Kraymon is one of the leading talents in the UK breakbeat scene at the moment. Otherwise known as Pete Horsham, Kraymon was first thrust into the limelight when he won the prestigious British Telecom “Getoutthere Live” Best overall producer award in October 2000. Since then Kraymon has gained a reputation for producing some of the freshest new breakbeat around.

Kraymon has remixed classic tracks such as Koma & Bones “Fade In” on Freakaboom and received welcome support from Orbital with his “Got to Get Busy” record also on Freakaboom. Kraymon has also released tracks on other labels such as En:vision, Streetwise, MBN and Boombox.

This breakbeat bad boy from Brighton is now starting an Australian tour bringing his fresh outlook on breaks with him to spread the word. Eager to find out what Kraymon is all about? Well as I found out, all you have to do is ask:

Kraymon you now have the reputation of creating some of the freshest new breakbeat around. What got you started into DJ’ing and how long have you been doing it? Have you always been into breaks? What was it that made you go and buy some decks and start out bedroom banging?

I’ve been producing far longer than DJing. I used to mess around with sampling on computers from age 15 using tracker software – basically a sampler/sequencer that enables you to create tracks. I then progressed from these and began to buy myself some hardware equipment to build up my studio. I never sat down and thought I’d write some breaks – it just happened that way because I’ve always been heavily into beats listening to the likes of Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. I’ve produced house and techno stuff too but none of it has been released on vinyl. My close circle of friends and I had nothing much else to do but have a smoke and make music in our very sleepy town in south England. Decks are a cool social way of playing records so about 5 years ago I started buying records and not long after bought myself a pare of Technics.

What was it that made you move from just club dj’ing into producing your own tracks and remixing the likes of Koma and Bones?

Well as I said above – the production came first. Releasing my own records made it far easier for me to get gigs as the people in Breaks had heard of me and were playing my records. Big thanks to Justin at Freakaboom who released my first remix of Bomb Jack “Mars Needs Women” and also gave me the opportunity to remix the classic “Fade In” by K&B.

What equipment do you use to do your producing? There is a huge list on your website, what do you use the most? What kinda of gear do you have setup at home for playing music? and what is your favorite bit of gear for producing?

Well to me it seems like a pretty small setup but people do so much these days with a computer alone. I think computers are great for sampling, audio and sequencing but not so great for SOME synthesized sounds – and that goes for keyboards with computers in them too. I like using old analogue synths and guitar pedals for warmth and grit. I absolutely love my Roland SH101 along with my Yamaha CS-5 which is similar but a little less aggressive. I also love my Yamaha SW1000xg sound card with AN1x plugin card and it just gets so much use…bit hypocritical to say so seeing as it’s Digital!

When you create your own tracks, where do you usually start? With the beats? or a bassline , or a sample etc?

I have to admit recently I always start with the beats! I shouldn’t really restrict myself like that. Before I start sequencing I like to create a palette of sounds to work with so I just jam around on my synths and record it all and cut out the good bits. I also search for good samples on vinyl or pre-recorded sounds on my computer. When I have a good beat ill start to program some bass and make a loop with a cool groove. Once I’m happy with this I kinda of stretch the loop out to create the sequence of the track. Then I blend the transitions from one part of the track to the next, create builds/breakdowns and fine tooth comb the whole track until I’m sick to death of it!

How would you describe your sound now? Has it changed much since you won the “Getoutthere Live” Best overall producer award in October 2000?

I think it some ways it’s improved and in others its a little bit more restricted with less melodies and experimental sections. My music has become far more DJ friendly, which is good for the dancefloor but not so good for home listening. This will all change when it comes to an artist album where I will be free from the restrictions of a 12” dance record. It’s also harder to be original because you are so emersed in what other breaks records are sounding like – it’s hard not to be influenced too much by them and start sounding all samey.

What new stuff are you listening to? what kinda records do you go hunting for these days?

I usually only buy breaks and house/techno on vinyl but for CD listening I love loads of music. I think most ‘genres’ of music have good and bad tracks its just some have a higher proportion of the cack stuff. Right now I’m listening to Radiohead who I’m a big fan of.

