#dirty k

Introductions first: for anyone who doesn't know, who are you / where are you from? Hi, I'm James (Dirty K) from Nanjing city in China. I'm a producer & DJ.

How did you get started making music and getting into DJing? Is there a defining memory which cemented your interest? Well，I began to make music when I was a freshman in college and my major was music recording. The DJing seemed easier to me so I got into it earlier. I solidified the idea when I played in Shelter with Genome last year. Tbh I learned a lot in that club.

The first time I came across your music was when you had a track featured on the Guangzhou Underground "East West Bass Test" compilation towards the end of last year, so I wanted to ask about your relationship to that label's ideals when it comes to the give and take between Chinese and international dance music. Where do you draw the most influence from? I think communication is the most important thing. First, due to the lack of resources in my hometown, I had to go to multi-cultural cities to get more knowledge about Grime music. I also wanted to make sure my tracks got heard worldwide too, cuz people should know there is someone trying to make these kind of tunes in China.

How did you first get involved with Genome 6.66mbp? Has being part of a close-knit group of likeminded producers had an impact on you? It's not quite that serious - for real. We just know each other at parties. But having a mutual preference for this kind of music is also necessary.

The press release for Exsciccation gives its definition as "the complete removal of moisture, to a state of absolute dryness" something representative of "an attempt to thematise the contradiction between [your] fecund online life and the atrophied reality of [your] surroundings". Was making the EP a cathartic process for you? Does the music represent a metaphorical rejection / destruction of that dry IRL environment or do you think your life offline came to have more of a constructive influence? Yeah, I think you can call it a kind of cathartic process. The word 'dry' is sometimes used to describe 'boring' in some slang. Currently I don't have to worry about the economic problem in reality tbh cuz i'm still studying, due to this most ppl think that i should have nothing to complain about, however very few people around me can understand my music and my taste and that makes me feel isolated and anxious lol. In contrast, I can interact with a lot of like-minded people on the internet and that helps to make me feel substantial.

In terms of both music and aesthetic, GENOME operates along this Organic / Technological axis, which the narrative behind your EP obviously refers to, but I wanted to ask where exactly you think your music lies on that axis: are you thinking organically or technologically when you're making a track? Does that position shift at all when you're in a club environment and you're DJing or dancing? Actually I don't quite have much of a sense of technological things. But i'm really conscious about some ecological aesthetics in my music, but I think your word organic is more accurate. Exsciccation is a term in biology yeah. Tavi's visuals inspire me too, cuz she often takes pictures with different kinds of plants which have withered.

On Exsciccation there's a track called Pyroclasm, a title which I remember as an attack from FF XII but it turns out there's also a MAGIC card with the same name. Were those fantasy elements a deliberate reflection of what you put into the production? Or just your way of easily referencing an atmosphere of destruction and unrest/chaos? The cover on the magic card was the main reason I decided to use 'Pyroclasm' as a title, what's more, Noctilucent's suggested it, cuz i wanted to used a word to express a sense of conflict.

Did you set out with a particular idea for the mix? Alright, It's fairly simple. I just wanted to share the music I've listened to recently, especially the fresh materials i got from talents like Xin, Gil, Cash From Hash, Rui Ho, Murlo, WULFFLUW XCIV etc.

What do you have planned for the rest of the year? Currently I need to get a reasonable grade in IELTS. It's the most crucial thing for me right now. Although it will mean a loss of time to make music :(

If you had to pick something for people to listen to immediately after this mix what would it be? There are too many good tunes in my mind. But, if I have to, I would give a shout to my friends: Yongfu Rd from Zean (released by Push & Pull).

Please introduce yourself briefly. Hi there, I'm Dirty K, from Nanjing, China.

We feel your music has been informed by a wide range of genres like Grime, Footwork & etc. Are there any specific genres you have been focussing on lately? Not really, in the past, I always liked to imitate different genres that I wanted to be. But that always made me lose myself. For now, I would rather put my ideology into different frameworks and structures than simply follow the trend. '动机' is my first attempt to find myself.

Do you think the idea of “genre” is important? I think the idea of “genre” is important, but absolutely not in all the terms. Different tags can help people find the music they like more conveniently, like how a menu in a restaurant gives people selections. But when artists produce the music, how they express their ideas is the most important thing, not genre.

In relation to this, what genre would you place your music in? On your SoundCloud I saw the use of #CantoneseGrime that I liked; on your track DaiTou with Soulhan. Thank you haha. As I said, #CantoneseGrime was raw shit to everyone when the label GZUG was going to release this song, and I came up with this tag automatically. There are too many genres that influence me, including Grime and Dancehall riddim.

动机’(Motivation), the track of yours in ‘Genome 6.66 Mbp’ compilation album is a little different from your older tracks; did you change your style or does it fit into your wider range as an artist? Before I met the Genome crew, I didn’t even know this kind of music. They inspired me a lot. Genome helped my music become more independent and ‘动机’ is the prototype of a direction which I will further explore.

What is the most important thing for you when you make a track? A comfortable room with red bull and snacks? Hahahaha.

What is your process when making a track? For example; Are you more calculated or more intuitive? In Chinese '动机‘ means motivation, that's the main idea of this track, because motivation is the minimum unit in music like the genome in the body. Motivation can be a short rhythmic pattern or phrase, the theme of the track consists of several different motivations. So I always find the best motivation then I expand it to a nice theme.

What’s currently happening in the Chinese underground dance music scene? It’s tough, I want to say, but the party still needs to go on, we'd never give up.

What is it like working in a more localised scene? And How is it specific to Nanjing or Shanghai? If you are a full-time promoter I think you need to have a lot of patience to promote your stuff and make people understand what is cool. Nanjing is a one of the best cities to live in China, Shanghai is busy but have more fun.

Also, how do you think the Chinese underground music scene fits into the global underground music scene and specifically the east Asian scene? That was definitely the most positive thing I have ever experienced like the meaning of this interview, I can't believe you guys from Seoul found me to make this interview. Now to communicate with people in different countries is the only way to encourage me to release music in global label. You make me feel not lonely anymore, for real.

What is next for you? I’m preparing my first EP in Genome 6.66Mbp, and I'm trying to improve my English, too. Hahahaha.