South London boy, KDA, now revealed to the world as Kris Di Angelis, was raised between Streatham and Wimbledon Park. He left home at 15 and never went back, disappearing into London clubland’s netherworld, places like Turnmills, The End, The Cross, and Heaven. He crashed on drug dealers’ floors (if he slept at all) and had a shortlived career as a model aged 16, which he hated and soon dropped to study dance.

At the same time, with no formal training, he taught himself to play the piano, drums, and most instruments (bar the guitar), and started turning the music he heard in his head into reality. Once he’d taken to music production and finished his studies he found himself on a plane to New York, and spent the year 2000 making beats for producers in random basements in the Big Apple’s West Village.

After a year in New York, Kris returned to Soho, London, where he lived for a decade. It was there that he met Jodie Harsh. He joined her crew for the ultra fashionable party, ‘This is Circus’, and so began a hugely successful ten-year working relationship. Kris’ DJ residency at ‘This Is Circus’ saw him attract the attention of both London’s fashion crowd, and Shoreditch’s nascent party people, leading to Jim Warboy’s party ‘Caligula’, Terry Hart and Matt Tucker’s party ‘Redlight’ at Aquarium, and Tucker’s other party ‘Trailer Trash’. Dalston Superstore, home of ‘This Is Circus’, became a regular hangout and Kris’ favourite room.

With the world’s eyes and ears on East London, Kris was no longer Dalston’s best-kept secret. Space Ibiza offered him a contract to become their youngest-ever worldwide resident, having had him open their legendary Terrace that summer. This led to a flurry of gig requests, including his debut at Warehouse Project, plus residencies at fabric, Matter, and regular shows across Soho during what he terms “the Winehouse era”, where he’d play for up to seven hours at various basement venues.

It was at Circus where his remix career first took off. He’d created a live remix of Roisin Murphy ‘Overpowered’ while DJing with her at the party, and the following day she called him and asked if he’d remix ‘Movie Star’ – his first ever remix release, and one which sits alongside remixes for Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar, London Grammar, Moby, Metronomy ft Robyn, CHVRCHES, Alma ft French Montana, Fatboy Slim, Fischerspooner, Paloma Faith, Liane La Havas, Cassius, Fickle Friends, Kylie, Busy P, Waterson, Joe Goddard, and more.

Eager to push himself beyond the live remixes that’d become a staple of his DJ sets, and to venture beyond clubs themselves, he became London Fashion Week’s official DJ for three consecutive years, and at Sony Music’s request he curated all the musical output from London’s exhibitions and selected shows. During this time, Shoreditch House brought him in to curate and produce the now infamous Pooldisco Bank Holiday parties; held on the venue’s roof these hugely successful parties saw him experimenting with live performance.

After introducing Jodie Harsh to Lovebox’s James Baillie, she and Kris established Circus’ own stage (with Relentless) at London’s most iconic festival. Kris brought together friends and people he’d remixed (Boy George, Waterson, Mel Blatt - singing 'Just Say’ originally recorded by her in 2013, and the Sugababes) and his own 14 piece string orchestra. The rehearsal sessions were held at Ronnie Scott’s, and the show went so well that Mama Group the organization behind Lovebox - asked him to pick his own stage the following year. He soon immersed himself in music production again, recording his own live instrumentation and sampling himself to create his own beats, steadily amassing a large body of work and honing his own sound, which drew from a diverse range of influences including Masters at Work, J Dilla, Lone, The Beloved, Jill Scott, Tame Impala, Roisin Murphy, and Maya Jane Coles.

It was in 2013, that Kris met Peter Tatchell, and the activist showed him pictures of the injuries inflicted upon him by homophobic extremists while marching at St Petersburg Pride. After hearing that Tatchell planned to return to Russia with another photographer, he set about arranging a benefit party to raise funds for the trip. He booked 2 Bears, Danny Rampling, Dan Beaumont, Sink The Pink and others. The experience, and Tatchell’s bravery had left a lasting impression.

That same year he made his first version of ‘Hate Me’. One rainy Tuesday evening he visited playwright and poet, Patrick Cash’s spoken word night at Dalston’s Vogue Fabrics. Patrick performed the poem in the middle of the night and silently shook the foundations of the building. KDA approached Cash after his performance and asked him if he’d consider recording the poem at home on his phone and send it to him. Within 24 hours the first incarnation of ‘Hate Me’ was complete.

He spent the next 4 years getting the track signed, in the meantime he’d changed his name to KDA, and chose to be ‘anonymous’, landing a debut No.1 record with ‘Turn The Music Louder’, a vocal version by Tinie Tempah and Katy B of his club track ‘Rumble’. The follow-up, ‘Just Say’, which he wrote and produced, featured his favourite new US r’n’b star, Tinashe. Although proud of the success of both records, he refused to play the fame game; KDA received his Official Chart Award at Radio 1, where he chose to retain his anonymity in the publicity shots (but wore a t-shirt emblazoned with ‘Mum Is Proud Of Me’), and sent a cardboard cut out to stand in his place for the obligatory Christmas Top Of The Pops performance, having refused to mime DJing. ‘Turn the Music Louder’ has since achieved gold status, and has sold in excess of 500,000 copies.

Now released in 2018, KDA’s ‘Hate Me’ (featuring Patrick Cash) has been heralded as the freshest sounding British house music record for years. First given to a select handful of DJs, including Jackmaster, Seth Troxler, Black Madonna, Jamie Jones, Tiga and Pete Tong (Essential New Tune on Radio 1), ‘Hate Me’ has dominated their sets since IMS. Originally slated as the first single on KDA's new label ‘The 35 Records’, ‘Hate Me’ has been picked up by BMG and is available now as a collaborative label release (impact mid-March).

Whilst ‘Hate Me’s pulsing bassline immediately commands any dancefloor; the lyrics provide a lot more food for thought than your usual club banger. Though echoing the spoken-word house records of old, in contrast ‘Hate Me’s’ lyrics are delivered in Cash’s British accent. The first “truly KDA” record also marks the first time he’s revealed his identity. Currently in the studio hard at work on his debut album, KDA has promised a full mix of influences defiant of stereotypical genre, with a very interesting list of collaborators...