We caught up with Kanji ahead of his set at In The Face, this guy’s someone we’ve wanted to get down since we started

Hiya mate, how ya doing?

All good thanks! Been ultra busy with various projects and remixes so really looking forward to getting down to Brighton and smashing it out!

For those people that haven’t heard your music, could you explain your sound to us?

It’s a mix of underground dance genres aimed firmly at the dancefloor, there’s elements of techno, bassline, dubstep, oldskool hardcore, garage, drum & bass… anything full-on to hype up the crowd!

You have a very unique style! What’s influenced you, do you try to sound different, or does it just come out that way?

I’m not really into making music in one particular genre so I just make tunes that I’d want to hear on the dancefloor! I used to be really into the hardest of dnb and technical metal, but also want to bring back the vibe of the free parties in the UK in the early 90s. I was too young to go but I’m trying to recreate my idea of what it was like!

You’ve just started another label (you already run Electrostimulation with Z-Kat) Mutant Bass Recordings, which is all free to download. What’s the idea behind it and what can we expect from future releases?

I’m trying to give more exposure to this hybrid bass sound cause I think there’s a lot of potential for it to blow up! There are a lot of great upcoming artists starting to get shows all over the place and I want to give them a platform for more people to hear them. And offering them up for free download is the best way to get them to as many people as possible!

Which producers/djs are you rating at the moment?

The Off Me Nut crew from Sheffield, UK are really taking off right now which is great. They have a proper DIY vibe and also run a free netlabel, the main artists like Squire of Gothos, Dankle, Moova and Droid have plenty of free stuff up for download and always bring the rave. Other artists I’m really into right now include Rrritalin, Submerse, Lenkemz, Simtek, The McMash Clan, Double Oh No, Figure and Michael Forshaw.

You’ve played in Brighton before. How have you found it?

The last time I played at the Volks was for a Wrong Music night and it was sick! The crowd were totally into it and I can’t wait to come back!

2010 was a big year for you, what can we expect for 2011?

A lot! I’m working on a lot of new material in different tempos at the moment for a few different labels. I also have a few remixes on the go and I’m working on an all-new live set that should be more hectic than ever.

Aside from writing dancefloor bangers, djing and running two labels. What else do you get up to?

I have a bunch of projects in the works at the moment, I’m finishing up my first video game soundtrack which is something I’ve always wanted to get into. I’m also working on a sample pack which should be available later this year.

Thanks for the interview, looking forward to your set on friday…

Check out Kanji’s labels, www.mutantbassrecords.com and www.electrostimulation.co.uk and come see him on Friday, more info below….

In The Face is back for the first of a series of mega-events in 2020, Get ready for round 2 of this with our 10th Birthday in May! For this one though we have a seriously strong lineup:

UK Funky & bass don Champion will be joined by grime legends Spooky & Killa P! You may recognise Killa P from one of the biggest dubstep tracks of all time: Skeng, as well as many many others. Spooky has been repping grime for a long time in London having released some of the scenes biggest tunes. Joining them are upcoming producer Fork and Knife, and 877 label boss Dom877, alongside residents Hadean & Gash

ENTRY:
£5 Early bird, £8 First release, £10 Final release, more on the door!

ADVANCE TICKETS: https://www.native.fm/event/in-the-face-champion-spooky-killa-p

For the final In The Face of 2018 we are bringing bass legends & heads of Four40 Records Hybrid Theory to The Volks. Joining them are northern madman Thorpey who will, of course, be bringing the absolute bangers, as well as local lads PVC, Tropical Selecta & Shillin. Residents Hadean & King Hydra oversee proceedings as usual and in room 2 we have breaks, dnb & glitch hop courtesy of the Bass Konnection boys

Room 1 :

Taiki Nulight
Kanji Kinetic
Zero
Hot Goods
Hadean
King Hydra

Room 2 :

Shambolic Soundsystem

Bit of a change for us. We’re doing a rare summer date at an exciting new nightclub on the seafront: Hideout. Topping the bill we have one of the most in demand and innovative minds in modern music… Culprate. Joining him are fellow Bristolian badmen Sample Junkie, Audio Gutter & Zenji, all of who have (or will have) a release on In The Face Records! As well as that we have northern newcomer Coxon stepping up and In The Face residents Hadean & King Hydra.

In The Face celebrates our 8th birthday with an absolute legend, someone we have all been influenced by and it is with great pleasure we are bringing RUSKO to Brighton. This is a chance to see Rusko in an intimate environment, and for someone who is used to playing for thousands of people this is something truly special for us

ENTRY:
Limited £12 tickets