Kiljoy is Evan Short, a New Zealand producer and founding member of Concord Dawn. His solo drum and bass draws on jungle and techstep, with the hardcore sounds that first caught his imagination remaining a practical starting point for new music.
His return to releasing D&B came through Digital’s Function Records in 2018. Speaking to UKF at the time, Short explained that he had started making Bad Man for himself while exploring the rave stabs and Amen breaks of early darkcore. Several people felt that approach no longer fitted contemporary drum and bass. Digital heard it differently, signed the track, and asked him to make a B-side. The result was Bad Man / Air Raid.
Function became the home for further solo work and the Enki EP, made with Kiat. Kiljoy also remixed Digital’s Waterhouse Dub. In a 2023 conversation with 1 More Thing, he returned to the appeal of foundational sounds such as the Amen, mentasm, and Reese bass, describing them as elements that still mattered decades after their arrival. That discussion accompanied renewed DJ activity and the next phase of his Function catalogue, including Heart Of A Lion.