Are there any way out or surprising records in your box that most people wouldn’t know about?

I think a lot of people in Australia are going to expect me to just play breaks but I like to mix and bit of 4/4 Techy stuff in there too. I have a wicked Phil Kieran remix of Justin Robertson called “Acid Rave Music!” and I have a Chemical Brothers track called “Electronic Battle Weapon 6” which is basically fierce acid sounds which would probably scare some dancefloors so I like to bring that out every now and then! I like Acid music :)

What are your top 5 favourite tracks at the moment?

Freq Nasty – Sil Num Tao
Presser – ‘2Black 2Gay’ (Friendly’s Daat Booty Purrs Remix)
Will Saul – Cliff (Infusion Remix)
SOTO – Hootenanny
Plump Djs – The Gate
I’m also really happy with my “On Time” track on the En:vision New:BPM Vol.2 mix album.

You recently released a couple of tracks on the new En:Vision BPM Vol2 CD. Are we likely to see a full Kraymon album release in 2004?

Haha! I hadn’t read this question when I answered the last – what a lead in! New:BPM Vol.2 mixed by Future Funk Squad is absolutely blinding!! Go buy it now. As for my album – I really want to get started on this but I think it’s going to take a couple of years. I really want it to be perfect and I need to be able to do this as a full time project so money to keep me alive becomes a real issue. I’m just about to get started on it so we shall see how long it takes.

Kraymon you also are heavily involved in the promotion of a club night in Bristol called KINGPIN. How did you get involved with that and what huge things are happening for the 1st birthday party?

Yes, KINGPIN is going from strength to strength at the moment. It all started when I moved from my parents home in south England to Bristol with a school friend of mine (Dave – Gecko) about one and a half years ago. I met some guys studying in Bristol who if know from www.nuskoolbreaks.co.uk message board. We got on well decided set up a night to play out all the good new breaks records we were buying. I had quite a few contacts in the industry so I was able to get some excellent DJs down to play. We work well as a team and the enthusiasm is reflected in our night. For the birthday party in November we have Elite Force & Atomic Hooligan coming down. We’ve had Elite Force down before and his set was probably the best all year so the combination of the two should be outstanding as I’ve seen Atomic Hooligan rip it up before.

How would you describe the breaks scene in Bristol and the UK in general?

Since I’ve lived there it has become enormous. There is obviously a vibrant music scene there with Portishead, Massive Attack, Kosheen, The Stanton Warriors and Roni Size all from Bristol so people are willing to go out and party to good music. Drum & Bass is very big there and I think people are starting to become a little saturated with all the D&B nights – they want something different and breaks fits the bill. The biggest breaks orientated night is called Blowpop with The Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts, Freq Nasty and The Stanton Warriors all being residents so that can be a good party. We cater for the slightly harder side of things and there are Breaks nights springing up left right and centre at the moment. I hope it doesn’t become saturated because its not a very big city – smaller than Perth, but actually pretty similar.

You are about to start your Australian Tour, what kind of set will you be playing? Will there be any new unheard Kraymon tracks in the set list?

I don’t exactly know until I play as I like to checkout the vibe of the night but it will obviously be UK breaks orientated. Yes.

What’s the plan after this tour? Have you got more touring? More producing?

I’m going to get straight back into the studio and get producing! I’m itching to write some music and I’m hoping to hook up with some locals here in Perth to fuel my habit. I’m also going to be doing some UK gigs and get to work organising some European gigs. I’d also like to do some touring in Canada and the US soon.

What direction do you want to take your DJ’ing and producing to next? What’s the next level for Kraymon?

Melodies. There are too many breaks tracks with just beats and a bassline – occasionally I think it’s becoming a bit stale but then a wicked new track comes along and restores my faith.

Check Kraymon out at:

Fri 17th Oct – Brisbane, Hi-Grade @ Emire Hotel
Fri 24th Oct – Perth, MoS Annual Tour @ Metrocity/Globe
Fri 31st Oct – Sydney, Halcyon:Breaks @ Globe
Mon 3rd Nov – Melbourne, Fractured @ Seven w/ BLIM