Music has been apart of Stuart Tyson’s life for quite some time now and in an eclectic form. As a teenager Tyson was touring Australia and New Zealand as the drummer for a three-piece rock band, Loki, until the band eventually split. Now, you may not know who Stuart Tyson is but you may know who Bass Kleph is! In 2010, Bass Kleph peaked with the coveted Beatport #1 spot with his remix “Shakedown” originally produced by Joan Reyes. While his own track “Keyboard Cat” landed within the top 20. Today, you can catch Bass Kleph’s amazing live shows on the Hounds of Hell Tour with Tommy Trash and Wolfgang Gartner. What sets Bass Kleph apart from other DJs is his ability to take dance music to the next level with his live performances on the Maschine. Bass Kleph has also released his latest single “Tommy’s Dream” on Spinnin’ Records’ Smash the House label. “Tommy’s Dream” is a monstrous electro tune and and has already been championed by some of the world’s top DJs, such as Tommy Trash. Luckily, Tyson was able to take some time during the tour to let his fans learn a little more about the persona that is Bass Kleph.
You’re originally from Australia, correct? I’m not too familiar with the music scene there, can you describe it?
“Yeah, I’m half English, half Kiwi, but grew up in Australia. The music scene in Aus is great! We have massive festivals, crazy party kids, great DJs, and some world class producers like Dirty South, NERVO, Knife Party, Tommy Trash, Hook N Sling, The Aston Shuffle, TV Rock, Fenix Pawl, Will Sparks, and more”
What brought you to America?
“I had been touring in the states for a few years and really enjoyed it. The clubs were amazing, and the scene was just blowing up. It felt like Australia in the early 2000’s. My tours started to get up to 5 times in a year, and Australia is not exactly close. So I decided to base myself in LA. I still fly back and tour Australia about twice a year. I’m going back again in December.”
Were there certain DJ’s that influenced you to leave the rock scene?
“Yeah, that was back in 1998, and I was a drummer. So the producers that inspired me were the ones with interesting drum programming/sampling. Guys like Squarepusher, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Propeller Heads etc.”
How did you pick up your skills with the Maschine? Does your drumming past help?
“Yeah it definitely helps. Although, I think if I had also been a pianist it would help a lot too. You really need a few different skills for this. The drumming helps with rhythm, piano would help with dexterity and separate finger patterns, but you also need productions/sound design skills to make the actual kits you’re playing. These are all things I really enjoy so I like how Maschine brings them all together like that.”
Right now you’re on the Hounds of Hell tour with Wolfgang Gartner and Tommy Trash, how has it been so far?
“All the shows have been massive! We’re traveling on two buses. Tommy and I have a bus (team Australia) and Wolfgang and Charlie have one too. There’s also a crew of about another 8 people that build an amazing visuals stage rig every night, and generally keep things running. I’m typing this as we drive. Tommy is across from me eating lunch, and one of our tech guys is on the phone to the next venue confirm stage specs etc.”
Did Tommy Trash influence your new single “Tommy Dream’s”?
“100%. It actually wouldn’t exist in it’s current form without him. He’s a long time friend of mine. We used to live together back in Australia. Lately he has been helping me by overseeing a few of my tracks. There were two tracks he kind of liked, but not entirely. In one track he loved the breakdown only, and in another he loved the drop only. He’s very hard lined, and even though we are best friends, he will only tell me he likes something if he really honestly believes in it. Not just because we are friends.
He’d been playing the one with the drop he liked but was unsure of the breakdown still. One day he called me and said he had a dream. He dreamt he was DJing and playing my track with the good drop, but when it broke down it went into the song with the good breakdown. He asked me “would this be possible to make?”. “Yeah, they’re only a semi tone apart. I’ll transpose it, make a version, and send it to you” I said. It totally worked! We both loved the new version, and Tommy has since been playing it every show, including EDC. It’s so crazy that without his dream, this track would never have existed. I thought it was only right to then re-name it, “Tommy’s Dream”.”
Can we expect some collars?
“Yeah, we have already started one actually. Plan is to try and wrap it up together while on the tour. It doesn’t have a name yet but it goes da-da-da-dadada, da-da-da-dadada.”
You seem like a pretty busy guy; you run a record label, produce a podcast, and now you’re touring! How do you juggle it all?
“Coffee helps! Yeah, after I work on my label Vacation Records, my podcast Klephtomania, writing my tracks, and touring, it doesn’t leave me with much spare time….but, I love all these things, so it doesn’t feel like work. It’s fun!”
Could you picture yourself doing anything else?
“Nope. I love this. It’s what I want to do when I wake up everyday.”
The Hounds Of Hell tour featured Tommy Trash, Wolfgang Gartner, Bass Kleph and Charlie Darker. It launched Friday, September 27 at the Palladium in Los Angeles and wound its way through the USA and Canada before returning to Southern California for one last 4/4 feast at San Diego’s Soma Club on November 2nd.
Four additional dates have been added in Mexico featuring support from Pierce Fulton.
Nov. 21 – The City – Cancun, MX
Nov. 22 – Expo Reforma – Mexico City, MX
Nov. 23 – Foro Alive – Monterrey, MX
Nov. 24 – Alive Center – Chihuahua, MX
Connect With Bass Kleph: Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
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