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Baker's Dozen

Relentless Education: Krust's 13 Favourite Albums
Neil Kulkarni , September 22nd, 2021 08:20

Drum & bass pioneer Krust takes Neil Kulkarni through the records that shaped him, from the lessons learnt from Public Enemy, Wu-Tang Clan and Yellow Magic Orchestra to the "revelation" of Flying Lotus, via The Beatles, Michael Jackson and more

Bristolian DJ Krust, much like fellow veteran drum & bass pioneers Doc Scott and Dillinja, has assuredly returned himself to the fray in recent years after a period of sporadic releases. His full-length album from 2020 The Edge Of Everything contained some of his most sublime work yet in a 30 year career at the cutting edge of drum & bass, and the stunning trio of remix EPs that have since emerged on the Crosstown Rebels imprint reaches a culmination with The Edge Of Everything – Remixed, a full-length release for these intriguing rerubs from a welter of like-minded sonic psychonauts. With big names like UNKLE, Masters At Work, Four Tet and Calibre - as well as up and comers like LCY and Batu - contributing startling reimaginings of Krust’s latest productions, one can’t help wonder how much of a say Krust himself had, and whether he laid down any provisos before letting his latest work be so completely derailed and deformed?

“What, I’m gonna tell Masters At Work how to do a remix?” he laughs. “No way man. Each of the people doing the mixes are legends in their own field! They don’t need any instructions. And every single one of them - I know you’re going to ask for favourites but I genuinely don’t have one - has taken the tracks in a totally new direction which is of course what I’d expect from these people. The Four Tet one though was properly surprising - I really wasn’t expecting what I heard. The Hodge's one’s ridiculous. LCY’s is ridiculous. What I’m really happy with is that like the album itself, the remix album is a great listening experience in itself, it flows. I’m just honoured that these people really gave themselves to the project. I like music to surprise me, to give me something I’ve never heard before. All of the remixers have done that, and all of my choices do that for me too”

Krust's TEOE Remixes #3 EP and The Edge Of Everything – Remixed album are both out now via Crosstown Records. To begin reading his Baker's Dozen, click the picture of him below.

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