| Konflict | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Kemal and Rob Data |
| Origin | Glasgow, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Drum and bass, neurofunk |
| Years active | 1998-2004 |
| Labels | Renegade Hardware, Negative, Cryptic Audio, Underfire, Audio Blueprint, Moving Shadow, Black Sun Empire Recordings, Deeper Realms, DSCI4, Cyanide, Nerve, Industry |
| Associated acts | Paranoid User, Nomad'iqa, Velahavle |
| Members | |
| Kemal Okan (right) Robert Rodgers (left) |
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Konflict, also known under their separate artist names Kemal and Rob Data, were a musical duo that composed Drum and Bass music, consisting of Kemal Okan and Robert Rodgers. Their music had a strong techno influence and it was influential in the shaping of the neurofunk sub-genre. They released a lot of material in the 1999-2002 period of which much holds the Anthem status in the Drum and Bass music scene. They had their first releases as Konflict in 1998, but after abandoning that name in 2000 they continued to release music as Kemal and Rob Data. After the Konflict period, Kemal also released many solo works as well as collaborations with other notable Drum and Bass artists such as Dom & Roland and Technical Itch.
Contents |
Kemal Okan and Robert Rodgers, both from Glasgow, United Kingdom, had their origins in the Detroit Techno scene[1], with their preferred sound being the minimal style of Techno. [2]. Kemal started to DJ at an early age and worked at the iconic[3] 23rd Precinct record store in Glasgow. Their techno background can be heard as it had a strong influence in their music. They had their first release under the name Konflict in 1998, which was a remix of a trance tune named Share Of Bitterness by Paragliders[4]. It was released on a scottisch label named WAQT recordings.
Their breakthrough was when they were signed to Renegade Hardware in 1999, one of the major Drum and Bass music labels. Their most notable releases on this label include Roadblock, The Beckoning, the Maelstrom EP and their hit, Messiah, which in 2010 was named the number one most essential Drum and Bass track of that decade by the influential Knowledge Magazine[5]. After a struggle about the release of Messiah[6], Kemal and Rob abandoned Renegade Hardware and the name Konflict in 2000 as this was owned by and exclusively signed to the label. They continued to make music as Kemal and Rob Data and started their own label, Negative Recordings.
Rob Data decided to quit in 2002 to return to his studies for reasons unknown, though it has been rumored that it had to do with his brother passing away at a Rave party . After the closing of Negative Recordings, Kemal started his own Cryptic Audio label, on which he released music until 2004. On its first release he used the alias Paranoid User, which was the only occasion known where he released under a different pseudonym.
Besides releasing on Renegade Hardware and their own labels, their music appeared on labels such as Outbreak, Moving Shadow, Underfire, Audio Blueprint, Timeless, DSCI4, Cyanide Recordings, and Industry Recordings. Kemal produced much music alone as well as with his companion Rob, and he also cooperated with other artists such as Dom & Roland, Technical Itch, Paul Reset, Black Sun Empire, Rob F and Impulse, and Dresden Codex. Rob Data only produced with Kemal, and never had a solo release.
In 2004 Kemal also decided to quit, having been quoted to be "fed up with the current state of the Drum and Bass scene" and returned to his studies. He continued to work on music production, as he joined the arabesque world music formation Nomad'iqa and produced their first album[7]. He also produced the album for Velahavle, a Bosnian Trip hop-Electronica band from Sarajevo, that was released in 2005[8].
Their music has been cited as influential in the shaping of the neurofunk sub-genre, which can be recognized in releases later that decade. Artists such as Phace have stated[9] that Konflict had a great influence on their sound, as Florian from Phace puts it; "I have to point out Optical and Konflict as my favourite producers of all the time. They practically paved the way for the sound we love and try to continue nowadays.". The more widely known and these days more pop music oriented Pendulum (band) also named Kemal and Konflict as one of their biggest Drum & Bass influences in their early years[10].
The title of their track "Bios-Fear" together with Stakka & Skynet got its name because of the computer trouble they experienced while writing the tune (probably it was BIOS related). "Kemal and Rob came down from Glasgow to Brighton for a few days and we all went in the studio and out of it came 'Bios-Fear'. Named because at the time because our PC had a complete meltdown and Kemal and Rob spent hours trying to revive it."[11]
It took Kemal only a few days to write the remix of Crisis, a breaks tune by Paul Reset; "I asked if he fancied taking on one of my breaks tunes. I met him for a coffee and gave him the parts to “Crisis” (originally released on NB004) and within a couple of days – he’d finished it, the man was a genius in the studio."[12] It was the biggest release in the history of Nerve Recordings, but as the distributer went bankrupt, they never got to know how many there were actually sold.
The track Stranded, a collaboration between Black Sun Empire and Kemal, was made after he was literally stranded at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and then stayed with the three dutch members in Utrecht for a few days[13].