What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
4am Kru is a duo at the core, plus a number of talented collaborative artists. Howie & Stu (the pair at the production helm) met while gigging in the London band circuit years ago and have been writing together since. We came up with the idea for 4am Kru in late 2019 after realizing we were spending more time spinning old jungle records in our Tottenham music studio than anything else.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
Good Time (our 10th release!) is a nostalgic rollercoaster ride – authentic both in sound & spirit – paying homage to the 90s UK rave scene. Good Time references the darker side of ’93 jungle, deep bass, sweeping pads, mysterious pianos and rattling breaks.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
Kemet Records, Slipmatt, Vibes & Wishdokta, DJ Rap, Prince, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Fresh Frank, Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, Danny McBride, Cathy Dennis, Yanni
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
Our sound is an ode to the spirit and sonic soul of the old school hardcore, jungle & early 90s rave that we loved as kids. Jungle has always been an intersection point in terms of both our music taste, and as time passes our appreciation for it grows. Check out recent jungle artists like Decibella, Drama1, Coco Bryce and Weighty Jungle who are all putting their stamp on the genre with their new take on the formula.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
The Neverending Story (The Soundtrack, film and original novel by Michael Ende)
The Wicker Man 1973 (The Soundtrack by Paul Giovanni & Magnet, film & 1978 novel)
Purple Rain (The Price album, film & Purple Rain (Making Of) by John Kenneth Muir )
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
Stu: I enjoy playing live & studio recording, but my happy place is sitting outside in the sun with my laptop & headphones, chopping up sounds we’ve recorded & assembling new tunes
Howie: Like Stu I love playing live, nothing quite compares to it, but my happy place is a dimly lit room with just me, my Rhodes and my Roland D-50.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
Once we were playing a very hazy gig together in the basement of our old rehearsal studio to about 100 friends. Suddenly this 65 year old man surfaced in the crowd, dancing like a madman, then disappeared. The next day we were like “Did we just imagine him?” It turned out to be Mike Chapman, a super producer & songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s for producing a run of Blondie records, My Sharona and who wrote Tina Turner’s Simply the Best. We went on to become friends and he’s an awesome dude.
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
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Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
Right now we’re working with super talented singer Layla Sibelle, and continue to work with superb vocalist SHANTÉH. There’s a whole extended family of artists who are part of our writing and live performance crew and we’re excited to take 4am Kru to the stage.
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
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Curated by: Christos Doukakis
Recommended listening:
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Connect with 4am Kru:
https://www.instagram.com/4amkrulondon/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nrVhzPUJsigF7rt9BL9jQ?si=WlRNCTImQY21YMfTZSuNkA