The Hard-Dance Scene has never had it so good since this very talented DJ came on the scene. Since Radio 1 noticed this guys talent by giving him a regular show pinning him down to get an interview is a very rare thing nowadays. We was lucky to have been squeezed into his very busy schedule and grab a few moments with him to ask him about his latest album release “Original Hard Dance Classics” due out 28th April. Find out where he got the name Kutski comes from plus how/where he learnt his scratching skills plus much, much more.
Just so people can get a feel for who you are, can you give me five words that you feel sum up the pure essence of DJ Kutski ?

"Dedicated" - "Passionate" - "Undeground" - "Original"... and probably "Geeky" for the last one lol...

Your new album is being sold as an exquisite anthology of hard dance and hard trance, in your opinion as a connoisseur of the art, what makes a classic tune ?
I think it has to been timeless! Like some tracks are really futuristic, and are amazing, but when you look back on it 5 years you can see it wasn't really what the future held. Same as some current anthems can get boring very quickly, but a true classic would be a track that stands the test of time, and no matter what happens in music, that particular track is still perfect in its own right!!

A bit more of a personal question here, your press release says you are the king of hard dance, so who's your queen ?

Yeah, them press releases always come back to bite you in the arse don't they, haha... I'd have to say my beautiful girlfriend Rebecca else I'd be in trouble!

Can you tell me the point which you worked out you were going to be a bit bigger than the average DJ and what that felt like after years a few years of hard work ?

I really don't think there was a defining moment that i realised i'd "made it" as such!! Obviously when i got the Radio 1 show, and there had never been a hard dance or hardcore show on the station before, i knew i had a lot of responsibility, and also i guess the point for me personally was when i left my day job to do this full time!! It's a very privileged position to be in to earn a living doing what you love, and it felt amazing to know all the years of grafting had paid off and i'd made it!!!!

The Harder Dance scene is very competitive these days with some real quality acts on the scene like Mark EG and Proteus, so what do you think it is about your act that people really love ?

Probably the originality. I try not to follow trends, i just do what i want to do and play the music I'm feeling. I think this variation of styles gives me my own sound, and i get a lot of good feedback about playing some of the most random tracks in my sets that may seem odd, but just work!! I'm well into my turntablism too, so the scratching and tricks give me a bit of a unique angle!

Ketamine is often thought of as the favoured drug of some Hard House fans, do you think it's now having a detrimental effect on the scene?

I've never been into the whole drugs thing, so I'm really not qualified to speak on this in any way, shape or form... but as I'm an opinionated bugger at the best of times, i personally think it seems to be an anti-social drug, and detract from the atmosphere in the clubs... maybe it should be saved for the afterparties?!

I understand that you've got some serious skills on the decks in terms of scratching and your mixing style, perhaps something people associate more with hip-hop and breaks. how and when did you get this skill ?

I'm really into hip-hop and the whole urban scene in general, so naturally I buy records and play them at home. Obviously mixing music like hip-hop is a lot different to hard dance, so you learn new skills, i just took these skills back and apply them to what i do in my club sets with hard dance and hardcore!!

Of all the names you could have chosen, why Kutski ?

With a name like John Walker, you're gonna need something to liven it up a bit if you gonna get noticed. As I'm well into the hip-hop thing, i loved all the hip-hop DJ's names like Grandmaster Flash, Jammaster J, Mixmaster Mike... so I used the name "Kutmaster J" (J as in John). One night i was playing in a local bar and some geezer wanted to take my number as he reckoned he could get me bookings, Kutmaster J wouldn't fit in his phone so he shortened it to "Kutski" and it just kinda stuck from there!! The guy actually turned out to be a bit of a dick, but fair play, thanks for the name if you reading this lol....

With your new album you've obviously put some of your favourite tunes of all time on there, but some tunes have that personal magic to them. Which tunes are these on your album, and why are they so special ?
Yeah the track list is real underground, all the tunes i was buying and raving to at nights like Compulsion, when i was getting into hard dance. "Mind Can't Work", "414 All" and "Frenzy" are all special to me, but my personal fav tune on the album is Rave Dust - "Can You Feel It"!!! I loved this tune so much when i used to hear Billy 'Daniel' Bunter and Jon Doe playing it out, but i never knew what it was or who it was by, so i never managed to get a copy!!! When i asked Bunter to send me all his old masters for this project and i heard it, i must admit to nearly pulling the end of it lol.... amazing track!! i'd have bought the album for this one track alone!