Podcast 868: Kayper

Kayper—real name Kaajal Bakrania—was born in Croydon, South London and raised in a family of DJ-producers. During the early 2000s, while still at university studying Music Technology, she drew inspiration from Nookie, her cousin and a pioneer in the UK’s jungle and drum & bass community, and she quickly gained recognition for her exceptional skills behind the turntables as a scratch DJ. With a foundation rooted in hip-hop, her taste has evolved to encompass a broad spectrum of sounds, including UK garage, dubstep, house, techno, and disco. Away from DJing, she’s also released original music on labels including Hypercolour Records, where she recently put out Warning​/​Jungle, a two-track EP of energetic breakbeat. From her apartment in Brooklyn, with the iconic New York skyline as a backdrop, she has recorded an XLR8R podcast purveying what she calls a “darker sound, similar to what you’d hear on old-school pirate radio.” It’s a sound, as her artistic career continues to unfold, that she wishes to explore further. Across its runtime, you’ll hear one side of the Hypercolour EP plus tracks from Deetron, Skudge, Alex Jones, and more.

01. What have you been up to recently?
I’ve been prepping music for upcoming shows, learning to use some new studio equipment that I just bought, and working out in the gym a lot.

02. What have you been listening to?
I have been revisiting a lot of 2010 post-dubstep vibes and I’ve been digging through some late ’80s and early ’90s Detroit techno records

03. Where and when did you record this mix?
I recorded this mix a few weeks ago in my studio at my house in Brooklyn, New York.

04. What setup did you use?
Pioneer CDJ-3000S, Pioneer DJ DJM-V10 mixer, and Pioneer DJ PLX-1000 turntables.

05. How did you choose the tracks that you’ve included?
Whenever I put together a set or mix, I aim to create a journey. My taste in music is quite eclectic, but for this mix I wanted to capture a darker sound, similar to what you’d hear on old-school pirate radio. I carefully selected tracks that embody that vibe while incorporating new, forward-thinking music to keep it fresh and relevant.

06. How does it compare to what we might hear you play out?
There’s a significant difference between being booked to DJ for the crowd and being booked to DJ as an artist, where you can truly showcase music that reflects who you are. After 25 years of DJing, I’ve reached a stage where I want to perform more as an artist. If I get the chance to do more gigs like that, the music in this mix reflects the kind of vibe I want to explore further. I don’t often get to play darker, underground tracks, but that’s definitely the energy I’m drawn to right now.

07. What’s next on your horizon?
I am currently working on some releases for Hypercolour Records next year and also working on music for my own label, Hai Music.

Tracklisting

01. Skudge “Convolution” (2562 Remix) (Skudge Records)
02. Folklore “21” Speakers” (Folklore)
03. Thunderkats “Find That Woman” (Black Panthro)
04. Statix 4×4 “You’ve Got Me” (Statix)
05. Dubplate Pressure “Be Good To Me” (Hardline)
06. Samiel “Yes OK” (RKS)
07. S.R “Side A” (White Label)
08. House Of Black Lanterns “Summon Like This” (Something Nice Mix) (Sneaker Social Club)
09. Joe Milli “Body” (Faux Poly)
10. Brink, Lutsu “Champion Sound” (An Avrin Remix) (Drumskull)
11. Roska “Level 17” (RKS)
12. Bakongo “Crosspipe” (RKS)
13. Multi Track Drifters “Goldblum Bounce” (Samsara Beats)
14. DJ Sliink “New Delhi” (White Label)
15. K-65 “Kikuyu” (Rinse)
16. K-65 “Bad Tabs” (Maison Fauna)
17. DJ Swisha “Freakbody” (DJ Swisha)
18. Alex Jones “Bucks Phenomena” (Elisa Bee Remix) (Hypercolour)
19. Mad Rey “Broke” (Dub Mix) (Mad Rey)
20. Gaston Zani “The Message” (Rawmix) (Addeepted)
21. Shortage “Shadowban” (Taipan Trax)
22. Ariel Zatina “Tropical Depression” (Del Hale Remix) (Local Action)
23. Skov Bowden “Squad” (Gene Richards Jr Remix) (Beardman)
24. Deetron “Filter” (Body Remix) (Ilian Tape)
25. Kayper “Warning” (Hypercolour)

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