Jimbo James
Kevin Knapp does it all – from beat making to mixing jams on the decks to belting out vocals on the microphone – a true Jack-of-all-trades.
Raised in Texas, schooled in San Francisco, living in Berlin — Kevin is all over the place within dance music community. Having collaborations under his belt with lots of the industry’s top dogs, including Matt Tolfrey, Richy Ahmed, Groove Armada, and most recognizably, Audiojack, where the pair declared, “my beat will control you,” on one of 2012’s most memorable hits, “Stay Glued.”
We’re big fans of hip-hop heads turned house producers so it’s no wonder why we were drawn to the alluring tunes Kevin drops. His catalogue of productions can be found on a number of Mi4L fav labels; such as Gruuv, OFF Recordings, Leftroom, DFTD, Hot Creations, and Mother Recordings.
Now, residing in the mecca of tech — Berlin — the raving world will surely hear more of Kevin Knapp. Be on the lookout for hot future collabs; including tracks with Pan-Pot, Tiefschwarz, and a record deal with Kevin’s SF homies at dirtybird.
Enjoy the latest Lovecast episode from Kevin Knapp and see what he has to say about his recent tour in India and living in The B in the interview below.
* If you don’t see the mix CLICK HERE
Interview with Kevin Knapp:
Two weeks in India must have been a great and unique experience – How was your tour overall?
Tour was great! I suppose it followed one of the more desirable progressions of getting better and better with each gig. I went out on a high note, so to speak 😉
Describe the party scene…
Yeah it’s a bit different there because things close so early. I think it was like 1:15 or so (actually 12:30 in New Delhi). Only 45 minutes earlier than most places in the US I realize, but couple that with the fact that peeps don’t really go out until like 12 or 12:30 and yeah, it’s easy to see how they’ve created the environment for a power packed party hour! It reminds me a bit of SF though in so much as there is a big after party scene as a result of the early closures. Dangerous!
Audiojack is sitting up high on our list of favorite producers – How was it working with them on the ‘Stay Glued’ track for Gruuv?
Yeah, the Audiojack boys are close homies that I’ve got tons of love for. They, along with Matt Tolfrey, were the first dudes to put me on records and give me the opportunity to be in this game on a larger scale. Working with them is easy and natural at this point because in truth, they are the first big league producers I ever worked with. So all other collaborative efforts these days I compare to my work with them as opposed to the inverse. So was a family affair as it’s kind of my longest running collaborative relationship. That record actually came out a couple of years ago on Gruuv but DFTD dug it enough to re-release it. I really dig the remixes… the ZDS remix is ace!
Any pertinent lessons learned: music-wise, business-wise, life-wise?
Yeah of course, I learn from those dudes all the time. I refer to them loosely as mentors so I’m always picking up little tidbits from them. We’re equals in the kitchen though! I keed, I keed – those dudes are both great cooks too so make sure to get ’em to cook for ya if you ever have the chance.
Where are you based these days?
The B, aka Berlin, aka The Creative Wild West.
Any local influences from that neck of the woods?
For sure, boatloads. That’s the coolest thing about being in Berlin, especially for an artist like me who really digs on collaborations, on any given day/night you are surrounded by, breaking bread with many whom in my opinion are the industry’s most prominent and credible artists. My boys are all around me as well. Sacha Robotti, Mat.Joe, & Florian Kruse bear significantly on my experience in the B for sure. Also not horrible having folks like Pan-Pot, Martin Eyerer, and Aquarius Heaven a few blocks away from your front door.
You’ve been leaving a nice trail – Gruvv, OFF Recordings, Leftroom, Hot Creations – what’s next?! Any cool projects in the works?
Yeah well Sacha Robotti & I just finished a record for dirtybird that will be out in January, and I’ve got records with Pan-Pot and Tiefscwarz coming out in the spring as well as a few other surprises. I’ve also got another solo EP I’m wrapping up at the moment that I’ve been invited to put out on a huge label — gots to keep that one under wraps though as I’m a bit superstitious.
Tell us about your mix…
Well this one is pure and simple and straight to the point. It’s not so much clubby as it is clubish 😉 I’ve begun playing a bunch more headlining gigs over here in Europe lately and this is pretty typical of the type of bump you’d hear from me on the dance floor. Just a lil’ something for you to blaze or get your drink on too. Bumps and claps stylee, no filler.
What are you doing for Christmas?
My wife and I will be celebrating it in Berlin this year and the first one I’ve ever been away from home (yes, I’m one of those guys). I’m sure we’ll get into some food and wine as that’s kind of our thing. We’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a beer braised pork belly but nothing is certain yet. Actually, I’m a wee bit concerned at the moment because my mom’s (the culinary OG) gangster double sausage stuffing may not make an appearance this year, it all depends on the protein we can get our hands on. Oh the suspense! I’ll keep you posted.
Drink of choice…
Jack “we keeps it real” Daniels.
CHEERS!
– jams