Kid Koala is an extraordinary turntablist, an artist of the decks. He operates the turntable like a melodic instrument, wreaking pro- tracted notes from under the needle at varying speeds to create pitches that waver, twist, and soar in swaths of sonic color. He’s also a pro at juggling samples and reimagining tracks into compositions all his own.
He’s served as guest or collaborator in a range of projects—including Gorillaz in their early years, Deltron 3030, Lovage, and the Slew. The Slew’s first (and so far only, but they’re working on a second) album was recorded in Seattle with Dynomite D, described laughingly as “the Paul’s Boutique of skateboard instrumental turntable records.”
Plus, there’s Kid Koala’s solo output—from 2000 studio debut Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (an adventure through his record collection and home to one of his most memorable note-bending experiments, “Drunk Trumpet”), to the fusion of old Delta and 1980s-era hiphop in 2012’s 12 Bit Blues, to his just dropped double-vinyl outing entitled Floor Kids Original Video Game Soundtrack, created entirely for a game that he helped conceive.
