"I Always Felt Connected With The Culture Of Angst"

"It’s the kind of beats I play,” admits Annand. “I don’t think there’s a lot of DJs based on a similar style; I play a lot of percussion-type beats and garage style. I don’t think there’s any decent breakbeat DJs out there, and because I’ve been doing it for so long I’ve built up a unique set and spin the sort of tunes that are probably hard to find.”

He stands as one of the UK’s OGs of breakbeat and two-step garage music. Annand has been recording his signature breakstep since 1999 after setting up Rat Records to release his first hit I Don’t Smoke, which debuted high on the UK Singles Charts. His musical influence has always been steeped in hip hop culture which characterises his sound today. “I always felt connected with the culture of angst. I liked the character as well and NWA did it in a very cool way. They had a message and it just felt real. And rappers weren’t getting paid a lot back then so it was real and it was created by themselves so it had passion.”

Over his career, Annand has collaborated with numerous DJs producers and rappers, most notably Ed Solo, Krafty Kuts, The Stanton Warriors, and, as a DJ at the forefront of introducing the Miami bass sound to the UK market, he’s collaborated with Florida booty bass pioneers Splack Pack and 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell. He has become huge on the circuits worldwide due to pumping dope beats in decibels to captivated crowds. Over the Easter break, Hot Cakes collective frontman Annand played a full set before a packed house in Brixton Jamm’s Rebel Bass showcase, although this was just the tail end of a long slog on the wheels of steel. 

“I’ve just recently come back from heaps of DJ gigs. So I’m pretty much just taking the week off to retune a little bit,” says Annand. “Brixton on Sunday, then we were in Leeds the day before and the day before that I was in Bristol and the day before that I was in America, so it was just a long string of dates, basically.” 

Annand has lost count how many times he’s travelled to Australia since 2003 but has always had a strong affinity for the Perth’s Breakfest, often praising it a highlight of his yearly rounds. So when asked about the upcoming Hot Cakes gig in Perth headlining with Mafia Kiss, Annand was quick to divulge his master plan of how he keeps his crowds in the palm of his hands.

“I’m gonna go more percussiony and roll the beats. I did that on the weekend and when you drop the one massive tune it really stands out. I picked out a load of percussion loops and stuff I’ve had remastered. So I’m looking forward to dropping some of those. You can build the tension in a really good atmosphere. And as long as the crowd has faith in what you’re doing then you can roll those beats up and pretty much, that’s how you know you’ve won a crowd over.”