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Introducing… KzA (Dubthugz)
DJ Sashwat shouted out Dubthugz in the interview I did with him a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, KzA got in touch with me after reading that and asked if he could do an interview too. I’m not one for turning people down (I’m just nice like that) so here he is…
Name, age, location?
‘Kieran Taylor aka KzA, owner of DUBTHUGZ records, 29 years from Luton, UK.’
How did you get into music production?
‘I first got into making tracks back when I was about 16. I was well into techno, drum & bass, jungle, oldskool and hardcore then, I had loads of it on tapes and CDs. Listening to all this stuff I really thought that I could make some of it, but had no clue how to go about it. Just by chance a mate of a mate had some audio tracking software with a bunch of samples from the old 303, 808 and 909 synths. I asked for a copy and I got it. This software was nothing like the stuff that you use today, it was in DOS 3.1 and you had to use codes to do stuff with the samples. Time consuming is not the word for it at all. After quite some time, getting my head around all this “new” music software I had my first track. I remeber it being some roughly chopped up Hip-Hop/D’n'B hybrid. I thought it was the bees knees. Looking back it was pretty awful, because back then I still did not know what music production was all about.
In about ’98 I got new software and some mates into producing and then we started to experiment and progress. After a while we made an album, we got a bunch of blank CDs, cases and printer paper and made the whole lot in my mates bedroom. It sounded like some kind of industrial jungle techno punk fusion but we managed to pursuade our local record shop to stock and sell it for a cut. We sold all of them. After that it just progressed and I started to produce Dubstep back in ’05 or ’06 and have never looked back.’
Which producers influence you?
‘Man, you know how to ask them… 
Well I can’t list them all but I will give a fair idea. Apart from anime and ninja movies, right now, Amon Tobin is just amazing full stop. Noisia are by far the best producers I have ever heard without a doubt. Tech Itch has been a major influence of mine since the word go, I love the dark heavy roaring subs and mental drum patterns, proper nuts music and a mental producer. Machine Code are just awesome, if you love that heavy darkside dubstep you will love these guys, it’s evil on a stick! Teebee has some awesome talent, his productions are just super slick and he does some wicked collabs. I love Ice Minus and their take on jungle. Ruckus & Roke have some sick skills, by far some of my favourite dubstep at the moment.’
What inspires you to create music?
‘I think my inspiration lies back when I lived up north doing lots of office block and warehouse parties for different soundsystems. I remember playing lots of live sets and having a really nice phat rigs to do it on. That feeling of the subs moving through you and the energy of the crowd. If that is not inspiring, I really do not know what is. I try and capture that energy or feeling in my tracks now so that other people can have that same sensation, I think that dubstep is the perfect way to communicate that feeling.’
Which of your tracks is your personal favourite (and why)?
‘I think it has to be this track which is going to be released on Altosync soon, called “A.I.”. It’s hard to pinpoint what you really like about your own stuff when you have made it, because I tend to like all of my stuff because of that fact. But I can tell you why I really like this one. It’s that it has some proper energy to it, like motion or moving forward. It has some proper big dark subs but is not so evil that you wanna go on a rampage. While being dark, weighty and heavy it has some really nice atmospheric parts to it and it all fits together really nicely. The best bit is that it sounds really hench on a big soundsystem…’
What have you been working on recently? Do you have anything due for release soon?
‘You really wanna know???
Lots…
But being honest here at Dubthugz hq we have been working really hard on getting out our next release. ”DUBTHUGZ 003 – Post Traumatic Bass Disorder” Will have tracks from me, d-Queue, Celt Islam, Seeda, Satmeka, Samsquamch and TPX. It is due for release later on this month and will be available for purchase on Juno Download. Also, I have just finished producing an EP for Altosync which has just gone off for mastering, called “Diary Of A Grime Salesman” which will be release soon under my other pseudonym “Trapjaw & Switch” so be sure to look out for that one. Apart from all that, me and the team of web ninjas at Dubthugz hq have been working on getting the website up to full speed, still got a bit to go but its getting there…’
Any shout outs you want to do?
‘I would indeed!
Big shout out to DJ Sashwat for the support! Big ups to Betamorph for the release last January, top stuff geezer! Respect to all the Dubthugz crew. Many thanks to Inishitive and all the H-town crew, will be seeing you guys well soon! Big ups to Desert Storm, Civil Unrest, Dr Weevil, Dj pseudonym. Shouts out to the Narukami records crew, we still miss you Beebeedee R.I.P bro x.
Bless Nikki November – stop being ill, we need to record them vocals Shout to Karizmah and all the support you have shown Dubthugz. Big up Complex! And a some very special shouts out to Tasha and Matt, I LOVE YOU GUYS xx
Anyone I missed out BIG UPS!!!’
Anything else you want to add?
‘Yep…
If you are in the Huddersfield area the night of the 19th Febuary 2011, be sure to get down to the Dubthugz LP launch party at bar 122 it’s gonna be a right banger, expect loads of bass, we are gonna shake the walls with this one!
Lastly Dubthugz will be releasing a free compilation in the near future so get to the dubthugz website and send in your demos if you want on.’
‘Peace’
‘KzA’
xxx
Dude sent me kisses… Respect.
Here’s his tracks…
First up is a track called ‘Goldbug Vs The Dub Chemist’. This track is my favourite form KzA, just because it’s something slightly different and once it kicks in, it’s totally relentless…
Next up is ‘Solar Bean’. Again, dark in style, this is a full-on assault of the ear-drums…
This next one is done under his alternate pseudonym; Trapjaw and Switch. It’s all about the name with this one, I’m not really a big fan of the tune but you can’t see a track called ‘Pasty Smasher’ and not post it…
As if your brain hasn’t been battered enough, we have one more track… ‘Giant Enemy Crab’. This guys style could only ever be described as dark and dirty, this track proves it beyond all doubt…
There you have it, make sure you check out the other tracks from KzA and the other Dubthugz by following the links below…
Peace.
