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DJ KRUST
DOA: Thanks for speaking with us, Krust. Many have not heard from you since the release of Hidden Knowledge. What was your mindset in creating an album that could definitely be seen as a return to form in regards to your sound?
DJ Krust: When approaching Hidden Knowledge, I made a conscious decision to go back to my original style. I made a playlist of all my music and just listened to that for weeks, getting back in to my sound, getting back in to my vibe. And a few things happened: one, I realized that there was so much more to explore and two, I had to go back to samples. What I also realized was that I want to put a stronger message in to this project. I wanted every track to tell a story, be a talking point. So if you've read my blog on MySpace or kodedk.com, you would know that right now I'm all about social comments. Right now, we are in a transition period, so we have a great opportunity for change and that laid the groundwork for this project
DOA: What are your thoughts about fans who were openly disappointed when your style evolved from the classic ''Warhead'' or ''Soul In Motion'' days?
 DJ Krust: I think music is about  the journey. I have been able to express my full spectrum, in  as far as what I like, but I feel what the fans are saying 'cus I'm a fan too, and I follow artists as well, and when they go off in a new direction I'm like ''hey''! But on the flipside, for me I was like ''here is the brush, here is the canvas, now paint from your heart''. So I did. Now I have been around for a min., and I know what I want to do with my time. So I'm going to be going deep in on my style now, so people can expect a return to the ''Soul In Motion'' vibe.
DOA: Nowadays, you've got a new project going on, a band called The Rules, which is said to be a mixture of Jungle, Punk, Techno and Hip-Hop. What is the background on this group? Who else is involved? What is your role, exactly, in this band?
DJ Krust: I have a few new projects; one is a band called The Rules. I have a design company called RUE that will do all the art, video, design merchandise and then there's kodedk.com and my new music outlet, Rebel Instinct. The Rules is a live project, with five people in the band: bass, drums, two keyboards and vocals. I'm working with Si John, a well known Bristol bass player (he did the Reprazent stuff). Uv Ray - he's been a long time collaborator; we have been working together since Coded Language. He's from a band in the States called Soul Coffin. We have Liam Duggan from Breakbeat Era, one on the best synth guys on the planet. And on vocal I have a new guy called Nik Toots. We met in Bristol - he handed me a CD on the street and two days later we were working together and haven't looked back. My role in it is producer and keys. The music is kind of Jungle/Punk/Experimental with a lot of energy. Its all song based with something for every one. The energy in the band is great - we are all on the same page. We all want to do the live thing, and the music has got a strong message of social change. The voice of the community, we're dealing with a lot of issues that we feel need to be talked about right now. Power to the people!
DOA: What's it like playing live in a group like The Rules, as opposed to the Reprazent collective playing live? Are there any similarities?
DJ Krust: Playing live is playing live: it's about the buzz, the energy. It's about the vibe when you're up there, giving a 100%, the crowd giving it back to you. With Reprazent, it was Full Cycle on stage, and that was good fun to hang out on the road for three years with the guys. The Rules have only done 8 gigs, but they were really good because it showed how far we had come in doing the live thing, I mean, as far as setting it up and making it happen. We just sat down and put the show together. We have all been in bands before so we all knew what to expect.
DOA: Do you have any plans for an album or EP release from The Rules? Any singles we can look out for?
DJ Krust: The plan is for an album for next year; we might put out a single before Christmas, but we have to wait and see how things pan out - we're still in the lab cooking; when we feeling it's the right time to put some thing out, we will.
DOA: One thing that has been hinted around but never officially confirmed, so it seems, is a reported demise of Full Cycle. With DJ Die establishing his own label earlier this year, Suv doing his thing, and Clipz going for broke with Audio Zoo, as well as your new projects, it would seem like Full Cycle is at least on a hiatus. Can you shed some light on this? If Full Cycle is done, what caused it? Will there be some kind of swan song for a label that has brought many heads to the scene?
DJ Krust: As far as Full Cycle, I have left. It was time for me to move on and start my own thing. I have a lot of ideas and I need to be able to do whatever I want when I want. FC did everything we wanted it to do, and for the next part of the show, I needed a new cast.
