DJ K
INTERVIEW TAKEN FROM WWW.RAGGA-JUNGLE.COM 2004
Ottawa's DJ K likes roti - Carribean roti, but he keeps it as a special treat for when he is rolling with fellow junglists. So when I arrived in his hometown for a few days to meet some people and see some sights, it was only natural that we were going to go get some, hang out, talk ragga jungle, and give you all a few words from one of ragga jungle’s harder working and yet rarely mentioned soldiers.
Representing 'N20', 'Big Cat' and his own label 'Killa', DJ K is a humble and diligent supporter & promoter of the 'North American Ragga Jungle Sound'. Producing new school beats since 2001, he has four releases under his belt (soon to be 5): 'Championz', Big Cat 7, 9, and KIlla 001 (Killa 002 is on test press now in LA).
PRODUCING & MAKING RECORDS
I've been producing since I was in highschool (early 90’s). My production technique hasn't changed that much, it has just sifted through different styles and sounds. I used to produce a lot of breakbeat industrial stuff, old-school breaks… Prodigy really inspired me back in the day. I noticed the quick shift to ragga and a faster style of breakbeats when it turned into what I really call ‘jungle’ around 94, and I was completely taken by it.
'Championz' was the jumpoff point for my jungle production. I had experiment with all styles of breakbeat, house, hip-hop etc for a couple of years, but jungle finally seemed to come together for me at that point. It was clean, clear and finally expressed the intensity I had been trying to convey. That was kind of where I emerged as “DJ K”, and not just “that guy who makes cool tracks”.
A lot of people ask me how I linked up with N20. Well, right after finishing ‘Championz’, I sent it out to all the labels that I felt had a sound and interest like mine. A lot of labels told me that the style was ‘outdated’, but N8 seemed to understand it. He was really feeling what I was doing and pushed me forward, helped me make my career really get a start. I trust N8 and N20. They have been around for longer & have more releases then anyone else in this game. You just can’t dispute it. When you’re talking over 50 releases since 97, the store, the distribution, and a no-bullshit attitude, you know they are some dedicated motherfuckers that mean business. R.A.W., Capital J, General Malice, ODG, Slipknots’ DJ… N20 has it's own strong sound, own style, own angle, and all the N20 crew know how to rock a party for real. It’s exactly where I want to be with my jungle.
Ok, Flyin… I got the samples from this soundclash I was listening to. It was so crazy, so high energy, not quite ragga, but something. It kept running through my head, and it really inspired me. It didn’t matter to me that it wasn’t the “usual” format for the ragga jungle people were pushing at the time… I just wanted to put some amens over it straight away. People seem to hate on the fact that it was different. To be honest, I just feel the MUSIC, intense music, whatever form it takes. Somehow this grabbed me and really moved me. I was a little uncertain when I sent it to Big Cat, but it turned out that they really loved it, and moved it to vinyl extremely fast... so fast that I didn’t even have the B-side finished until it was already out on test press. I’m not sure how it’s going over when others play it, but when I’m dropping it at the end of my sets, people get it.
Killa Records is my own imprint - established a year ago in 2003. It's my personal outlet for hard techy amen rollers - instrumental ish. Now being the 1-year anniversary, KILLA002 is on test press as we speak, with full press coming very soon. The artist roster is myself, with a remix of a tune by Divison By Zero on KILLA002. I have plans for a full release by him as well as Snug. Two amazing new school producers from Ottawa who I really want to get out there, these kids have got mad skills. Aside from pressing records, I don’t normally throw events, but I held a joint label launch party a year ago, and I’ve been making t-shirts and hoodies as promotional tools for myself, friends and supporters of KILLA. I’m also shipping orders and making distribution contacts all the time.
