Adam F and DJ Fresh feature – Published in ATM Magazine and Serie B Magazine, 2004

Order in Kaos

As the old saying goes ‘two heads are better than one’ and in the last year alone two of the most famous dnb producers have yet again proved that there is a lot of truth in that saying. Adam F and Fresh joined forces in 2003 to form Breakbeat Kaos and in the process create a label and camp that would literally take the scene by storm within a year. Having just returned from an extensive stay in the US, proving beneficial for both the label and its artists on more than one level, ATM had the chance to catch up with those two workhorses of dnb over the phone to find out exactly what they have been up to stateside and what we can expect in the coming year. Trust us things are only going to get bigger.

Their 8 months long US escapade involved Fresh setting up camp in New York, a massive tour which took in most states and cities, and a load of production work for both of them in and out of the dnb scene, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Their US tour, which will be shortly followed by a European one this autumn, also served as a prelude to the forthcoming second BK LP, ‘Original Jungle Sound 2: The Bassline Strikes Back’. The LP promises to pack more dancefloor killers than Andy C’s record box with a line up that reads like a who’s who of current dnb producing top dogs including Adam, Fresh, Pendulum, Andy C, Baron, Dillinja and more. Not that they need any more names to make this a must have for most heads out there. As Adam put it “it’s going to be very big, it’s even more dancefloor orientated then the first one, still musical though but with every tune aimed for the dancefloor, every one is a killer track. We’ve got Pendulum’s ‘Masochist’ on there, ‘Circles remix’ and ‘Kingston Vampires’ amongst others.” The first single to come out of the LP is entitled ‘When the Sun Comes Down’ and is a collaboration between Adam, Fresh and MC Darrison, BK’s regular MC who is currently working with Fresh in the studio and will feature on the mix version of the LP. The tune has been likened by Adam to recent chart stormers like LK and Barcelona, with a deep summer vibe to it and lyrics from Darrison as well as Adam who follows in the footsteps of people like Dillinja who have started hitting the vocal booth as well as the mixing desk.

Following on from the forthcoming LP is even more work from the BK stable with Fresh taking the lead as all good label heads should by delivering monster tracks to other labels before the year’s end. So expect ‘Colossus’ and ‘Twister’ on Ram, ‘All That Jazz’ on V alongside Darrison, which we’re told is one to watch out for, and a remix of ‘Thugged Out Bitch’ for Valve. And if all this wasn’t enough Fresh will also be keeping the output of Breakbeat Kaos steady with more solo bits on the label. Other artists in the camp are also working overtime to make sure that this coming year remains stamped with the BK logo in the minds of everyone. Pendulum are readying their solo LP for early next year, which will have many of us salivating at the mouth in anticipation, while new signing Baron also gets busy in the studio with new singles ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting public following the LP. And you can expect more releases and signings to the label to keep the momentum going and make sure that Breakbeat Kaos stays a name you can trust. In addition to all this Fresh and Adam will also continue to build the DOA label, which got off to a good start this year with the release of Fresh’s genre defying ‘Floodlight’. Keep an eye out for DOA with regular nights at fabric and new releases from the likes of Future Prophecies and others.

But why exactly did Adam and Fresh choose to team up and form BK, when they were both already highly in demand DJs and producers who had shown they can hang on their own amongst dnb’s elite? “It’s been speculated that it is because we’re both blonde boys, we’re gay and we love each other… which is true!” Fresh exclaims. “Well no not really but fuck what people think! I think the main thing was that we are both keen on exploring new music. Some people are happy to just make dancefloor stuff and for me there was always more to it. Dnb was the greatest musical discovery for me because it allowed me to combine my love of technology with music, so that was a dream, but I’ve always been someone who thinks outside the box, and so is Adam.” And when you take into account their previous work, the aforementioned release schedule and Fresh’s ability to always come up with new concepts and ideas it’s easy to see exactly what he means. Breakbeat Kaos just isn’t your average dnb label and when we start speaking about their non-dnb work, it all becomes even more evident.

