Kevin Knapp

Kevin Knapp is a force to be reckoned with, a musical heavyweight known for his jackin’ house style and lifelong penchant for standout vocals.

With releases on Cuttin Headz, Repopulate Mars, Crosstown Rebels, Desert Hearts Records, Hot Creations, Dirtybird, and now his own Plump Recordings, the Texas-bred, Berlin-based DJ taps into a range of early musical influences, from indie rock and golden-era hip hop to tech and minimal house, to create his gritty signature sound.

He turned heads in 2012, proclaiming ‘My Beat Will Control You’ with Audiojack, and his 2013 cut with Hot Creations A&R, Richy Ahmed ‘ TheDrums’ is still owning dance floors. In 2019, ‘Call Me’ with Hannah Wants garnered huge support from the likes of Jamie Jones and a remix from Carl Cox, and his follow-up EP ‘Heads Up’ (Etiquette) reached number one on the Beatport Tech House Hype Chart.

In 2020, Knapp launched his label Plump Recordings with fiance and Detroit native, Jessica “Hutch” Hutcheson as a way to uplift all bodies, people of all genders, all sexual orientations, all races, and all nationalities. The label combines the flavors of Chicago, Detroit, Berlin, and NYC, and the duo have curated quite an eclectic sound for the project. After several solo releases and a release with Hutch in 2020 on Plump, Knapp had multiple successful releases in 2021.

“It’s somewhere between Chicago House, Bass House, slowed down, more heavily produced Ghetto Tech, and shuffley Tech House”, says Kevin. “It’s gritty with a dose of cheekiness…uplifting while militant, raw and empowering, a place of refuge for everyone who has ever felt unseen or excluded, no matter gender, color, or creed.”

After several releases with Hutch on his own label in 2020, Knapp had multiple successful releases in 2021. He returned to collaborate with Audiojack for ‘Under Your Skin’ (Crosstown Rebels), and released ‘Backstroke’ feat. Baby Luck / Miss Me (Repopulate Mars) and his EP ‘Footprints’ with Toman Remix (Cuttin Headz).

He’s played some of the world’s most renowned festivals and dance floors including Sonar, Miami Music Week, Desert Hearts Festival, Dirtybird Campout, Paradise at DC-10, Get Lost, CRSSD, Fabric, Kater Blau, Elrow, and Sankeys. Whether it’s an intimate underground club or a huge festival stage, Knapp loves connecting with people and constantly pushes to break the boundaries between DJ and spectator.

“I love rocking dance floors,” says Knapp. “It’s the only moment in life where I don’t feel some level of constraint and I love it for that.”