Stu Tyson is no stranger to accolades and awards. Having got a boost from winning the Triple J Noise remix competition with his awesome remix of Downsyde’s El Questro, he’s continued putting out choice singles under the moniker “Bass Kleph” on various local and international labels. This year he’s helped put the Aussie Breaks scene firmly on the map as he and fellow breaks jock/producer Nick Thayer won Best Remix at Breakspoll for their remix of Feelin’ Kinda Strange, originally recorded by the UK’s Drumattic Twins. He’s also been pushing breaks at home with his inthemix06 mix CD and subsequent tour.
“It was a bit of a shock really!” Tyson says of the Breakspoll win. “I mean, we work really hard, but I didn’t expect to get so much acknowledgment from outside of Australia as we have now.” This has of course led to many offers for both himself and Thayer to work with other people abroad, but Tyson has been happily busy in Australia. “I’ve had heaps of offers, but only had time to do a couple as I’m too busy finishing a couple of things including my debut album, ‘Breaking Point’. I think I’m only starting to have the time again now. But I’m really looking forward to travelling the rest of the world. I’ve had a lot of good feedback on my music and remixes from outside of Australia. Apart from the UK, the USA is definitely on the cards. I just got a very flattering email from Jason Nevins the other day actually. It said: “Holy Shit…. I just found an amazing bunch of music on MySpace….BASS KLEPH !!!!! Amazing, wicked, bangin’ tracks!” he laughs
Like most music scenes, the breaks scene has had its ups and downs. It’s just starting to take of in Adelaide, whilst some Sydney punters are complaining about it being on the way out. “It’s definitely not going away anytime soon,” Tyson states. “The numbers at our new weekly night Break Inn are proof of that. It’s the best breaks night I’ve seen in Sydney since old Beat Fix on Pitt St. I think what’s happening,” he explains, “is that Breaks is stepping out of the fashion spotlight a little. It hasn’t lost its following, it is just becoming underground again, and so far that’s been very positive. That’s the way it was when I first fell in love with it, so I prefer it that way.”
“Globally is a different story,” he continues. “I don’t know how well the nights are going, but I’m not into a lot of the new breaks records coming out. There are a lot of tunes that sound like bad re-makes of older tunes that weren’t that good to start off with. There are still breakbeat gems out there; you just have to dig a little harder and further now. I think I get most excited about the breaks Australia is producing,” he smiles. “Everyone is looking at us now, I think we’re about to take the lead. Guys like Hook n Sling, Dopamine, Nick Thayer and The Street Punx are making some amazing music.”
The inthemix06 CD has also kept Tyson busy, as he’s headed around the country promoting the CD as well as DJing. “Overall it was awesome!” he exclaims. “There was one bad night in Brisbane were they booked it at a new venue, and it seemed like not a lot of advertising was done or something because there was literally ten people there. Which is weird because even when I go there by myself for a DJ set there’s several hundred every time. But all was back on track the next night in Melbourne with 1200 punters ready to have it. Actually all the other shows were dope. Melbourne was massive, Perth was rammed, and so much fun, Byron was a little quiet, but an amazing vibe, Sydney was just enormous then the last show in Canberra with Zabiela was also off the hook!”
Sometimes mix CDs cause a DJ some headaches as they struggle to find a groove for a home audience, but Tyson is happy with the way the CD worked out. “I’d say it’s representative of my live sets. I just did what I normally do, but I kept in mind the environment it was to be heard in, like in the car, or on the home stereo. When I listen to mix cds in those places, I prefer them to have a more up and down, attention grabbing flow than what is often played in clubs.”
You can catch Bass Kleph at Electric Circus on Fri 21 July with Luke Lombe, Noodle, Spark and Activist