The UK techno scene has never been healthier than it is right now, and prospects are banging at the door of the top labels and nightclubs for a chance to showcase their talents.
One keen prospect is British pair KUSP, who having released on Octopus Black, Respekt and IAMT, just made brought their first original EP to Alan Fitzpatrick’s We Are The Brave.
We spoke with the lads to discuss the four track Dominator EP, what they consider when thinking of releasing with a label, and how they approach both the studio and the DJ booth as a duo.
Your Dominator EP is about to drop on Alan Fitzpatrick’s We Are The Brave imprint, how did this one come together in the studio?
Dominator was one of those tracks that came together really quickly, it was pretty much written from start to finish in a couple of hours. Once we had the acid line, the rest of the track more or less wrote itself. Producers always say their best music is written the fastest and this was definitely the case here as we instantly thought it’s something that might have potential. We gave it a road test for the first time whilst supporting Amelie Lens and Rudosa earlier in the year and were blown away by the reaction it got on the dance floor.
It’s your return to the label for the first time since the Electric Soul Music Vol.1 VA back in May, how’s it feel to get your own original EP this time around?
Incredible! Getting this EP out has been well over a year in the making. We’ve been pushing for this for so long, relentlessly working in the studio and sending demo’s across in the hope we’d eventually get the response we were hoping for. On more than one occasion it didn’t feel like it was ever gonna happen, but we stuck to our guns and as soon as we got the good news we were straight out on the lash to celebrate!
Props to Alan and his team for believing in us and giving new producers like ourselves an opportunity to show what we’re about, the support has been immense.
And other labels you’ve released with include Throne Room, Octopus Black and Respekt, what do you look for in a label when scouting for a release?
We always try to find a home that fits the sound of the record and always opt for labels we’re fond of. The labels that invest a lot of time and give opportunities to newcomers like ourselves in the form of guest mixes, gigs, and promotion are the ones that make the most sense for everyone involved. Becoming ‘part of the family’ is where it’s at.
How do you approach studio sessions as a duo?
Due to other commitments and working around our gig schedule, we can’t always be in the studio together all the time, so we’ll usually work on ideas individually, then refine and mix them down when we get together during sessions. Some tracks start life from scratch when we’re together but for the majority we’re exchanging project files via Dropbox. Through being good mates for so long we’ve developed an awareness of one another’s strengths and what we can both bring to the table individually, so we’ll split any tasks accordingly.
And how about gigs? Do you go track for track or just split the set time in half?
Back to back! We just tend to approach it in a really ‘old skool’ fashion. Turn up, get a feel for the vibe in the room, then start digging through our collection and go from there. For us, reading the crowd and seeing what they respond to, that’s where the art of DJing is. Nothing is rehearsed, we just come prepared with as much music as possible and try to feed off the energy in the room.
UK techno is on fire at the moment, what’s one producer you think is killing it right now?
Scottish producer Frazi.er has caught our attention a lot of late with some quality productions landing on Second State, Odd Recordings, Sleaze Records and his own imprint, Elementra. He also has a string of equally impressive parties up North we’re eager to visit.
And give us one name you’d love to collaborate with in the future?
There are literally so many names we could answer this question with but, if we had to choose one, it would probably be an OG like Robert Owens. There’s just something so iconic about his voice that sounds incredible on just about every record he’s ever touched on. Honourable mentions go to Theo Nasa and Pablo Rita who we’ve had the pleasure of working with recently.
KUSP’s Dominator EP is out now on We Are The Brave.