Jul 10, 20198 min read

Southpoint Label Head KXVU Joins us in the Hot Seat

Since the success of our beloved Berlin Mixtapes Series, which has featured awesome guests so far, we felt there was a real gap in terms of showcasing the amazing talent within our own home city right here in Brighton. We have a wide spectrum of artists that span across many genres therefore we decided we would create the 'Brighton Mixtapes' Series, so that we can not only showcase established artists but also feature up and coming musicians that would like a platform to be heard.

Equally, whilst our focus at Berlin has always been somewhere between Deep House and Techno we can now open up and extend a wider reach into other genres that Brighton has to offer. Also each artist will be subject to a series of one answer quick-fire questions to accompany each guest mix to give readers a quirky insight into the artists' likes and dislikes.

Next up we have KXVU (pronounced 'Kovu'), co-founder of Brighton label Southpoint Music. KXVU has been one of the figureheads pushing grime and UK bass music around Brighton and the South-East for the last four years. With a different radio appearance or guest mix out every other week, KXVU's stock is set to continue to rise rapidly. Known for his highly energetic, eskimo-infused production style and quick fire chop approach to DJing, KXVU has been setting pace with a string of strong releases on a multitude of recognised labels within the grime and UK bass scene including YosH, 877, Project Allout, In:Flux and more.

Alongside this, he has gained DJ support from grime heavyweights such as Spooky, Slimzee, Slackk, Tiatsim, Snoochie Shy and more. KXVU is also a very busy body within the grime & bass scene throughout the UK, working as an in-house writer for Juno Download, as the website content manager for Threethousand.co.uk, as a new label partnership manager for Cygnus and as a press writer for B2B Audio. Not only that KXVU also hosts a breakfast show on our very own Trickstar Radio.

Hi KXVU, how are you and what have you been up to this week?

Good evening squire, it’s been a bit of a busy one if I’m honest. I’ve been teaching myself to edit video interviews, 3 football games a week, podcasting and a helping out at a BBQ function at my old kitchen job. But I like being busy!

How long have you been producing and DJing?

Producing, I’d say I’ve been making instrumentals for about 13 years now, DJing I’d say around 12 years in total.

You also run your own label 'Southpoint Music' - Tell us more and what's the inspiration behind the name?

Well when myself and my partner Josh were setting up the label, we spent ages trying to find something that really represented where we were from but still had a slick ring to it. We settled on Southpoint because we essentially are from the South and seemingly had a point to prove!

What releases have you got coming up next?

There’s a few bits in the pipeline. I have a new remix out soon with the dons at Slime Recordings, which is somewhat of an honour. I also have my brand new EP on Southpoint dropping in August, which is without a doubt the strongest project I have ever put together, so I’m super excited!

You are also a Writer & Podcast host for Digital Music Store Juno Download - Tell us more and what sort of content and music are you putting out there?

I first got offered the Juno job writing nearly 2 years ago now. I haven’t looked back since, I love being able to check all the new releases early and to be honest it’s a pleasure to be able to put down my thoughts on all of them. When Juno were looking to expand their content output, they hit me up to see if I had any ideas and we agreed a podcast would be the perfect way to do it.

We tend to run it as a label focus, so we have been able to feature some wicked projects including 877 Records, Dissident Sound, YosH Pit, DubTribu and more, with some very exciting stuff in the pipeline. The shows tend to include a 30 minute interview and release discussion, followed by a guestmix from one of the label’s artists!

I have also seen your name alongside a website called www.threethousand.co.uk a lot, what's your involvement with that project?

So basically, Alan Bennett the founder of the 3000 Network, also known as DJ Purge, approached me half way through last year with an idea to launch an on-the-ground press outlet with which we could work to showcase the full breadth of underground dance music, through interviews, premieres and reviews. It’s been an amazing experience so far, being able to interview legends such as DJ Zinc, Champion and more. We’re always looking to stay ahead of the game!

In terms of Radio work, you currently run your very own Breakfast Show a few times a week on Trickstar Radio right here in the heart of Brighton, a station the Berlin Radio Show has also been a part of for the last 2 years - What's the format of the show, guests and what general shenanigans do you get up to on air?

