20 Jan 2016 
Posted by Alive At Night
Keeping The Rave Alive With Kutski: The origins, present and future of KTRA
When we think about the free birds in hard dance, many think no further than the multi-talented Kutski. This legendary DJ and producer has been around for yonks, piloting the hard dance scene in the United Kingdom as well as spreading his ‘Keeping The Rave Alive’ concept worldwide. Aiming to showcase all genres in the harder styles, Kutski not only approaches KTRA with an open-mind but his performances are filled with diverse sounds and are always exciting!
In light of his KTRA tour which is currently taking Kutski across the United States, we decided to pull him aside for a quick interview to speak about his experiences in hard dance, his views on ‘rave,’ his successful KTRA brand and podcast and some of his highlights!
– Hey Kutski, thanks for talking to us today! 2015 was a big year for you; looking back at it, can you tell me about some of your highlights?
Yeah it was a crazy year for sure! Obviously I had a great year from the perspective of “Kutski” I was blessed to play some amazing shows, and released some of my strongest productions to date which I have been so proud of, but I think all that was even topped by the success of the KTRA brand – especially the events! In the early days events weren’t even a consideration for us so it was amazing to see the brand has grown so much in a relatively short space of time; that’s something I’m incredibly proud of. With regards to my personal life, music is my life so it’s all one and the same to me. 🙂
– You’ve been an artist of many talents for a while now, you can play practically any genre on any platform, but what is it about Hard Dance music that really moves you?
I think it’s the culture to be honest. I love all styles of music; from hip hop to metal, however there is something about the rave scene and culture that is all about underground music, but yet it’s so open and welcoming to new people which is quite unique. Many underground genres can be very snobby and purist which alienates new people and more accessible genres often don’t have much depth in the music and many of the decisions are being made behind the scene for commercialism and monetary gain, so rave music, hard dance, whatever you want to label it is unique in the way it stays pure but embraces growth.
– You’ve also been established for quite a while – can you tell me about the earlier days in the scene and what it was like for you?/ As well as what Hard Dance was like in the UK?
As with everything, things change over time. The general vibe out in the raves is still pretty much the same to be honest and as I mentioned above, there are always great atmospheres and friendly crowds. I guess one of the biggest changes as a DJ was the transition from vinyl to digital. I’m the biggest fan of vinyl from a nostalgic view, but any one that ever tells you DJ’ing was better in the vinyl era never had to carry 50+ vinyls around city centres looking for the club, or had needles skipping constantly during a set… or had their records lost by an airline and then been unable to play! It’s funny how nostalgia only allows people to remember the good things haha!
– Keeping The Rave Alive has become a HUGE global movement resulting in shows all over the world. Can you take us back to when you first got the idea for KTRA and tell us did you ever foresee it becoming this well known and successful?
The concept was simply to deliver a weekly update of music across all the harder style of dance music and try to foster a community of like-minded people that love rave music and also had an open minded approach to music in general. I always say I don’t expect everyone to like everything I play on the show, but give everything a fair chance and if it’s not for you that’s cool, but be positive about what you like, not what you don’t. This seems to have struck a chord with a lot of people worldwide as you say, which has been amazing and very humbling. Even though we’re continuing to expand the brand constantly, we still hold those core values at the heart of everything we do.
– What does Keeping The Rave Alive truly mean to you?
Quite literally what it’s says, keep the original spirit of rave alive! As the music evolves, stay true to the core values the rave scene was built on. Open mindedness, positivity and acceptance. “Peace, love and unity” used to appear on foot notes of early UK rave records way back in the early 90’s. People may roll their eyes at the whole “PLUR” thing now because it’s because it’s a cliche meme these days, if you actually think about what it stands for, those values have been present since the beginning.
– You are in the U.S as we speak, a country which you have performed in frequently, but for the first time you will be bringing KTRA there. Do you have any special plans for the shows on this tour, and when you perform in the states do you play differently than you would in Europe or other parts of the world?
To be honest, I’m more free to play whatever I like whenever I play in the USA – thats why I love it here so much. In Europe there is a much longer legacy in the scene which has it’s positives, but it can also lead to people being a little jaded at times and often spoilt due to amount of access to DJ’s and events. In the USA it’s so fresh and exciting to everyone, it really captures an ultra enthusiastic vibe and the dance floors always seem a lot more open to a wide variety of genres within a set, which if you know anything about me as a DJ, you will know that is a perfect match 🙂
– Darren Styles, Alex Kidd, and Darksiderz will be joining you on select dates throughout your tour of the U.S. What brought these artists to mind and what is the thought process when going through ideas for a KTRA line up?
We always try and tailor our line-ups to what we think will work best in each territory we run events, but we always try and cover a mixture of genres with our guests. I’m really happy with the line-up we put together on this one. Obviously me and Alex have a long history of working together, our styles compliment each other perfectly and I think his current style and productions will work awesome within the musical landscape we want to paint throughout the night.
