We talk fantasies, raves and warehouses with Krush main men Nikos, Bruno and Remi.
Krush launched last year, a party which encouraged patrons to act like they were at a really awesome house party – albeit with international house, techno and disco legends at the decks each month. In a short time they have cemented a reputation for excellent programming, a relaxed, intimate atmosphere and full-on party vibes. What else could one want from a night out?
To give you an idea of the standard they're setting their next party on January 28th features the incredible Pedro – or Petre Inspirescu – one third of Romanian techno trio ar:pi:ar.
We got the lowdown from Nikos, Bruno and Remi – the brains behind Krush.
What are the origins of Krush?
It's all about the things we have a 'krush' on: the first tunes that affected our later life, the first house parties, the first time we played music at home (just for own self-satisfaction) and how that developed into a chronic condition with symptoms varying from collecting records to putting together warehouse parties – while at the same time trying to imitate (to the degree that situations allow us) the cosiness of a relaxed house party.
What are the essential ingredients for a good party?
Clever ideas, good music, hard work...in the aforementioned order.
Who is on your dream, money no object Krush line-up?
Krush is not just about the performing artists...it's the whole package: music-decor-space-people. We like to believe we are very selective with our guest musicians. We ask them to perform a somehow gnarly set, something they haven’t done previously. Then we'll find the appropriate venue and dress it with our trademark lights and decorative elements, arranged in such a way that would suit the concept of the night. We'll invite all the people that have graced us with their exhilarating presence over the past 12 months and...job done.
The perfect Krush line-up will definitely feature our resident Nikos and who else? We don't know; or maybe we don't wanna know yet. We'll think about it when we get the money in hand. So if someone's got five mil to spare they should hit us on our email. We got a space and some nice creative ideas in mind. The musicians should want to play that party then.
And where's the party?
A warehouse in London is the dreamy location for us. Clubs can restrict creativity as one needs to serve their purposes first. And unfortunately for us, London doesn't have a beach or, scrap that, there are a couple of nice spots by the riverside but they wouldn't let us throw any parties there. It's all a little too political nowadays, no? Those who control the game wouldn't want anyone having a good time on a potentially profitable plot of land. Guess in Thailand or round the Med sea there are no such threats, that's why people do parties there. But waterfront site aside, the messy, filthy, creaky old warehouse still provided the ideal setting for the perfect night out (or 'in' so to speak, in Krush terminology.)
There's a mystical, almost inexplicable glitz to them and since no one's been able to explain why we're just gonna play along. For the moment they seem to be serving our purposes amazingly well. If things change in the future we may be forced to think it over
Tell us a story – what are your enduring memories of Krush's past glories?
The opening night is like the first kiss! When we first opened our doors and there was already a long queue outside....that's actually (in a different way) better than the first kiss.
What's the biggest challenge you face as a promoter?
Finding new venues – and at reasonable prices. Production costs have sky-rocketed and it's beyond our control. We don't know if it's the Olympics to blame for it or the whole real estate game but it's the Achilles heal of independent party making.
What would you be doing if you weren't involved in dance music?
Dancing to the music.
Has the Krush music policy developed since its inception?
It sure has. We always keep an ear out for new things and how people feel about the things we do. Through constructive (self) criticism one can only exert themselves. Even though we all have a really long experience in electronic music (some of us of more than a decade) a party is not about egoism; it's about entertaining your punters. That's why we're now focused more on pure, uninhibited dance music; we've left the moodiness aside.
What's your rave fancy dress costume of choice?
We don't really have such a policy or ambition to do a fancy dress party, but if we must we'd probably go with what Bruno did once (and there's photographic evidence online); wear the lampshade (which is our trademark and logo) as a hat.
Anyone who you would love to book but is being illusive?
Ryuichi Sakamoto or Philip Glass, but they're both damn expensive for our wallet.
Best thing about living in London?
Cultural pluralism. Can't beat that.
We publish a feature called Dancefloor Bombs every Friday. Can you give us a couple of failsafe tunes?
Cuthead's EP on Uncanny Valley is a bomb, so is Agoria's EP on Innervisions. And for you quieter moments at home check out Omar S & Shadow Ray aka Oasis' Collaborating CD
The next Krush is on Saturday January 28th with Petre Inspirescu at a secret location.
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