KongkreteBass

The Hong Kong Drum and Bass collective KongkreteBass have many strings to their bow  - artists, show organisers, sponsors, designers, DJs and Producers, their aim is aligned in promoting Drum and Bass to the masses.  As they take local event promotion to the next level with their upcoming 'Live PA set' performance by UK artist Amit, we caught up with them to find out a little bit more about what it is that they are about.

Hi there, please introduce yourself:
Hi, we are KongkreteBass – a Hong Kong based drum & bass collective. KongkreteBass is brainchild of Richard, aka DJ Wash - Drum and Bass DJ/Producer, and partner-in-crime DNA.

How/why did you become interested in Drum and Bass?
DJ Wash - Back in the late 90s, I was listening to a lot of hip hop and break beats, so I had thought that breaks was going to be the direction I wanted to be heading. But when a friend took me to see DJ Hype in 2000 in Sydney, I was blown away, not only by DJ Hype’s championed style of mixing and scratching, but by the energy on the dance floor, the pure adrenaline rush when a bass line drops. The layers of sounds twisting and turning, the bass line vibrating through my body and the excitement of MC Rage and Hype tearing the place apart… Since then I’ve never looked back.

DNA – A long-term slave to electronic music, the speed and heavy bass of DNB only consciously locked itself into my bones a couple of years ago. I am very fortunate to have met the right people at the right time in my life to get involved with what I am doing with KongkreteBass and our mates in Hong Kong now.

What would you suggest are some of the main stereotypes that come to mind when thinking of Drum and Bass, and to what degree do you think they are true or false?
DNA - We recently had a comment on facebook that said Drum and Bass is like “kitchen music”, non melodic and repetitive. We replied with a link to some of our favourite tunes... After that, the kid added us as a friend.

A lot of people are unaware that Drum & Bass/ Jungle covers a huge spectrum of styles. It spans from liquid, jump-up, neurofunk, tech, Drum Funk, Dubby Drum & Bass to Reggae Jungle, even live, more organic & vocal sound, there’s some fantastic music out there that wants to be discovered. And I believe people here are slowly becoming more receptive.

Many would suggest that the heyday in Drum and Bass took place several years back.  Would you agree with this, and how does the scene stay current, relevant and moving forward?
DJ Wash - I guess it depends on where you're looking when we’re talking about the “heyday” of Drum and Bass. I was not here in Hong Kong a few years ago, but as far as I understand there had always been a tiny scene in Hong Kong, thanks to some playaz (who are still around).

But I think the current general state of Drum and Bass is good, the music itself has changed and evolved into various sub-genres. There are so many well established and new artists in the scene who are making some of the best Drum and Bass out there at the moment; from the deeper end of the spectrum like Alix Perez/SpectraSoul/Icicle/Lynx to the heavier end like Noisia/Demo & Cease/Subfocus. All of whom are part of taking Drum and Bass to the next level, not to mention respected DJs like Friction and Andy C, progressing their skills throughout the years. I think all these factors are moving Drum and Bass forward - not only as a music genre, but also as a music culture that will live on, just like Hip Hop or Jazz.

Tell us about Kongkretebass (how did it start and why) and your role within the group:
DJ Wash - Kongkretebass was initiated by DNA and I in 2006, after a brief involvement with another local group. We started running our weekly Kongkast – Hong Kong’s first Drum & Bass podcast. Then we continued organizing events. Our role - we are organizer, host, sponsor, promoter, designer, PR, DJ/producer, bouncer, webmaster, decorator and party buddy all in one.

We want to try concentrating more on the regional (Asia/Pacific) scene, bringing more of our neighboring DJs and Producers in to Hong Kong, as well as presenting the many different styles of Drum and Bass, which we appreciate and love.  That’s also the idea behind the RADAR Series, which we launched earlier this year. The previous two RADAR events showcased Indonesian DJ/MC/Producer DMZ and DJ/Producer A.L.F. & the Foreign Dub Crew from Sydney, Australia.

What are you hoping to achieve with Kongkretebass?
DJ Wash – I think in the end, we would like to see Drum and Bass make a stand in Hong Kong and in Asia, much like what’s happening in the UK. Kongkretebass acts as a platform for us to push what we love. But it’s also a great stepping stone in the learning process into how the music industry really works.

DNA – I would love to think that together we can grow & inspire music lovers. My ultimate dream is to be able to host live drum & bass performances (Like NZ live dnb band ‘Shapeshifters’), but it’s going to be a lot of hard work until we can afford to host such acts. We also need to convince local venues to offer their full support for the sake of the music.

Give our readers a brief understanding of the line up of the event you are promoting:
DJ Wash - The line up will be: AMIT (Metalheadz, Commercial Suicide,UK) and Blood Dunza, Electronic Mistress, Le Libertin, DJ Wash and MC z1Bkr. This line up is all about three things: fun, deep and darkness.