To add another dimension musically I wanted to add a UK hardcore act and as it’s our first tour we had to go straight to the top of the scene with Darren Styles! Darren is an absolute legend in dance music, I’ve been a huge fan of his music for 20+ years now since I used to buy his early “Force & Evolution” records with my paper round money back in the mid 90’s and he’s still the leader of the scene today! Also, when we go in to a new territory, we don’t want it to feel like an “expand and conquer,” task, we always try and support artists in the territory too, which is why I was super happy to get Darksiderz on the line up. I’ve been a fan of his work for years, and he was one of the key figure pushing hardstyle in the states since the early days so it was only natural to want to get him on the line up for these shows too.
– Hardstyle, as any genre out there is constantly evolving. What do you think of artists making tracks that slow down to 130 with a Hardstyle kick, or combining reggae, and trap breakdowns into the mix?
I think it’s important both exist. It’s like two sides of the same coin. If an artist wants to make something super traditional because it’s what they are feeling, thats awesome, but it’s also equally as awesome and maybe even a little more exciting when people push the limits of the genre. Even though some of the more experimental tracks might miss the mark, the ones that click are responsible for the scene evolving which is possibly the most important factor in a music scene staying popular for sustained periods of time.
– You’ve been an artist since you were 15 years old. And few even use the term “rave” anymore. Can you explain the vibe of the parties when you first entered compared to now?
As I mentioned earlier, the music has evolved greatly, but the vibe has always remained pretty constant. In the 80’s people’s fashion, skin colour, lifestyle and so forth lead people to a scene where they would be accepted by people of the same ethnicity, sexuality and so on. When the rave scene came along in the early 90’s it was a melting pot of cultures. Bi/straight/gay and even punks, skinheads and rasters all in the same clubs together. I think if you look at the cross section of people at raves today, I still think this holds true.
– Throughout your career you have played many huge festivals across many continents. Which event comes to mind as the one you were the most nervous about before stepping on stage?
Probably the mainstage of Defqon.1 in The Netherlands. That’s one of the most prestigious festivals that a Hard Dance DJ can play at, let alone on the mainstage, so it was a huge honour! I had a huge adrenaline rush but at the same time it was very nerve racking beforehand!
– As one who is known for not being within a box and admiring all genres, who are some producers you take inspiration from outside of Hard Dance, or even Electronic Music as a whole?
Within hard music, you have to look at the legends really; people like Darren Styles, DJ Isaac and so on. It’s not easy to be popular for one sound and to be able keep pushing forward in order to remain at the top of the scene without losing your way, so I always admire guys that manage to do this. Outside of hard music, I always respect Diplo for similar reasons, how he manages to have a consistent sound but always evolves to stay cutting edge.
– What is your fondest memory involving music throughout your lifetime?
Probably the happy hardcore of the mid 90’s. This is when I had just got my first belt drive turntables and was so obsessed with the music. Listening to music from this period always takes me back to doing my paper round and not being concerned with hour early in the morning, or how cold it was, because that money was going to buy me more records at the weekend.
– When preparing for a tour where you’ll be away from home for a while, what are some essential items you bring every time?
– Laptop (obviously)
– USB battery charger
– Playstation Vita
– Noise cancelling headphones (recent addition)
– Multi vitamins
– Neck pillow
I love it! It’s where I started, and although my tastes and style as a DJ have expanded over the years, that’s not to say that I have moved on at all. UK hardcore is still a key influence for me. Just to name a few artists I’m a fan of and would recommend; Gammer, Joey Riot, Darren Styles, Al Storm, Scott Brown. They all have their own unique take on the sound.
– You had a big collab with Endymion called “Ravers Religion.” Can we expect more collabs with these guys or other raw hardstyle artists in the future?
– KTRA is so well rounded, with mixes from every part of the Hard Dance universe. What are your thoughts on the community as a whole and where it is going?
I’m just happy to keep pressing on as we are for the time being. We always cover a wide range of artists and guests from all different genres, from headliners to underground artists, to up and comers and to legends of the scene. I’d like to think in 100 years time someone could listen back to any year of my shows and get a true reflective representation of the grander picture of hard music was like during that period. As long as we keep doing that, I don’t think too much needs to change and as long as we’re attracting like-minded people, I’m confident the community will continue to grow.
– To kick off 2016, do you have any New Year’s Resolutions or plans with your career that you can tell us about?
To be honest, I don’t really do new year resolutions and also I don’t plan too far ahead in my career. Some of the biggest turns my career has taken have been completely unforeseeable, so I just like to press on working hard and doing what I love. I wait and see what opportunities present themselves to me, then grab them with both hands!
– Finally, what did you eat for breakfast?
“Not just another eggs Benedict.” It turned out the thing that made it “not just another” was them sticking a jalapeño on top of it! I mean I like spicy food, but it was really a bit too early for that for me!
