Jump to content

User:KT Gulliot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KT Gulliot
Birth nameKarrol Teon Gulliot Jr.
Genreswonky pop, electropop, alternative dance
Occupation(s)Musician, DJ
Instrument(s)synth, keyboards, guitar
Years active2005–present
LabelsPolydor Records, Cherrytree Records

KT Doukakis (born Karrol Teon Gulliot Jr. 21 August 1986) is the founder and lead vocalist of English Electronic band Passion Pit. He is also a disc jockey and has been a part of DJ duo, Designer Drugs since 2005.

Personal Life[edit]

KT Gulliot was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father is a American architect of cajun heritage and his mother is an English schoolteacher. Gulliot has an older sister, Daria (born 1982), and two younger half-sisters, Agnes (born 1990) and Stephanie (born 1995). He has dual citizenship in America and the United Kingdom. He spent his childhood between his dad, who lived in New Orleans, and his mother in Hertfordshire, England. Due to his constant movement between the two countries, Gulliot possesses a trans-Atlantic accent. He graduated from Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. At the age of 17, Gulliot moved to London to attend Camberwell College of Arts. He was working towards his PhD in sculpture, before dropping out in 2008. While studying at Camberwell, Gulliot shared a flat with childhood friend Talulah Riley and actress Tamsin Egerton.

Gulliot dated Gemma Arterton in 2008, whom he met through his former roommates. He moved in with her, but the relationship soon broke down because Arterton thought it was getting too serious.

Career[edit]

Designer Drugs[edit]

Gulliot formed Designer Drugs with fellow classmate Theodore Moriarty. The duo performed at various clubs and parties in the London area until 2008. Although the two still put out "DATAMIX" mixtapes often, they only play a handful of shows together due to Gulliot's' success with Passion Pit. In 2009, they put out a two-song EP entitled Riot/Drop Down.

Passion Pit[edit]

Gulliot originally formed Passion Pit as a solo project in late 2007. The songs, which would later become the Chunk of Change EP, were written as a Valentine's Day gift to his then girlfriend. Gulliot wrote and performed all of these songs on his laptop. After a solo show in the London area, Royal Academy of Music student, Ian Hultquist, approached Gulliot to form a live band with the material Gulliot had at the time. Together, they formed a group that included Gulliot, Ian Hultquist (synth), Thom Plasse (bass), and Adam Todd Lavinsky (drums). After signing to Polydor in 2008, the band dropped Lavinsky and Plasse and replaced them with Nate Donmoyer and Jeff Apruzzese, respectively.

The band has since released their debut album Manners, which was was met with positive critical acclaim. Clash magazine awarded Manners a 9 out of 10 score in issue 37 (the review was also published online), writing: "At its most adventurous, Manners sounds like little else–a pop record that exists in a world of its own, carving a sub-genre niche which only fits their expansive, tonally decadent material." Rolling Stone magazine praised Doukakis' ability to build on the success of the Chunk of Change EP, noting that "what makes the record are his loose beats, shamelessly fruity melodies and breathless little-boy vocals, all pushing skyward."

The album has since peaked at #3 in the UK, #8 in Australia, and #51 in America.

In 2010, Gulliot won Hottest Male at the NME Awards.

Category:Musicians from London Category:Wonky Pop acts Category:Second wave synthpop acts