For a number of years now, Kraymon aka Pete Horsham has been at the cutting edge of the UK breaks scene, working as a DJ, producer and promoter. Though having produced music for over ten years now, his career was set in motion after winning the celebrated British Telecom ‘Getoutthere Live’ award in October 2000. Heads really started turning with the release of his debut single ‘Got To Get Busy’ back in 2001 and Kraymon has since released tracks on labels such as En:vision, Streetwise, Freakaboom and Boombox. Having established himself as one of the leading talents in the Bristol breaks community, Kraymon is in demand, landing numerous gigs throughout the UK and abroad. I had the pleasure of catching up with the easy-going Kraymon, who, by the sounds of things, is probably one of the busiest men in Bristol.
When asked about his style, Kraymon explains the difference between the tunes he writes, and the tunes he mixes, “Well the music that I DJ is bloody different to the music I make. My production is pretty much break beat, just straight down the line really. But DJing wise I like to mix house, electro house, techno…whatever into the breaks mix to mix it up a bit. But I like to keep it varied in both production and DJing. I’m really happy with ‘Just Press Play’ which is on Streetwise Records, that was done about a year ago now. I think its got quite a unique sound, and a long shelf-life, it doesn’t get boring too quickly.”
Kraymon is quickly making a name for himself in a lot of places, finding his most rewarding experiences have sprung from spreading the sound overseas. To date, Kraymon has blown away crowds in Ireland, Finland, Prague, Hungary, Spain and of course Australia. “Releasing records that are played in other countries is really rewarding. Getting gigs in places that I wouldn’t necessarily go on holidays, its so nice to go out there and check out their cities. Its funny to think that people are playing your records in so many different countries.”
Despite his jet-setting ways, Kraymon is always more than happy to return to his extensive string of residencies back home in Bristol. One of which is at the ever popular club night – Kingpin, which is held at Timbuk2. Having just recently celebrated its 3rd birthday, Kingpin has had rave reviews from DJ Mag and has been dubbed “the best breaks night in the UK” by Aquasky – Kerian. As well as being one of Kingpin’s five residents, Kraymon plays a major role co-promoting the event and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, “The promotional side of thing that comes along with that… it isn’t all good fun, like standing outside a club at 3am handing out flyers.”
Kingpin initially began as a strictly breaks affair, but has widened its scope to include a variety of artists. “We started booking electro artists too. But it’s good cos Kingpin still has its own sound. People come to the night on the name Kingpin, not necessarily the guests we book in. It’s going really, really well. Really great following.” Another big highlight for the year was his debut performance at the Glades festival earlier in the year, “I played at the Glades festival this year which is the first time I’d been there, because its only the second year its been running. But yeah, it was unbelievable weather, really great stuff!”
Though usually a lone ranger in the studio, Kraymon been exploring the benefits of working with other artists of late, “until recently it’s been solo, but I have started doing more and more stuff with other people, I first worked with Future Funk Squad and we did a track that was released on James Zabiela’s worldwide ALiVE mix – called ‘Fire Water” and that went really well and I think we’re going to properly release that soon. I’ve also done one with a Bristol producer 30hz which also went down quite well and that was on Vertical Sound Records.” However Kraymon maintains discretion when it comes to working on collaborations, “I’m quite into it, but you can’t really just work with anyone, yeah you have to have the same ideas with them as to what you want to do…. otherwise you’ll end up in a punch up.”
When asked where his true passions lie, be them in the realms of DJing/producing or promoting, Kraymon remains divided. “I’ve always loved producing, always have ideas in my head. I’ve been doing it for over ten years now. I’m always listening out for that edge. I haven’t been producing not as much as I’d like to lately but that’s just a time thing really. Though I’ve been concentrating a lot on Kingpin with my friends at the moment, and really enjoying DJing as well. But yeah, I try to move myself across all areas.”
When he’s not working, Kraymon is an avid cyclist and a dedicated party goer. “I love going out and socialising with friends. I quite like cycling, going and doing things instead of being stuck in doors. The whole nightclub/studio thing is a bit…. hermit. I like to get outdoors every now and then.”
Kraymon is in Australia now and continues his tour this weekend:
Sat 26th Nov – Chinese Laundry, Sydney
Fri 25th Nov – Shamrock Hotel, Brisbane
Sat 3rd Dec – Ambar, Perth
