A.Skillz — Cassette

Intro

A.Skillz creates music that feels like a masterclass in rhythmic momentum. It is the sound of a crate-digger who found the perfect drum break and decided to build a skyscraper on top of it. The production is thick with the warmth of vintage soul and funk, but it is delivered with the razor-sharp precision of modern electronic engineering. Every track is a dense collage of brass stabs, vocal hooks, and basslines that demand physical movement.

What truly sets him apart is his background as a world-class turntablist. You can hear the 'hands-on' nature of the music; the way samples are cut and rearranged feels tactile and alive rather than programmed. He bridges the gap between the golden era of hip-hop and the high-fidelity demands of the festival circuit, blending the two with a playful, infectious energy that avoids the self-seriousness of many electronic subgenres.

For the uninitiated, his collaborative work with Krafty Kuts is the essential entry point. It showcases his ability to weave disparate genres into a seamless, high-energy narrative. Whether he is remixing classic soul or dropping original breakbeat anthems, the result is always the same: a sophisticated, fun-first sound that celebrates the history of the groove while pushing it into the red.

A.Skillz (born Adam Mills) is an English electronic musician. He has worked across the UK at FabricLive, Spectrum, Chew The Fat, Supercharged, The Boutique and Sugarbeat as well as gigs around the world at major events, festivals and music industry parties such as The Hit Factory (New York), WMC (Miami) and Field Day (Sydney). In 2003, A.Skillz released his debut album TrickaTechnology alongside Finger Lickin's Krafty Kuts. The album was a nod towards musical influences like De La Soul, James Brown and Jurassic 5, enlisting artists including Kurtis Blow, Real Elements and Ashley Slater. February 2004 saw A.Skillz and Krafty Kuts team up on the TrickaTechnology Tour with live MCs from the album playing shows all over the UK. The duo then played at Glastonbury Festival, Pacha (Ibiza) and a live session for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1. In October 2004, A.Skillz then embarked on his first solo tour of Australia which saw him play to sell out crowds in all major capital cities, gaining new fans and respect from fellow DJs along the way. He followed this by extensive gigs in the UK and a busy studio schedule producing music for Channel 4 (Talk Back), Renault (TV advert) and Sony PlayStation (Gran Turismo 4). A.Skillz kicked off 2005 in January with a mini-mix for Annie Mac that was later voted best mini-mix of the year by Radio 1 listeners, beating industry heavyweights such as Basement Jaxx, Mylo and Scratch Perverts. He followed this with a series of remixes including The Fort Knox Five and a re-rub of his own track "Simple Things". Highlight gigs last year included 10:15 (San Francisco), Snow Bombing (Austria), Mystery Lands Festival (Amsterdam), Homelands (UK), and Live 8 After Show Party (London). A.Skillz was awarded with the title 'Best DJ' in February 2012 at the Breakspoll International Breakbeat Awards. The awards were hosted at Cable in London. He also picked up the award for 'Best Free Track'. In general, A.Skillz is known for mixing a wide range of genres, blending together hip hop, soul, funk and rock with dubstep, drum and bass and electro.

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Our Catalog1 Album · 2004