Max HeyraudOur first premiere of the week comes from Bangor born, and now Auckland based, DJ Koncept. The New Zealand based producer has supplied a blissful liquid drum and bass symphony, touching off golden age jungle memories and knitting them with future concepts.
Originally from Bangor Co Down, and now based in Auckland NZ, DJ Koncept has been a DJ for around 20 years. He Started off his musical journey with hip hop, and then moved onto producing Drum & Bass, and more recently Breakbeat Hardcore.
Koncept veers towards music that is more mellow and melodious, and he’s partial to head-nodding breakbeats and pounding bass. Artists like as A Sides and Kool Keith have appeared on DJ Koncept’s releases, and Koncept has won many competitive DJ battle’s as turntablist. Koncept has clearly not shy’d away from releasing and competing and has has garnered several accolades over the years. Aside from becoming the 2018 UK DMC Champion, he regularly combines turntablism aspects into his live DJ performances and music productions.
DJ Koncept has two projects due for release on the well-known labels Kniteforce and Remix Records, as well as co-running two labels with his brother Adam aka Albert Wesker. ‘Vinyl Combat’ is the main label the pair run which is now dedicated to DnB, as well as the more recently established ‘Knife Skills’ label with a focus on alternative forms of breakbeat music. They’re now up to their 17th release with more forthcoming material inbound.
Koncept has put together a six minute masterpiece that is soulful and funky yet melodic and euphoric. Vocal swells are met with warm fluffy pads that drift around the mix like a white cloud on a sunny day. Reverb tails and vocal screeches create tension for unique and sublime elated moments. This seems like somewhat of a throwback to late 90’s and early 00’s jungle jubilant memories but Koncept has managed to carve out an idiosyncratic 2022 interoperation that remains unique yet reflective.