Goldkimono

About

" Laidback, personal, enthralling beat poetry "

If Goldkimono has a philosophy – and he does – it’s a simple one: make the absolute most out of life. Describing his sound as simply a ‘vibe’, Dutchman Tienus Konijnenburg has a style distinctly of his new home, California; a sound that feels plucked straight from Jack Johnson’s wake, with the acoustic guitar replaced with the most enthralling, mellow of hip-hop beats.

The result is distinctly part of the ‘hostel’ travel scene: Goldkimono spent his early years hopping through cultures and collecting together the bits that he liked, playing in bands and writing odes to the places he passed through. Debut single ‘To Tomorrow’ has that distinctive California feel, a gently memorable piece that was put together with the help of Kendrick Lamar producer Crada. The album that followed, ‘The Legend of The Goldkimono’, may sound like something of an ego trip, but is actually a nod to the concept that everyone creates their own path, their own ‘legend’.

In it, amongst sublime beats and clever turns of phrase, Konijnenburg explores his own life, landing somewhere between Moby’s corners of ‘The Beach’ soundtrack and a California surf dude, as his lyrics tell of his own lifelong love of music and the road, in particular his love affair with Venice Beach. It was here where he launched the project with a short term lease by the beach and a rented guitar.

In his 2023 follow up, ‘Something Out Of Nothing’, the now Music Moves Europe Award– nominated Goldkimono makes full use of his ‘expat’ life. He collaborates with a mix of nationalities but sticks to much the same overall feel: bliss; with stand out tracks like the spacey-intro’d ‘Hello’ and nod to his roots ‘Wsup With Dad’ telling a story that delicately emerges from the soothing backdrop, allowing for hours of happy decoding and relating in amongst what is, above all, simply a beautiful feeling album.

“What do I want people to feel? I want people to feel good,” he says. “I don’t want to bring them down, I want to build them up. I want to be in service of that – in service to people through music.” In short, Goldkimono makes you happy, like a modern Beach Boys with an urban edge.