Recently, I have been taking some time at pushing out new dubs. I haven’t been producing too many tunes in the past year, but a new run of tunes is coming right now, and it’s taking on a newer, more refined form. I’ve got a lot done that are not released on any label that I am playing exclusively at gigs. When I’m at home producing, I can tell if a project is going to work or not very early on now, and if it's not flowing I ditch it, without wasting my time. My last really creative period was when I wrote ’Flyin', 'Respect' and ‘On a Mission’. They just all came out so quickly and fit that it really shocked me. I was like “holy shit I just made some killer ragga that I’m really feeling”, and they are still my staple tunes in my sets. It really stokes me that I have the freedom to make the music I love and feel right down to the point where I want to fucking lose it when I am dropping them. Then I think to myself “this is MY tune, how I want it to be done”. Those are some of the greatest moments of my life, those shows when it feels so right, so intense, so wicked to be doing it - and you go home deaf, drunk, sweaty… but feeling more alive than ever.
SPINNING
I am really inspired by a lot of Capital J's tracks – very straight-forward and goes right for the throat. I’m also really feeling the newer ODG and R.A.W... in fact, it’s unfair to name one or two people, since I am much more interested in the actual choons than the producers. Everyone has pieces I like and dislike. Then there is Shy FX, whose production I love, but I don’t usually play in my sets because it doesn't quite fit the sound I want. Just want to mention that he made my undisputable favorite track of all time ‘Original Nuttah’. I go for straight-forward hard-hitting dancefloor business, smashing up the place. I generally don't play big choons from the UK. When a record is shifting 10,000 copies, it makes me not want to spin it for some reason, regardless of its merits as a bomb track. A great example is some of the Tech Itch and Dylan releases over the past few years.
I've been spinning drum and bass & ragga jungle seriously since about 2000. My style focuses on an aggressive amen style with a mixture of hard techy pieces and darkside rollers, and when I play live, it includes a ton of newschool ragga dubs, oldschool classics and a ton of surprise mixes. I play a lot of North American dubplates and records, to the point where it’s almost entirely that way (eg. my mixed CD’s 'Fucking Shit Up' vols 1&2). I believe in a really simple, massive amen sound that is very prominent right here in North America.
My mixing style is a real cut and drop type of thing, with lots of stops and starts, rewinds, power downs, just break the music up, give things a different less uniform feel. Sometimes I just go wild when I play, jumping around, knocking the tables, banging on walls and screaming... my girlfriend is always telling me not to make too much of a scene, but I love it you know. I have to stay true to myself musically. I can't compromise myself. That’s why I don't have more releases out, it just has to be right for me to do it. I've had to compromise myself in so many other areas of my life… work, etc, so there is no way that is going to happen in music for me.
I have to say that I don't really follow what a lot of the other dj's or producers are doing. I’m actually quite ignorant of a lot of the advances happening out there. In a way, I just like to keep my own style, and not get lost in the mess with everyone else, ya know. I do what I do and that’s it. There are a lot of other people doing great things, but that doesn't mean I'm going to follow it all. Every once in a while someone grabs me, and I take a greater interest in what they are doing. I’ll sometimes pick up a record or cut someone’s tunes. I like to support all the producers that send me tunes. If I’m feeling it, I will probably play it out. I don’t judge based on your name.
I've played a lot locally… all over Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. I used to talk and chill with Krinjah, played each others dubs and helped each other out. I wanna come back and play in Montreal again soon, it’s always a good time. I've played a few unforgettable gigs even here in my hometown, with the right timeslot, the right vibe, where I was just in that zone where everything came together. My favorite shows are probably going to be when I reach America, especially the west coast and California, where my sound is in full effect. It’s also where N2O and Freeburning is based, it’s where I get my all my dubs cut at ODG’s Turnstyle records… I'm looking forward to when I have the free time to do it, after this summer.
I am planning to take my music to the next level, getting jungle and ragga jungle to the major labels and pushing CD’s and tours, but I absolutely hate so much about the music industry… all the bullshit that goes on with studios, producers, marketing, old man rockers and sucking-up… I don't want to know about any of that. I just want to make, play and promote music I love… cause I fucking love jungle and ragga jungle music. I want to show the world it’s the BEST shit in the entire world, and I am waiting for the right timing to get it out there. I am certain that a good opportunity is just around the corner.
Check out: WWW.KILLARECORDS.COM
Contact DJ K: djk@thirtyoneseconds.com