Adam already showed the way with his work on the ‘Kaos’ LP and then earlier on this year they both got involved with the Pet Shop Boys by producing their new single, which while not a first is a significant achievement for both dnb as a whole and for them. The Pet Shop Boys might not be to everyone’s taste but it’s undeniable that by varying their work they are able to keep their dnb releases exciting and different. Fresh especially made a point of explaining that for him this work outside of the dnb spectrum is key to making sure his music doesn’t get stuck in a formula and lose its appeal. “I want to make stuff that sounds original, I’m not interested in copying what other people have done. Working with the Pet Shop Boys was a great experience for many reasons. At the end of the day all these influences I’ve been getting will allow me to make more original music. After five years of smashing it on dancefloors, it would be nice to experience something new, which is what I’m trying to do. For me it’s all about getting a load of influences from everyone I meet and I think even living in NY will also reflect in my music.” So what else have the Breakbeat Kaos leaders been up to then? Well Adam has been keeping up his previous hip-hop connections with work on the upcoming Method Man and Redman ‘Blackout 2’ album, an R.Kelly remix, as well as work for more underground US MCs. “I also did a single with Misteeq which ended up on the Catwoman soundtrack by total fluke” he explains. “They got signed to Universal in the states and the track got picked up. I’ve also presented tracks to Missy Elliott and other people on her label. Really just getting music to loads of people, either presenting it or producing for them. Some is happening, some is waiting to happen, but it’s a load of stuff outside of just dnb. I’m also working on a new solo album which will be another non-dnb thing but more varied than Kaos. BK started off as a dnb label but the aim is to diversify the label and put out any music we like and think is good. We want to push through other things so we won’t just restrict ourselves to dnb. For example we want Pendulum to do something that is non-dnb too, like possibly going back to their rock/metal origins. Being in the US for the last 8 months has helped a lot.”

Indeed with such a wide-ranging amount of work it’s unlikely that things will stay the same as they’ve been in the last year for Breakbeat Kaos. Add to this Fresh’s outings in hip-hop territory, which include producing tracks for Freeway and other Rocafella artists, working with the producer of the ‘Bodyguard’ soundtrack in LA and an upcoming live project which will be taking in all theses influences to the stage, and you’ve got yourself a label which has its mind fixed on making sure they break people’s expectations each and every time. “Even if hip-hop is not something I was always keen on” Fresh points out, “it’s been growing a lot on me lately especially all the recent stuff like Neptunes and all that. I really want to bring my rock origins into it as well, work that with it. Rock is where my first love is at and I want to blend that with hip-hop. All these things I’ll expand on with this live project too.” With this in mind will Fresh join the ranks of producers who have taken their dnb influences into hip-hop territories? “I think I’m more likely to take hip-hop influences into my music rather then any other way round.”

Speaking on the importance of the internet to help build and grow tight knit communities and incorporate the ever expanding worldwide battalions of dnb fans out there, we drift back to DOA and its place within and alongside the Breakbeat Kaos camp. Adam got together with Grooverider (who is now head of A&R for DOA) and Sasha Cohen (who used to own and run the Lucky Spin record shop and label back in the days) last year to focus on making DOA bigger, better and more than just their site. “Groove brought Sasha into it” Fresh explains, “they direct the site, and Sasha’s a great businessman too so that’s good for DOA. The only way to carry it on was to move away from it being a personal sort of site, let it grow and that’s where it’s at now, it changes and evolves. We can now sit back and let other people take control of the site. We use the press to promote the site and all its happenings. It’s a good thing, and then we are also entering in a deal with Beatport soon to license our tunes with them which will let people get hold of our music more easily. Groove gives the site a broader angle which is great, he gets involved in the forums too, takes the piss and tells people to fuck off.” So are forums a waste of time or a good way to keep your finger on the pulse of people’s opinions? “I think they are good, they are a reflection of the feelings of the punters and the scene. Some people find it hard to deal with honesty and people being blunt. It’s a healthy exercise to get to terms with reality. It’s easy to get up your own ass without criticism. It reminds you you’re lucky to be here doing what you do, and it can be taken away as well.”

Fresh’s mention of their deal with Beatport brings up the tricky subject of the ever-growing threat presented to the industry by Internet piracy and CD technology. With an increasing number of sites cropping up this year to offer legal download services, in the hope of stemming the piracy problem and providing a much needed service to hundreds of worldwide fans and CD DJs, things are changing for dance music whether some people like it or not. “People need to open their eyes and realise you need to change the way you do things in the future”, Fresh points out. “Piracy is devaluing the whole buying process and creates a loss of respect of sorts from the buying public for the music. People need to realise that money for music is worth it at the end. We don’t live an amazing life off it, but some people don’t see that, and they are hurting the people down the chain not those making money, who are a small minority anyway. People suffer from piracy because its become accepted, especially in dnb and that needs to change. Mp3s sale could start replacing CDs I think, in our scene anyway. It’s like the new Kodak campaign, the one with the slogan ‘remember photos?’ People forget about things like that, and it’s the same with music, remember when music used to be good quality? Well that’s what mp3s bring in a way. The most important thing is quality. For now not many people are making any money off such sites yet but give it time and things will change, for the better.”

We’ll have to wait and see to find out if 2004 is the year of Kaos, but from where we’re standing there aren’t many labels and producers putting in the amount of work these two have and with so many different projects, collaborations and influences thrown into the mix it’s hard to see them failing at their aim of making BK a quality dnb label as well as one that will keep surprising you each and every time. Any last words Fresh? “Not for now I’ll keep those for my death bed I think!”

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written by Laurent