“The thing about record labels”, explains Bass Kleph as we wait in line for much needed coffee at his local Campo’s, “is that they are usually about eight or ten months behind you.” Nodding complacently, I beckon for him to continue, “like for instance, you could really be into a sound right now and by the time it gets released you could be in a totally new place”. So does that explain the little publisized split from his successful label, Breaking Point? The short answer is yes, and the longer answer is well, yes. No longer did we have pioneering Aussie breakbeat star Bass Kleph – immersed in awards and accolades left and right – we have a talented musician imprisoned in a bureaucratic establishment, confined by a systematic preoccupation for cash, control or acclaim. Never one to be held down by labels, rules or ‘the man’, Kleph was soon up and running with his own unique brand of jackin’ club music, running under the name of Vacation Records. And in little over six months, the Vacation sound has spread like wildfire, with everyone from the Plump DJs to Micky Slim, Sarah Main and Hybrid shouting its praise, but what next? Global domination?
Not quite. At least not with the amount of time Kleph has on his hands these days, what with the inner workings of a record label to deal with, his own radio show and a residency to hold down at Sydney club Chinese Laundry each Friday. How does the man fit it all in? Some kind of cloning machine? Sadly not, the more time I spent with Kleph the more I understood just how well oiled the Vacation dream machine is, like handing over the reigns to the Beatbox radio system to ex-drum and bass’er-turned-electro-jackin-chunky-houser fRew and incorporating a finely honed team of professional graphics designers and PR people all working for the love of it with the Vacation dream in mind. Having all these dedicated team members on board just means that Kleph gets to perfect that sound that we all love, and the sound? Well, when hanging out with Stu, while he added the finishing touches to a somewhat housier version of his smash remix of Robb G’s ‘12 Inch Therapy’ I struggle to find words to describe it, because it certainly is not breaks, but as much as it isn’t breaks, it is even less house. Yet, it retains a certain sound that could only be contributed to Bass Kleph.
The ‘Vacation Sound’ is very much an extension of Bass Kleph’s personality, because more than obviously having control over everything that gets released, he has the skills to oversee everything from the final mix down to coaching his prospective artists whilst they produce, and judging from one of the first releases by label mate fRew (his debut ‘Shake With It’), you can tell it has the Bass Kleph hand in there somewhere. Because the more you look at it, it becomes less of a Bass Kleph ‘sound’ but more of a Bass Kleph ‘way of approaching music’, and his moniker says it all – Bass Kleph? Well “It’s a musical symbol that represents all the bass heavy instruments.” And bass heavy it is, with the newly remixed N’fa track ‘Get Doh’ released and gaining momentum, and if DJDownload.com is anything to go by, this new release will spend another massive seven weeks at #1 just like previous releases ‘Freak Out (Bass Kleph Remix)’ and ‘Coup d’Etat (Hook n Sling Remix)’, it all looks as though things are ascending into great new heights for the boys, with other Aussie producer heavyweights like Nick Thayer, Hook ‘n’ Sling and Dopamine joining the flight.
So Vacation Records is obviously looking to be taking up a large portion of Bass Kleph’s life, but when does Bass Kleph himself have a Vacation? Interesting question, because not even he has an answer. Sure, miniature golf, roller blading and walks along the beach at sunset are all favourites, but I think he might have been holding out for the first ever annual Vacation Records Winter Party at the Chinese Laundry last week. With rumours of taking the whole shebang on the road circulating, this first taste would have been quite the interesting little gathering with Bass Kleph and Shopliftas in attendance and making his DJ debut fRew (formerly Mischief Maker).
For more info on Bass Kleph’s new label venture Vacation Records, head to their website; www.vacationrecords.com.
audiophilez says...
Word to that!
dainabyrne says...
Bass Kleph is this week's special guest at Lady Lux - Friday 28 Nov 2008. Come and joing Bass Kelph along with guests as they get the crowd pumping at boutique night club - Lady Lux - 2 Roslyn St, Potts Point. Free entry before 11pm if you say you're a guest of Daina's, otherwise $10 before midnight and $20 after. Doors open 10pm and the party finishes somewhere around 6am. Recommend you come early to avoid the queues. Friday drink specials - Free bubbly for the ladies before 12 and $5 Jager's and Vodka until midnight.