- Deeply charming deep digging from a DJ off the social grid.
- Ask any of Berlin's revered diggers who their favourite DJ is, and there's a strong chance you'll hear one name pop up: Phil Kearney. Better known as KRN, Kearney is one of those rare types who has built a reputation away from the limelight. You'll only be able to find him on SoundCloud, where he was once whimsically dubbed the "Podcast King of the New Generation."
After moving to Berlin in the mid-2010s, Kearney started out spinning in spots like Chalet and Club de Visionäre (while, full disclosure, also reviewing events and working full-time for RA) before finding a home at The Ghost's infamous Hoppetosse party. Short wonder he's well-versed in both wiggle and waft. Nowadays, you'll find Kearney in London, where he lives with his partner and newborn. RA.951 was made with family in mind; the mix is subtitled, sweetly, "Dadhouse."
The hubbub around KRN can be put down to the fastidiousness of how he unearths rare gems from the roots of the underground, before mixing it up with a deft hand. Kearney's RA Podcast is a window into his palette, starting in serene IDM territory, before shifting into playful grooves and tactile house oddities (here, Perlon's influence shines through). Good luck ID'ing many of the tunes—we asked for a tracklist but, deep down, already knew the answer. We know this, too: one listen and you'll be hooked.
What have you been up to recently?
At the time of writing, my firstborn son PJ has just turned one week old. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We've spent the whole year getting ready for his arrival and then all of a sudden he's landed and everything has changed. I've never felt happier.
How and where was this mix recorded? And can you tell us about the idea behind it?
The mix was recorded at my home in South-East London, using two Technics SL-1200s and an Ecler Nuo 2.0 (a solid two-channel mixer that serves my purposes very nicely).
For me, podcasts have the ability to really encapsulate a moment, and that's something a lot of my favourite published mixes by other DJs have done over the years. It's a very different proposition to mixing in the club and I like the output to be something that is palatable while you're going about your everyday business.
This particular mix was a bit of a unique one for me. My lovely partner Gem had asked for me to record a mix that she could stick on in the labour ward and get her grooving through the birth. The end portion features a lot of her current favourite emotive bangers and goes out to her.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
Lots of garden hangs and a couple more months off. On the flip, I'm definitely also looking forward to getting out and listening to some music again soon as we head into winter clubbing season.
What's one club or party that had a major impact on you as an artist?
I know that I'm not alone in this one. On the first Friday of every month for many years, I'd head down to Get Perlonized. Among a host of other great artists on their bills, watching Zip do his thing was a real inspiration. The music, mixing and kooky characters you were likely to meet on the dance floor kept me going back. It's also the place where I made a lot of my closest friends.
What's one social or political cause that you want the world to pay more attention to?
I found it very troubling to watch the recent acts of the far-right rioters across the UK and their campaign of hate. The horrendous message sent by violent idiots smashing up hotels believed to house migrants is one which needs to be drowned out by the positivity and welcoming of the majority. While the anti-racism marches which took place in the following days offer hope, we as a society need to be alert to this and do what we can to help those impacted by it. With misinformation clearly rife online, I doubt that the problem will be abated anytime soon, so I would hope that the people of nations impacted by this sentiment can band together to stamp it out.
How do you approach digging for records?
There's not much method in my madness. Typically I try to get to shops as much as possible, seeking out anything interesting looking or eye-catching (and by this I mean the jazzier the better.) Even if those records aren't an instant purchase, perhaps it can lead to something fruitful on an internet search at a later date. The randomness of the record shop is where it's at for me.
How quickly does something catch your ear and go from a possibility to a must-buy?
Usually it's a pretty swift decision - popping the needle down on a record, I'll have a pretty good idea about something after a couple of bars. In terms of must-buys, there's definitely a few elements that come together to make something more significant to me. I love the history of the genre - the mythology of old US house and techno or UK rave culture.
The collector in me gets more of a buzz in picking up an old Orbital album, something from the DIY sound system or an Underground Resistance record, the output of legendary producers and dance music icons. The rarity of a record can have a certain appeal too, but it isn't everything. Most importantly, it's just got to sound good.
It's widely-known that there is a growing discontent with Discogs. Are you still using the platform as much as you used to?
I can while away the hours on Discogs with the best of them, but the price hikes of recent years do make it a bit trickier to keep on buying. There's no better resource for music hunters, in my opinion. It just means that every purchase becomes a bit more considered, which isn't always a bad thing.
TracklistPhoto by Nadja Angermann