It’s time for the KRUNCH!

For those like me who are regulars at the biggest and most up-for-it high-NRG hard dance night on the south coast, HardSouth, resident DJ Krunchie has achieved almost cult-status for his legendary end-of-night sets. Hardhouse and hard dance more generally have become increasingly fragmented, so it’s hard to please everyone. So it is heartening that an unapologetically HARD DJ, who doesn’t rely on overplayed cheesy ‘classics’, has become an attraction to rival and even out-do many of the mega-stars who have played the club. Krunchie has built his reputation partly on basing sets around tunes so new and fresh that they they’re not released or available to other DJs yet. He’s so far at the cutting edge that he risks slashing the dance-floor to ribbons never mind raising the roof!

There are two other features that make Krunchie stand out as probably the leading DJ in Brighton. The first is that he has a very distinctive style that is instantly recognizable in the club. It is HARD, it is STOMPING, it is DANCEABLE, it’s DIRTY and BANGING with a relentless, loud and highly percussive sound that will take the soles off your dancing shoes! So much so that regulars are often itching for the final set of the night, when IT’S TIME FOR THE KRUNCH. Then we can really give it 100% on the dance floor to a set of proper hard dirty dance music, that builds up and tops the night perfectly. Second, Krunchie is known in the biz as a technical wizard – one of those DJs who can use three decks at once, for example (the mind boggles!) and has more DJ tricks in his box a mere punter me like can get my head around!

Krunchie’s reputation as a DJ goes back to his Sunday night residency at the HoneyClub, Brighton. His outstanding brutal and energizing hard dance sets made him the hardest, most up-to-date and technically gifted DJ in a highly popular and talented DJ roster. These days he also sometimes throws in decent hard trance and even hardstyle into his sets – but it still sounds like a Krunchie set! If this was not enough, he is also an established techno DJ, and can range from moody to savage tuneage, based on a vast knowledge of the genre and an ability to build and organize a solid dance set. In fact, on many an occasion, he will combine funky techno grooves seamlessly with hard house 4-4 beats, in unique Krunchie style.
Krunchie is a rare combination of serious DJ-artist and popular crowd pleaser, who lives and breathes dance music. Yet he has still not had the national recognition he deserves – though he came close earlier this year by competing in the ‘future heroes’ section of the UK Hard Dance Awards and only just losing out.

He remains a superstar at the top hard dance night on the south coast. HardSouth promoter, Nick, describes him as ‘a flawless deck technician with massive musical knowledge and an unassuming genius, with a massive party attitude’. And the upcoming New Year Party (Friday Jan 4th 2008) at HardSouth is without doubt going to be a special TIME FOR THE KRUNCH, since he and the other residents – DJ Twisted, Salerno and Mr Carter – take centre-stage for what has now developed a reputation as a superb quality luvdup night of shared enjoyment of banging music. For many of us who like it hard, this night is even better than New Year’s Eve itself!

I caught up with the Krunch-Master to ask about his approach to DJing, what he enjoys about HardSouth, and what makes the much-anticipated HardSouth Residents’ New Year Special so special….

Hi Krunchie! Can you tell us how you started DJing?

I first started mixing when i was about 18-19 and a friend of mine bought some soundlab decks and a Numark mixer. He decided one weekend that he wanted to have a party while the parents were away on holiday - what a bad idea that turned out to be.......! After purchasing his decks he asked me if i would play some of my records which at the time were tunes like Divine (You think you’re a man), Dead or Alive (You spin me round) Evelyn Thomas (High energy). Anyway, I started mixing a track by D-trance called ‘Yah’ and New Order’s all time massive hit ‘Blue Monday’ and they mixed perfectly together for five minutes or so and i was hooked from there on in. After a while I found happy hardcore and jungle techno my thing and could not stop buying it...

So who were the early influences on your DJing?

Carl Cox, Slipmatt, DJ Sy, Sven Vath… They all sounded so fresh back then. Obviously they all had loads of white labels coming out of their ears but it just sounded awesome. Never forget seeing Carl Cox play on three decks for the first time live at The Edge club in London - it was just amazing to watch. Also watching Sy scratch the arse out of anybody. Slipmatt was the happy hardcore god as far as i was concerned. Always bought his mix tapes as with Carl. But Slipmatt was very quick at lining up the next track, which he made look very easy indeed. Then there was Sven Vath, the god of techno. Technically he does not come close to the other three, but his tune selection was perfect to such a point that you never knew if the last track had finished. All of these DJs gave me the influence to create my own unique style.

What were your favourite clubs at this time? What club would you rate now?

Back then my favourite club would have been The Edge purely because of the DJ roster and Carl Cox..... Awesome. I did go clubbing to dance, but after a while I got knackered and made the fatal mistake off stopping, so i would get drink and then get mesmerized watching my favourite DJ's do their thing. My favourite club now is The End - the best sound system anywhere ina small club with a wicked atmosphere: can’t beat it!

