It’s difficult to recall an artist as consistent in every department as Bulgarian Strahil Velchev, or Kink as we call him. He has been a regular fixture on the playlists of such an enormous range of DJ playlists for the past 10 years, from your staple cross-section of underground house and techno jocks, through to turning his hand to jungle and drum ‘n’ bass on his recent Alternate Cuts mix for Resident Advisor.
He’s an artist that clearly has the midas touch for delivering original tracks and remixes that have a lifespan most of today’s conveyor-belt electronica could only dream of enjoying, while steering clear of sticking to the same template time in, time out.
Despite his output on the likes of Ovum, Systematic, Rush Hour, it really feels like Gerd Janson’s Running Back imprint is the label that has helped round this artist and allow him to flex creative muscles that may potentially have ended up being overlooked on other more club oriented imprints.
‘Playground’ is a proper collection of all those familiar Kink influences, from deep Juno ‘Reese-style’ bass-chords, to breakbeat loops and rave stabs, tension building breakdowns and techno-disco party-anthems that showcases Kinks’ raw, naked talent to the absolute best effect possible; an unmissable record from an unbelievable artist.
Kink – Playground is out November 3rd 2017 on Running Back.