Ah yes, breakfast. So basically I run the show Monday to Friday from 7-10AM. I try to keep the content informative but still fun and jolly more than anything, the last thing I want to do is have people waking up in a doom and gloom mood. I try to cover news across 6 major topics, those being Music, TV & Film, Technology, Food, Gaming and our wonderful city of Brighton and Hove, weaves between Trickstar related information and a wicked playlist rotation. I try to have a guest in as many days a week as possible, be it a musician, DJ, promoter or even someone just doing their thing in the community. It’s definitely a laugh and I’m truly grateful to be in such a fun position, the show has been running for coming up to 8 months now and it’s just got better and better.

Where was your first gig in Brighton?

Downstairs at The Volks for a night called Structure back when I was 15. It wasn’t the smoothest of shows as I decided to take my own CDJ’s down which felt the need to skip around like nobodies business. Luckily I’d also brought my vinyl bag however!

What can people expect from a typical KXVU set?

Genre wise it’s varied a lot in recent years, I’d say I’m primarily a grime and funky DJ, but I tend to move into bassline, garage, breaks, dubstep and even sometimes dancehall. The one thing you can always expect is energy, well that and a rather large bloke with luminous hair and a scruffy beard leaping around between three or four CDJ’s.

Where's your favourite place to just to kick back and chill in Brighton?

The Western.

And equally, where's your favourite place to let loose?

Patterns, without a shadow of a doubt.

Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now?

I’m loving Earthnut, Limita and Movement’s UKG stuff, Glume is smashing the dubstep scene as well. As far as grime goes, Jakebob and Defiant are my two favourites at the minute. Bass wise, Mofaux is the man right about now. I also have to say Bushbaby of course, who seems to just go from strength to strength.

Which other DJs or producers are you liking right now?

There are so many good producers out there now, it’s impossible to have a favourite. Currently I like Dudley Strangeway, Silverlining, Arapu, Ted Amber, Mateljan Mariano and Baby Ford.

What are your go-to labels?

Tricky question. I’d say Strictly Flava, Four40, Foundation Audio, White Peach and Dissident Sound are all up there for me. You can’t forget Black Butter either, who are just nailing the poppier side of things!

You have compiled our latest Brighton Mixtapes Series Episode 004 - Tell us more about your mix.

Well this is the first time I’ve ever put together an hour of my own content in a mix format. I’ve switched around my style a fair bit over the last couple of years and I think the variation in this mix showcases that quite well!

What else can we expect from you soon? What's next on the horizon for DJ gigs, where can people see you next?

I’m going to be appearing on a number of different podcasts and radio shows, that’s definitely the direction I want to push. I’m currently in the process of setting up a podcast with a few friends, which is really exciting. I’m always open for DJ bookings and I love performing more than anything else, but as I’m primarily focusing on the breakfast show and a more journalistic side of things, it’s not at the forefront of my plans at the moment!

Great news, it's been an absolute pleasure as always talking with you KXVU but before we go is there anything else you'd like to add?

Make sure you tune into Breakfast with KXVU, 07:00 - 10:00 from Monday to Friday every week on Trickstar Radio! The show is getting better and better and I would love for you to join us!

Exciting stuff! It's been an absolute pleasure as always talking with you KXVU. Next up here's the Quickfire Round:

Genre: Dancehall

Favourite Colour: At the moment, yellow

Where in Brighton are you: Hove baby!

What do you put on your chips? A tonne of vinegar & cold ketchup

Apple or Android: Apple

Pioneer or Denon: Pioneer, although I'm yet to find much meaningful difference

Ableton or Logic: FL Studio :)

Can you juggle: Only CDJ's

Weirdest/Coolest Item of clothing: I have a really cool Pear Shaped jacket I got last year from their new merch launch. At the moment I’m going a bit mad with colours if I’m honest!

First record ever bought: Daniel Beddingfield - Gotta Get Through This

Favourite place to hang out in Brighton: Upstairs at Patterns

Favourite Pub: The Western

Favourite place to eat: My three favourite places have all closed, so next on the list would be Fato Amano

Best club: Patterns

Who does the best roast: The Cricketers

Coffee or Tea: Tea, but would take a cherry coke over both in a heartbeat.

Have you swam in the sea: A lot when I was younger, not for a while though!

Favourite Footy Team: Manchester United, which obviously right now is a painful thing to experience.

Favourite Track right now: Burna Boy - Anybody or Jelani Blackman - Brixton

View on Seagulls: They are actually called Land Gulls ;)

View on Oysters: I have never indulged, although they seem shy.