A few years ago it seemed like hardhouse was running out of steam, and you were playing a lot more techno. Now (at least it seems to me) there’s a lot more good hard house about. Do you agree and why do you think this is?

A few years ago when I was Sunday night resident at the HoneyClub I had the opportunity to play my passion which is funky techno. The hardhouse scene had not died as such - it was just being a part of the usual cycle in club-land of fading while another genre was to take its place for a time, and then something else would find its way into the scene with the big names playing a new and updated version of hardhouse. It’s like electro is now being used for its bass-lines and kick drums, euro trance five years ago has now become a much bigger genre for hard trance... I believe that the scene must stay as fresh as possible or people will eventually get bored: new ideas, new promotions, new DJs, new styles, they all need to be involved to make clubbing a wicked place to be, and for the scene to grow because everything gets replaced by new talent, new music, new clubs and most importantly new tastes..

Interesting… Let’s talk about the current scene. Which hard dance DJs are doing it for you right now?

My favourite hard dance DJs would be Ingo, Superfast Oz, Andy Farley and Vinylgroover.

And what are your current top tunes?

1. BK and Clive King - ‘Just dance’
2. The distorted robocops – ‘Boot it up’
3. Organ Donors and Vinylgroover – ‘Techno-shock’

So which are the record labels that you particularly like?

My favourite labels are Riot and Traffic because they always push hard dance to the next level, creating new vibes, new sounds to keep the scene fresh. But also I like Spinball and Kaktai – Superfast Oz and Dom Sweeten always keep their sound fresh.

What about current favourites in techno?

Thats easy: Dave Clarke, Jeff Mills, Ade Fenton. The techno scene seems to have gone a bit minimal, though, which I’m not to keen on. Recently I’ve heard some big techno names and have been seriously disappointed because it’s so minimal and boring: no balls, really dark and deep. Yuck…..!!! But if you ever needed some incentive or enthusiasm to learn how the pro's do it, check these out: Dave Clarke always gives it 110 per cent, never plays bad, always coming up with more tricks. Outstanding DJ. Jeff Mills is the same, plays on three or four decks, and when he is on fire it’s incredible to watch and his sets are often up and down but that’s the way techno should be: Random! And then there's Ade Fenton - pounding percussive techno and seamless three deck mixing makes him very enjoyable to watch....

Without being too technical, can you explain how you manage you mix using three decks at once?

Oh,um,Oh,um,Oh,um.... You have to try to line up the next track as quickly as possible before one of the other two tracks finish, but at the same time you try to keep them in time. Sounds easy in words but it’s not, it takes a lot of practice and I mean a lot of practice to get one mix right. The really hard bit is to keep the mix going. But a good and obvious tip is to know your records extremely well. Mixing on three decks with techno is easier than hardhouse because there are fewer breaks in techno. But with hardhouse you can play loops, or a percussive loop over the top to give it your own unique touch. It's very difficult to concentrate on three decks spinning at the same time, especially in a club............ Hope that helps.

Yes, but I don’t think I’ll be trying that at home in a hurry! ;o) Changing the subject a bit, what are your views on hardstyle? This genre seems to divide opinion quite strongly.

Yes, it does. The thing I don’t like about hardstyle is the amount of breaks in a single track, every minute or so with four or five in each track. I just don’t think it’s necessary, but that’s just my opinion. On the other hand there is some good hardstyle around at the moment which is not your normal hardstyle. What I mean by that is that it’s not the same riff and kick drums with the same bass-line. I’ve got some wicked hardstyle, which is not really hardstyle some people would argue, but it has the same format but with a more hard trance feel to it, and with less breaks but with the same impact: fluffy, hard, filthy. BK and Clive King have done a track called ‘Just Dance’ which is a masterpiece, all the elements of hardstyle and hard trance combined with BK's and Clive's production skills. It sounds so fresh and new: definitely one to watch and look out for soon, being caned by all the big names…

Can you explain how you manage to combine hardhouse, techno, a bit of hard trance and even a bit of hardstyle sometimes all in a single set and still make it sound like a Krunchie set (and make it all so damn danceable)?

I’ve always thought that a set should be a journey from start to finish, giving every tune the opportunity to make the biggest impact possible. Anybody can mix, but it’s about stamping down your own style that you feel will get the reaction you want, selecting the tunes you feel will make people go nuts and not want to stop dancing. There's a lot of music to choose from, so I try a build a set that represents my journey as a DJ and theirs as a clubber. Personally I think that it takes years to create your own style, hours and hours of practice. I used to record everything and listen back to it on my headphones, get in a zone where I would imagine it being heard in a club on a big sound-system to see if each track in the mix complemented each other and that they didn’t clash in any way. I felt it was a good way of listening to music not just hearing it...

