self-release	Production w/ Micachu
	Kwes.	All tracks	Hearts in Home/Tissues (single)	Salvia/XL	Production, write, primary artist
	Micachu	"Outro"	Filthy Friends: Volume 1 (mixtape)	self-release	Production
2007	Jack Peñate	"A Good Weapon"	Second, Minute or Hour (single)	XL	Keyboards
		"Run For Your Life"	Matinée (LP)	XL	Keyboards

Artist discography

Albums

Year	Album details
2013	ilp. Released: 14 / 15 October 2013 Label: Warp Formats: LP, CD, Digital download
2026	Kinds[22] Released: 27 February 2026 Label: Warp Formats: LP, CD, Digital download

EPs

Year	EP details
2010	No Need To Run[23][24] Released: 28 June 2010 Label: Young Formats: 12" EP, Digital download
2012	Meantime Released: 30 April / 1 May 2012 Label: Warp Formats: 12" EP, CD, Digital download
2018	Songs for Midi[25] Released: 5 April 2018 Label: Warp Formats: 12" EP, Digital download

Remix EP

Year	Remix EP details
2014	ilpix Released: 15 September 2014 Label: Warp Formats: Digital download

Singles

• "Hearts in Home" (16 February 2009)
• "Get Up" (13 November 2011)^[26]
• "Bashful" (7 March 2012)^[27]
• "Rollerblades" (26 November 2012)^[28]

Mixtapes

Year	Mixtape details
2010	Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.1 with Micachu Released: 5 June 2009 Label: Self-released Formats: Cassette tape, Digital download
2012	Kwesachu Mixtape Vol.2 with Micachu Released: 30 April 2012 Label: Self-released Formats: Cassette tape, Digital download

Live session duties

• Ebony Bones – Guitarist^[29][30] (2006–2007, 2008)
• Bono Must Die now O. Children – Keyboardist^[31] (2007)
• Jack Peñate – Laptop and keyboards^[32] (2009)
• Kwesachu (with Micachu) – co-production and co-selector (2009–?)
• Elan Tamara – Bassist^[33] (2009–2011)
• Leftfield – Keyboards and Computers^[34] (2010)
• Bobby Womack – Keyboards (2012–2013)

References

1. "Why Kwes's ilp is the one album you should listen to this week – video". The Guardian. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
2. Fox, Killian (29 April 2012). "New talent at the Great Escape: Kwes". The Guardian.
3. (February 2023). [1]. IMDB. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
4. (March 2024). [2]. BIFA. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
5. (January 2009). Kwes. / [o=o].. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
6. Quarshie, Adam (14 September 2022). "Coby Sey: Passing Through". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
7. Producer Kwes Makes Some Magic In the Studio. Red Bull Music. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2025 – via YouTube.
8. Dickins, Kieren (December 2008). Kwes. – A Tribe Called Next. A Tribe Called Next. Retrieved 2011-06-15. Archived 12 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
9. Wright, Scott (17 June 2010). Dollars to Pounds: Kwes « The FADER. The FADER. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
10. Erkas, Sinem (December 2008).SINEM ERKAS illustrator & graphic designer – Kwes record sleeve series Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Sinem Erkas. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
11. "Shivum Sharma – Flicker". Dazed. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
12. "Introducing: Rosie Lowe - "If you reach that one person, your job is done."". The 405. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
13. Martin, Andrew (10 September 2012). "Listen: Eliza Doolittle "Don't Call It Love". Complex.com. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
14. "(1 May 2013). "prettymuchamazing.com". Retrieved 25 May 2013". Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
15. Dombal, Ryan (14 June 2012). Bobby Womack: The Bravest Man in the Universe | Album Reviews | Pitchfork. Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
16. Murray, Robin (10 November 2011). Speech Debelle Returns – 10 Nov 2011 | Clash Music Latest Breaking Music News. Clash Magazine. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
17. Recommender, The (13 October 2011). SUNLESS '97 – The Recommender Archived 22 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. therecommender.net. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
18. » Interview: Valentina DRUNKENWEREWOLF Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Drunkenwerewolf.com (30 November 2011). Retrieved 9 December 2011.
19. Michaels, Sean (31 August 2011). Damon Albarn and DRC Music announce new Congo album for Oxfam | Music | guardian.co.uk. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
20. Machino Machino, the Kwes produced debut single from Dog Bite. Fuckyeahyoungturks.tumblr.com, Retrieved 18 November 2011.
21. Saxelby, Ruth (28 October 2010). Elan Tamara interview: "Go with your gut instinct." | Dummy » Features Archived 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Ddummymag.com. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
22. Hussain, Shahzaib (19 January 2026). "kwes. Announces New Album 'Kinds' | News". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
23. Hokley-Smith, Sam (10 June 2010). Stream: Kwes, "No Need to Run" « The FADER. The FADER. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
24. Young Turks Records (28 June 2010).Young Turks — YT045: Kwes – No Need To Run. Young. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
25. "Kwes. Returns with Songs For Midi – XLR8R". 2 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
26. Warp (13 November 2011). Warp / Records / Kwes / Signs to Warp, download free MP3 of new track 'Get Up Archived 18 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Warp. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
27. Dombal, Ryan (7 March 2012). Rising: Kwes | Features | Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
28. Warp (26 November 2012). Warp / Kwes / Warp / Kwes 'Rollerblades' available to download now, 7-inch out in January Archived 18 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Warp. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
29. Mercury Music Prize Recommends (November 2011). Recommends. Mercury Music Prize Recommends. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
30. "ClintClinty" (9 July 2006). Ebony Bones @ Anti-Social (Bar Music Hall) PT 2 – YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
31. Cafun, Evian (14 April 2007). Kwes,Forty Fives,EvIaNnAivE,BONO MUST DIE@ULU Video by Evian Cafun – MySpace Video. MySpace. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
32. mytaratata (18 May 2009).video Emission 318 2/4 – Jack PENATE – 318, jack penate – videos MYTARATATA.COM Archived 10 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. MYTARATATA.COM Retrieved on 15 June 2010.
33. Mottley, Elan Tamara (June 2009). Elan Tamara – Organ EP – Out 6 June 2011. Elan Tamara. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
34. Williams, Scott (13 May 2010). Leftfield interview – Neil Barnes talks festivals. eFestivals. Retrieved 18 November 2011.

External links

• Official website
• Kwes. on Warp
• Kwes. on Discogs