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Kirkout
The beginning is simple:
1985, a dual cassette
boombox, blank tapes and
the infamous Lady B's
"Street Beat" Sunday
afternoon Hip Hop radio
program on
Philadelphia's Power 99
FM. At a young age
Kirkout found an escape
in music. The creation
of mix tapes was his
first attempt to reach
out to friends, family
and whoever else would
listen. His desire: to
expose them to under
appreciated styles of
music.
Through the years this
drive steered Kirkout to
perform as a break
dancer and hip hop emcee
as early as the sixth
grade. Over time his
motive to grow
artistically expanded
pushing him beyond rhyme
and into other realms of
spoken word poetry while
playing bass for several
indie rock outfits in
Lancaster, PA and South
Jersey. Kirkout has
always been "that guy"
handing out mix tapes of
quality music to whoever
would listen. The turn
of the century brought
change. Frustrated with
feeling stagnant, on
impulse Kirkout made the
decision to leave his
roots and venture to the
District of Columbia. He
knew no one in the
District other than a
few neighborhood emcees
he befriended
www.wiawrecords.com.
Their drive and focus
motivated Kirkout to lay
down some beats and bass
lines. It wasn't long
before he was performing
this hip/hop spoken word
fusion at venues such as
IOTA, Madam's Organ,
Heaven & Hell, Metro
Café, Bar Nun and The
Black Cat. Shortly
thereafter he met Techno
DJ Greg Gain and after
one late night of
endless Techno train
wrecks; turntables and
an entry level PC DAW
was purchased.
Beyond Mr. Gain, KIRKOUT
knew very little of "the
scene" beyond his solo
missions to Buzz and
other local haunts. He
initially got involved
with Metatrack Studios
and was quickly promoted
to studio supervisor
eventually ending his
stint with Metatrack as
Director of Events.
While at Metatrack,
Kirkout was instrumental
in the concept
development of the radio
program "The Launchpad"
specializing in exposing
new domestic DJ and
production talent. "The
Launchpad" is now
featured on
www.xmsatelliteradio.com
"The Move" radio
station.
While at Metatrack,
Kirkout met Chris Shaw (Bioteknik)
& Matt Sanborn. He was
invited to join the
crew. Shortly thereafter
he became the resident
and manager of Drum &
Bass nights for Broken
Soul's first Party
"Hybrid" and was
instrumental in this
pioneer effort. You also
could find Kirkout
supporting 5" Taint's
acclaimed Stereo parties
in a logistics role all
while continuing his
earliest of goals of
turning people on to
underexposed music
through the use of vinyl
and turntables. The
genre was Drum & Bass.
The end of 2002 brought
forth additional change
with a return trip to
the Philadelphia area
for 2003 and a yearlong
hiatus from the Broken
Soul Crew. With his
return to Broken Soul in
2004, Kirkout has
continued to grow as a
person, musician, DJ and
businessman with a clear
direction to make this
passion of music and art
his primary focus in
life. He has enjoyed his
new Philly surroundings
while keeping his DC
Drum & Bass roots just a
short drive away.
Moving forward, you will
find Kirkout
contributing to the Drum
& Bass community through
tireless support and a
relentless commitment to
artistic growth via
collaborative efforts
with individuals who not
only think, but act
within a collective
mindset.
The primary objective is
simple: to continue to
learn and grow as a
person, artist and
enthusiast of the Drum &
Bass and artistic
community while earning
respect from his peers,
friends and enemies
alike. |
