Ahead of his much-vaunted return to Nottingham for a special 3 hour set at Repercussion's monthly party at Snug, Drum `n' Bass DJ Klute got accosted by Leftlion's roving reporter Howard Gray for a brief chat...

Who are you? What do you do?

"My name is Tom Withers and I'm an international jet setting producer and DJ of drum and bass music. A similar line of work to a butcher really."

Your label Commercial Suicide has been very busy of late...

"I've got a brand new album about to come out. Vinyl is released in late November (i.e. out now!) with the CD dropping in late January 2005, featuring about 12 extra tracks."

What is the ethos behind the label?

"Basically to try and not be the same as everyone else. It's not exactly rocket science."

You've recently done a few tracks featuring former Nottingham DJ and promoter Moocha. How did you start working together?

"She was a nutter that always used to turn up at various Klute gigs around the country and eventually we started talking. I was really surprised when I finally heard her sing."

What do you think of the Nottingham's DnB scene?

"I've always had a great time playing in Nottingham. From what I've seen people seem to be   more open minded and interested in things slightly different."

Do you remember the first Repercussion night (Lizard Lounge, March 2003)?

"Yes, I do very well. The whole day had been a bit of an event. I fell down some stairs hard 10 mins before I went on, but luckily no one saw. The place was going fucking mental until the fire alarm was set off by the sheer temperature created by sweaty bodies. It was a night of true spirit, exactly how these nights should be."

What artists are you into at the moment?

"Break, Silent Witness, Amit, me(!), Cocteau Twins, Death Cab for Cutie, loads of others."

How do you produce - lock yourself away, or have a load of people around you?

"I almost always produce alone. I like to get into the zone and lose myself. Saying that, it's great to bounce ideas off someone else when collaborating."

What was the last CD you brought?

"I picked up the Violet Indiana album which features Robin Gutherie and I'm a huge Cocteau Twins fan, but it wasn't that good at all."

Best and worst things about Drum'n'Bass?

"Don't get me started! There's a lot of great music out there but you have to search harder than ever to find it because there's a ridiculous amount of stuff being released at the moment."

Has being a professional music producer always been your ambition? Did you, at any point, think it might not happen?

"I've been in bands since I was 13 and for me it was always a case of doing it cos I loved it, never thinking about being professional. For me all the best music is from the heart. Money and career has the potential to taint the artistic direction. I guess I'm lucky that since the start I've mostly been able to maintain a living."

London has always been the recognised 'home' of D&B.  Is there anywhere else in the world that you think can compete on any level?

"There are many other places that have or had a wicked scene with loads of enthusiasm. New Zealand is great, San Fransisco used to be one of the best, however not to take away from anywhere else but I still think London holds the mantle."

Is there ever a point where if the music became over commercialised and suffered as a result, you would consider leaving the scene?

"I don't think its going to suffer from being over commercialised, but if anything loses its soul and I don't feel able to do anything to change that then perhaps its time to move on."

What's the best gig you've ever played?

"I can't even begin to try and pick one, there have been a lot of great ones... but Repercussion's shows are always up there."

Klute plays at Repercussion at Snug on Wednesday 1st December.

www.heavyrepercussion.co.uk
www.commercialsuicide.org

Comment (0)

Send to friend

Print

Add to Facebook