Konrad Black

Konrad Black

Konrad Black is the performance name of Todd Shillington. He works as a DJ, producer and live performer in techno, minimal techno and electronic music, and his sound develops from earlier roots in drum and bass and hip hop. A recurring feature of his music is the combination of heavy bass elements with atmospheric textures.

Career

He begins recording in the UK on Formation Records, then moves towards more minimal styles under the influence of artists such as Maurizio and Klang. In 1998, a meeting with Swayzak in Vancouver leads to Greycale, issued on Slow Building in 1999.

He also releases a number of tracks on 240 Volts, including the Nails EP, also titled Heavy Metal Withdrawal, and the Busting Down the Door with a Shotgun EP. After moving to London, he works with Virus Recordings, the drum and bass label run by Ed Rush and Optical, at a point when he is moving away from drum and bass.

Headgear and collaborations

Konrad Black works with March 21st of Circlesquare on the Headgear project, releasing Believers Goodbye. That project later leads to collaboration with Swayzak on In the Car Crash, a track on the album Dirty Dancing, which appears in 2002. He also contributes to Circlesquare’s album Pre-Earthquake Anthems on Output Recordings, and Headgear’s final joint production is the Unkle remix of In a State.

Wagon Repair

In 2004, he forms Wagon Repair Recordings with Mathew Jonson, Graham Boothby and Jesse Fisk. His first release on the label is Draconia, followed by the club track medusa smile. His work on the label appears in the playlists of DJs including Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin, Steve Bug, Loco Dice and Tiga.