Kyrist

Kyrist is Kirsty Clarke, a producer and DJ from Luton whose music brings sharp percussion and a strong sense of movement to drum and bass. She first learned to mix vinyl at a local DJ academy, returning later to learn production. Early experiments were in dubstep, before she began working at the tempo of the music she most wanted to make.

Moving to Bristol helped her find a community around that work. The Venomous EP for Dispatch Recordings in 2017 was followed by projects including Antidote EP, Fragment EP and Bad Omen EP. She also worked in label management for Dispatch, balancing the practical business of releases with writing her own tracks.

Those records include departures from her heavier material. On Bad Omen, collaborations with Philth and Monrroe gave her a chance to explore liquid drum and bass, a style she said she approached less often. The title track, meanwhile, began with a picture of a gloomy stairwell: an image that suggested the atmosphere she wanted to create.

Her own imprint began as Kyrist Music during lockdown and became Kynetic Sound. Later, the Plexus EP for Overview Music brought another carefully developed collection. She has described thinking about sound through shapes and movement, an approach that makes sense of the physical detail in her tracks.