05/05/2023
Huge thanks to Chris from Sounds of Aotearoa for doing a write-up on the label. Head over to their page and give it a read for the inside scoop on Khz and what makes us who we are.
+ a special promo mix from Rome & Oliver Prince featuring the majority of our discography + afew forthcoming tracks.
https://on.soundcloud.com/etZLrUeyGH5NZrx48
Khz Collective is an Ōtautahi based label, that’s set out to create a platform for the vast array of Aotearoa producers making tracks spanning Breaks, Dubstep, Jungle, Halftime and Techno variants. Khz are relative newcomers to the underground scene but have begun their journey with intent, releasing three EP’s, putting on two nights in Wanaka and with a third coming up in Ōtautahi with a warehouse rave featuring Aotearoa bass music icon, Paige Julia headlining the night (Ōtautahi, 19/5/23). Roman Alty (Rome) started Khz in mid-2022, drawing inspiration from Aotearoa’s sound-system and underground music culture. Roman was seeing emerging kiwi producers releasing music independently, resulting in some tracks being underappreciated and lost in the crowd of music available. Roman wanted to build a label recognized for its dark, sub shattering sound, where people making that type of music could have a platform to release their tracks for people who enjoy that type of sound. Putting on inclusive events where music and the love of it brings people together is a large part of what Roman wants to do with Khz Collective.
“My aim for Khz is to represent Aotearoa in the dance music scene whether that’s nationally or internationally and to create safe partying spaces for people to come and enjoy, and to also share the musical talent we have in our communities.” Khz’s upcoming Paige Julia gig shows Roman’s aim, as he is working hard to curate an epic party with elements that separates it from other events. The combination of having one of the most talented Kiwi bass music artists as the headline act, a recently upgraded Grass Fed Sound System, warehouse rave style event that’s BYO and a supporting line up featuring some of Ōtautahi’s finest will make this a party worth clearing the schedule for. Another notable touch to the event is the encouragement to keep the night, phone/filming free, mirroring the policy from some of Europe’s rave institutions. “Be free, live in the moment and enjoy the music.” Roman discussed how this phone/filming free dance floor rule has been implemented at Ōtautahi club FLUX over the last year “which has turned the place into a social hub for bass music lovers, because it has such a great vibe in part due to not having phone eating up everyone's attention.”
Over the past couple of years Roman has been exposed to Aotearoa's sound system culture, inspiring Roman’s journey. The annual Big ol Bush Doof, featuring the impressive Fidelity Sound System, opened Roman’s eyes to the unmatchable feel of a big rig. This fueled Roman’s fire to explore the world of sound-system culture and became a part of the Magnetic L;OW Sound System crew. Khz Collective have started a new mix series as of this year inspired by sound-system culture, Khz Cuts, which is going to focus on showcasing Kiwis who have a talent and passion for sound system influenced music. Babetech and No Harm are the first two featured artists in this series who have both supplied superb mixes taking the listener on a journey across a variety of sound system influenced sub-genres and energy levels.
Khz are on the brink of putting out their first paid release with an E.P. from Oski spanning dubstep, breaks and garage. This shift away from the free downloads previously released is a big step for the label. With this shift Roman is acknowledging how much time and effort Kiwi producers put into getting music finished. Kiwi producers deserve to have their hard work acknowledged, payment is a version of that and there’s a large group of people in Aotearoa and elsewhere in the world that are happy to pay for music because they know, especially through Bandcamp, that they are supporting the artist. However, money is not what motivates Roman and anything he gets out of it he is planning to put back into the label to keep pushing Kiwi music forward. Roman’s major driving force for this project is his love and passion for music. “Seeing people listening and downloading a track then getting in touch, telling me about how much they liked it. That motivates me. It’s all love and passion, seeing other people enjoy something I’ve had a part in, that’s why I do it.”
The community surrounding the underground music scene and its open arms to anyone who wants to come dance has impacted Roman during his time a part of it. “I think it’s awesome that different genres of music are able to bring people from different backgrounds and communities together. It’s great to see a lot of diversity within people attending events and for people to feel comfortable and safe at events is a reflection on how everyone within the underground is all there for the love of the music. It’s great to see especially that underground Bass & Techno music is on the rise, underground events are incomparable to anything else in my opinion, I know a lot of people that have been to one rave and have never looked back.”
If you’re a Soundsystem ju**ie or a polyrhythm enthusiasts Khz Collective are more than capable of administering your fix. To get a feel for the sound of Khz, Sounds of Aotearoa have an exclusive mix from Roman full of tunes released and forth coming from the label. There are several quality tracks and mixes that’ll feature in your listening rotation for weeks to come over on Khz Collective’s SoundCloud. To stay up to date on releases, events, and all things Khz Collective give their social’s some love, linked below.
This article also coincides with Sounds of Aotearoa launching our instagram page which will have the articles in shorter form and in more of a magazine format.
Mix from Khz Collective https://on.soundcloud.com/bdpFA
https://soundcloud.com/khzcollective
https://www.facebook.com/KhzCollective
https://www.instagram.com/khzcollective
Paige Julia event link: https://fb.me/e/IwGdv2Qy