So how would you describe your sets? What is your sound?

The sets I play are often percussive, driving, techy, and hard, with the odd bit of fluffiness to make it more melodic. I have a passion for funky techno and love the percussive driving vibe - gives me the shivers hearing that sound. I might not be the most energetic DJ, but i always feel it when I play out. I’m really jumping around inside. I’m always trying to find the perfect mix as well: some tunes are made for each other.

I’ve always admired the way you come up with so many fresh new tracks and remixes in your sets. You always seem ahead of the game. How do you manage this?

Having upfront tunes is always a pleasure. I have been DJing for nearly 18 years and have made many friends along the way. Getting material before it’s released or to have a tune that only the A-listers have is very lucky, which I seriously appreciate and treasure, as i am not an A-lister. I always send charts back and always keep in touch with the DJs/producers I’ve met or played with at venues. It’s very hard to get upfront promos if you have just started, and very very hard if you don’t play out. So you should always keep in contact with the people you meet and also send lots of CDs out to promoters if you want to be heard: after all its your DJ CV. Don’t be put off by negative feedback, and always make sure that you can listen to your CD over and over and not find faults then you know you have done your best.

Your sets are often the most stompable of the night at HardSouth, just right to end the night when it’s getting late and what the punters need is a good hard kick up the pants to keep them going for that final few hours. I know you enjoy end-of-night sets best. What’s the secret of playing a successful end-of-night set?

Playing last is fab, as i can release the monster from within and let you lot have it! It’s always a challenge to finish the night on a good last set. After six hours of stomping, I think it’s time to re-boost the atmosphere as the night is drawing to a close, so I try to finish the night with loads of energy....

More generally, what do you think makes a good DJ?

I would say the following: Somebody who is technically very good, not just able to mix eight bars then let it play for seven minutes - other people made that tune: turn into your own sound. Good ability to read a crowd and know when a tune or style is not working. Excellent tune selection, knowing when to play a belter of a tune and keep it going when that one is finished. Good crowd interaction. Get the most out of the equipment – it’s there to be used and abused....!

I’ve been told that you plan out your set track-by-track, whereas many other DJs have a general idea but make a lot of it up as they go along. I like the idea of thinking a set out carefully beforehand. But isn’t there also a need to sometimes adapt to the crowd mood on the night?

Sometimes I do plan and rehearse sets, as I usually record it if it sounds wicked in a club, and then I CD it. Making sets up as you go along is cool too. It depends on how I feel at the time and if I’ve had much sleep beforehand! Also planning a set can benefit you, as you know that that tune goes well with that one. Or if you’re playing on three decks you need to have some idea about how it’s going to sound when you play it out - makes the mix less stressful...nothing worse than hearing the clangers!

Yeah – always preferred Noggin the Nog, myself ;o) … Most DJs make their name through producing and/or remixing. Have you got any plans to do so? Tell me about the type of music you want to produce.

I am going into the studio next year. I cant give any more details at the mo, but I’m very very excited! That’s all I’m saying, so watch out its gonna be huge... I’d like to do something more hardhouse, like Trade used to be, or like Andy Farley played at HardSouth back in October. It would be a good thing if that sort of hardhouse came back onto the scene; there is some around but not much good quality hardhouse. I’d also like to do some percussive hardhouse crossed over with all the elements of funky techno, I think that would sound wicked.

All sounds good to me!... Let’s talk about HardSouth, where you have your residency. Tell us how this club-night came about and it has managed to keep the energy going when other hard dance clubs have fallen by the wayside.

HardSouth was started back in 2003 because there was clearly an opening for a hard dance scene in Brighton. Over the years there have been some excellent hard dance nights like Energised, Protocol and QED but all in small(ish) venues. Unfortunately costs are high and at the time only just enough people to make it work. So that’s when HardSouth was born: people wanted a hard dance night in Brighton and it was the right time to do it. The hard work of Nick HardSouth, the DJs, the clubbers, the atmosphere all make a wicked night. A lot of the regulars know each other, many of them stay in touch and network through ‘Don’t Stay In’. As a result, the crowd is like one big, friendly family.

The HardSouth Residents’ Special New Year Party is always one we look forward to. What do you think makes the Special special?

The New Year Party has always been an extra special one, because everybody can go mental for one last time before the holidays are over, and also to celebrate another year of getting mashed. :o)

Going mental – yeah like the sound of that!... Finally, what’s the biggest, maddest, most fanatical, luvdup, hi-energy hard dance club on the south coast? ;o)

Der….

Links:
Krunchie’s webpage: http://www.krunchie.co.uk/
HardSouth DSI group: http://www.dontstayin.com/parties/hard-south
HardSouth.com: http://www.hardsouth.com/