Our headline AMIT is renowned for his deep, dubby sound, fused with a dark energy. And our local supporting DJs are some of the best DJs for this kind of sound in the city. So if you’re into the heavier side of Drum and Bass. This will be right up your alley.
 
Tell us about the desire to push Drum and Bass onto another level with a “Live PA Set”.  What does that involve and what will the results be as far as an audience member is concerned?
DNA - A live PA is different from what a DJ might do, as the music will be created, composed and arranged live with an element of improvisation at the gig. You could even describe it as a one-man electronic concert. Live PA performances are not very common and quite unusual in Drum & Bass.

As a producer, AMIT has a very distinctive style. His music is heavily influenced by lush Hindi sound scores of Naushad, haunting vocals of Muhammad Rafi, Mukesh & Egypts Om Khaltoum, to The Cure, Joy Division, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, African Bambaata, Source Direct, Photek and Goldie. We expect this to be as much a night of dance floor mayhem as well as a very interesting listening experience.”

What marks this show apart as ‘special’?
DJ Wash - With this gig, we show a different kind of Drum and Bass event, with a “Live PA” set. I’m sure a lot of readers have seen international DJs play tune after tune of stuff that we may have already heard before, but having a Live PA set is different, as it brings a live element to the night. The artist is free to add in and change the elements of his music at his finger tip depending on the mood or vibe of the party by creating the flow he wants to take, I think this would be very interesting for the party goers on the dance floor, as this will be more of a musical journey through the eyes/ears of Amit.

How can people go about getting tickets?
Tickets are available on the night at Yellow Devil (3F/ 21 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central) on the door. But keep an eye out on our website for freebies to the night - www.kongkretebass.com

Give us an idea of the state of Drum and Bass currently in Hong Kong?
DJ Wash - I think the state of Drum and Bass in Hong Kong is steady and slowly on the rise.

There are a few crews doing parties around Hong Kong, some hosting mostly internationals artist, others like the “Heavy” crew running a night called “Eclectism”, whom are doing more Local DJ supported nights fused with live elements. Both of which are great, because there is a good concentration of various areas in Drum and Bass covered by different crews including ourselves.

What about the rest of Asia?
DJ Wash - I think parts of Asia are definitely on the rise. There are more and more producers who are being picked up by labels for future releases.

The events are getting bigger and bigger as I have heard from different regions. The support of Drum and Bass events from the main stream companies are definitely showing through the amount of sponsorship being offered, though this varies from country to country. Unfortunately, this is not (yet) the case in Hong Kong.

How should/can Drum and Bass fans stay in touch with what’s happening in the scene?
DNA - In Asia, mainly through local promoters’ websites. For our events & music in Hong Kong: www.kongkretebass.com and for soundbites at any time of the day, through Kongkast – which is our Drum & Bass podcast, hosted weekly by DJ Wash with some of the latest tunes from around the world.

Globally, through major forums such as ‘Drum and Bass Arena’, ‘Dogs On Acid’, ‘PlanetDNB’, Radio OneXtra (UK). Also Myspace, Facebook and AMP, which are more individual artist platforms.

Tell us who you think are the Asian artists to look out for are in the Drum and Bass arena:
Artists such as ES9 (Space,Tokyo), AshKiat (Rufige, Singapore), Vice versa (Bingo, GLO, Sydney/Toyko). Just some of the bigger names in the Asian/Oceanic scene right now. And there are hopefully a lot more in the pipeline…

What do you need to get started if you’re an aspiring producer/DJ wanting to get into this genre and create work?
DNA - A whole lot of love and dedication to the genre. Keep listening to your favorite DJs and producers’ work. It also helps if you are in touch with other producers in the scene. You can learn a lot this way. Always keep up with the latest news on the forums & record shops... Know your equipment and keep your ideas fresh!

What advice would you give to musicians wanting to break in this field?
DNA - Stay open minded. Drum & Bass is not necessarily a money-making music genre but on the creative side, its vast spectrum of styles can give you many opportunities to make and establish your very own sound.

What’s coming up next for Kongkretebass?
DNA - After the AMIT show in September, we are hosting another Metalheadz artist from the UK called Outrage in November. In December we’d like to join forces with all HK Drum and Bass DJs again for this year’s Jungle Bells 07 – in the spirit of the festive end-of-year gatherings. We are also looking forward to 2008 with many fresh ideas.

Anything final you would like to add?
Both - Thanks to AMP for creating this online music platform. It’s great fun browsing through the many artists profiles in our region and be able to hook up! Keep up the good work & see you at the gig!

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Have a look at KongkreteBass's AMP Profile for more info.

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Posted by AMP Ed on August 23, 2007 9:41:49 AM HKT #