Dj Kos

Dj Kos

Dj Kos is a DJ and turntablist whose background begins in the breakdance and club scenes. Born in 1967, he grows up in a musical family and develops an early interest in disco. By 1983, after seeing breakdancing on MTV and USA Night Flight, he helps form his own breakdance group, which becomes known as one of the strongest in his region. That period leads him into DJing: he starts buying 12-inch records from a local shop, borrows turntables, and begins mixing his own combinations of tracks.

Early DJing and turntablism

In 1987 he buys a pair of Technics 1200 turntables and a Gemini MX 2200 mixer, which he uses to practise mixing and scratching. Two years later he receives sponsorship to attend the DMC finals in Chicago, where he meets Bad Boy Bill, Muggs of Cypress Hill, DJ Alladin and DJ Miz. He takes this as confirmation that he can compete with DJs from outside his own area.

Hip Rock Records and Florida period

In 1991 he decides to leave his hometown to develop further. He records a videotape of his performances and sends it to Derrick Rahming of Hip Rock Records, who contacts him and brings him to Florida to work and produce full time. There he contributes to production work and records three of his own songs, which later appear on two nationally released CDs on Hip Rock Records. His tracks KOS-N-Quake, Baddest DJ and Wick Wack DJ appear on Looking for a way out by Six One Dog and the City Boys and Bass Box by 7th Order. He also works on tracks on albums by Afro Rican and Power Supply. While in Florida, he performs in clubs across the South Florida area.

Move into electronic music and live collaborations

In 1997 he begins planning work around trade shows and meetings in Las Vegas and then moves into the electronic scene. After sending out demos, he starts receiving bookings. A key booking in June 2000 leads to a meeting with Diggabeats from Utah, and the pair perform a last-minute two-DJ, four-turntable set at Reflect 2000 in Cleveland. They later play a booked set at Plastic, where they perform without being listed on the flyer and draw a large crowd at 5 a.m.; Christopher Lawrence stops his own set to watch them.

In November 2000 he performs another last-minute two-DJ set with DJ Xavier from Cleveland, who is on the same agency roster. The collaboration develops into a regular partnership, with Kos and Xavier headlining parties in Las Vegas, New York, Myrtle Beach and Kansas City. In 2003 they release Back to the Basics, a DVD/CD that includes footage from earlier years, behind-the-scenes material and a new CD. Their other joint releases include Kos 2x4 Xavier 2 The Hard Way in 2001 and Kos 2x4 Xavier Back to the Basics 2x4 mix in 2004.

Solo releases and later work

After 2006 he returns to a solo career. Vestax works with him again, and in October 2006 he signs with East Music Group. His solo release Velocity follows, alongside a CD release tour. His earlier solo and duo releases include DJ Kos House Funk (2002), DJ Kos Funk-n-Groovin (2003), DJ Kos Give Me A Break, DJ Kos Funk-n-Groovin Remix (2003), DJ Kos Back To The Club (2003), and DJ Kos Live @ Nocturnal Bliss (2004). In 2006, the pair Kos and Xavier also release The Hourglass.

Style

Dj Kos is associated with high-energy house music, hard house, breakbeat, scratch techniques and four-turntable performance. His work is characterised by mixing and scratching precision, club-focused sets and a strong emphasis on live performance.