Kevin Knapp

Kevin Knapp keeps things punchy. His kicks are designed to make booties drop. His grooves balance the thunderous with the beautiful and synths ensure the club pops right o;. It has been this way for more than a decade since the American first broke through and brought with him his lifelong love of 90s hip hop. Today, he is right at the forefront of the house scene as a DJ, producer, and Plump Recordings label boss who proudly advocates body-positive, queer-positive, and anti-racist messages in everything he does.

Knapp’s robust but characterful beats have come on labels like Cuttin Headz, Repopulate Mars, Crosstown Rebels, Desert Hearts, and many more. They pair heavy low ends with bouncing kicks and full-flavor chords and samples that bring rich color and irresistible charm. A competitive choir singer since 8th grade, Kevin brings vocals to his work that help marry tracks together in his own unique style.

Whether working solo or alongside Jamie Rial from Audiojack on new side project KJ Cuts, the rule is always the same: if it doesn’t make Kevin lose his shit, it isn’t finished. Because of that, his early cuts like ‘The Drums’ with Richy Ahmed remain dance floor classics, while further tracks like ‘The Heft’, ‘Vibrate,’ and ‘Dancing with the Devil’ have shown a diversity to his sound that always stands him apart.

Though his popular limited video series about food and house music, Beats ‘N Eats, is now dormant, it provided a great insight into Knapp’s rich creativity. He continues to show that with Plump Recordings, one of the contemporary scene’s finest house outlets with a focus on releasing music that references the origins that birthed it while giving freedom and ownership to label artists. “If it bumps, I’ll sign in. It’s really that simple,” says Kevin.

The Oakland-based artist’s high-impact club sets are informed by the energy of the DJ battles he loved as a youth: hard-hitting house that tugs at the heartstrings and fuses big bottom ends with melancholic moments that touch the soul. As a DJ, Knapp connects with 200 dancers as well as 2000 dancers everywhere from fabric London to Kater Blau Berlin via CircoLoco Ibiza, Sonar, Elrow, and Sankeys, always with his larger-than-life character at the heart of his sound.