DOA: Are you still DJing these days? What tracks or producers are you vibing off of?
DJ Krust: I'm still DJing lots and really enjoying it. I've started a new company called Rebel Instinct, and I'm working with a few artists at the moment. The label will be the main outlet for every thing I do. And I'm looking for some people to work with. There's a few artists out there that I'm digging at the moment: Dan Miracle, Heist, Skitty, the Valve boys - anyone one rolling it out and doing there own thing. I hear lots of good stuff out there, so it's all good right now.
DOA: Another one of your passions, so it seems, is the world of philosophy. If anyone checks out your MySpace blog, you get into some heated debates and conversations on various topics. How important is expanding your mind and questioning the world to you?
DJ Krust: My whole life right now is dedicated to expanding my knowledge base and spreading that in anyway I can. As you pointed out, we have had a few heated debates on my blog. That's what it's all about - we have to engage one another and question everything. The time has come for us to see things as they really are and not as they appear to be. For me, when you have a better understanding of the self, life becomes clear. You don't rely on what you're told, you can use your inner guidance to help you and that is your truth; no one can tell you other wise. I'm going to do Mastermind classes in the coming months to help people build a better mind set with tools to help you get a head in life, and in the music business. I've been doing this for 20 years, so I have a lot to offer. I'm looking forward to helping people and sharing what I have learnt about the music business, and life in general; it's going to be fun.
DOA: What are your thoughts on the Large Hadron Collider?
DJ Krust: Not sure about the Hadron Collider. But you should check out Dr. Michio Kaku: he's the new Einstein. He talks about the Hadron Collider. This guy is next level. He discovered the string theory. If you're into the fourth dimension, black holes, time travel, and Star Trek, he can break it down for you. Happy hunting.
DOA: Are you still producing DnB tracks? There has to be a wealth of Krust dubs sitting in your vault - any plans on releasing a compilation of your favorite unreleased beats?
DJ Krust: I'm still making jungle; I'm going to put out the final LP in the series next year; I've got about five things cooking in the lab that's on the right track, but The Rules are my priority right now.
DOA: Let's get a little personal with FIVE QUESTIONS:
a) What's the last book you read?
There are a few books that I've read and now I'm re-reading them:
The Answer by John Assaraf and Murray Smith
Introduction to African Civilizations by John G Jackson
The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden
Your Life, Your Legacy by Roger Hamilton
b) What's your guilty pleasure?
Junk food, one day a week.
c) When's the last time you lost your temper?
Don't really loose my cool, I'm like Samuel L Jackson.
d) Who is your favorite actress?
Favourite actress is Michelle Yeoh
e) What's your acronym for DOA?
Pass
DOA: What's your favorite release from your back catalogue?
DJ Krust: Favourite from the vaults would have to be ''Soul In Motion'', if I had to pick one that is. But there are many more.
DOA: How do you see your musical efforts panning out in the next couple of years?
DJ Krust: My next ten years will see me move more in to production, producing bands and artist from all kinds of genres. Building an entertainment company with a strong group of artists and moving into the education field to help people develop.
DOA: What advice would you give a new producer or label head coming into the scene today?
DJ Krust: Find out as much as you can about the business. Talk to everyone you can. Think about how you can connect to your fans, think about what you want from artists that you follow and come to one of my Mastermind events.
DOA: Do you have any final thoughts?
DJ Krust: We are all aware of the changing times we are heading into, but we have to work together as a people. We all have choices to make - some of them will be life changing, but that is the nature of life. We are always changing, never standing still, always evolving. When we move as a community, it makes things easier to deal with, less stressful, so now we have a group of like minds to share the load. This way, we build a new way of thinking into our lives. And we each teach this new way, naturally. Seeing life as an experience, and not something you have to win, changes the focus. Now, it becomes about cooperation, not competition, so life is now about helping and sharing, something to enjoy. Follow your own vision.
*GRAB DJ KRUST RELEASES FROM THE DOA STORE
*GRAB DJ KRUST TRACKS FROM DOA DOWNLOADS
Words: khal |
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Dogs On Acid > Comments > DJ Krust
10-24-2008 01:35 PM
