From house parties to Hollywood — Five minutes with K Motionz

I first saw K Motionz DJ at a friend’s house party. In the back of her terraced house, in a damp shed decorated with fake ivy and strobe lights, the hype around the ‘Vino Bandit’ performer and producer was already palpable — a sign he was not your average bedroom DJ. Through thick smoke and overly-loud speakers, it was clear to see how K Motionz, the on-stage alias for Kallum Brookes, would become the present-day internet favourite and international DJ, collaborating and performing with titans such as Wilkinson and Kettama. 

After playing his first stage at Boomtown this August, the twenty-six-year-old has had a busy few months. The highlight? Embarking on his inaugural US tour, where he famously mixed in the back of a ’99 BMW on a drive through Hollywood, and catapulted the storied 360° stage at Shrine Auditorium into a drum and bass haven. If the comparisons to industry greats such as ShyFx and Hedex are anything to go by, there is one certainty: K Motionz has already been ‘it’ for a while now, and he just keeps on growing.

Hi, K!

Hi, HUNGER!

For those new to your music, how would you describe your mission in thirty seconds?

My mission is pretty simple. If people listen to my music or come to my shows and leave feeling good, then I’m happy — especially if it inspires someone to start producing and get writing. It’s amazing getting messages from people saying my music has inspired them to start creating.

Do you think the DnB scene needs more events like the 360° one?

The energy of DnB raves is top tier, even with the crowd further away. But being able to put ravers within reaching distance creates this super fun energy and closeness that you don’t get as much with a big stage.

Being that close to the crowd, have you had any weird experiences when people got behind the decks with you?

There’s definitely been a few near misses with people nearly hitting the cue button, and I suppose that proximity can [create] issues with personal space. You do get people touching you quite a bit and one time someone did try to steal my USB, which wasn’t great.

As an ex Cardiff resident, everyone knows you love a uni-party set. What makes these parties so fun to show up to?

Firstly, big up Cardiff! One of my favourite places to perform. And turning up at the university flats is so much fun. There’s an intimate, chaotic energy at house parties that you just can’t get at ticketed events.

What’s the most exciting thing about your US tour?

It feels like DnB is really thriving there. I’d love to lean more into 140 stuff whilst I’m there — American punters go crazy for that sound. 

What is your favourite and your least favourite thing about the DnB scene?

My favourite part would have to be how fans are really dedicated to this music. Drum and bass has never dropped off and has consistently grown far and beyond for years now. Crazy to see how far it’s come. My least favourite part would be how many phones we see in these last few years. It’s great that people enjoy the music so much that they want to film and keep it, but it can sometimes feel disconnected. I’d love to try a no-phones policy at one of my shows, to really feel close to the fans.

Having started your career at such a young age, music must have always been the goal. If you weren’t a DJ and producer, what do you think you would be doing?

That’s a good question. Doing what I do now has always been my dream, but before this I was actually really into games. I used to play tournaments and wagers online for money when I was younger. I was going to fully commit to it but I decided to stop playing and focus on growing my music career.

Based on your love for a good outro, if your 2025 had an outro of its own, what would it sound like?

Going off my top played on Spotify this year, it would probably be ‘About Time’ by Loyle Carner. 

What should we be expecting from you in the next year?

I’m currently finishing up one of my biggest projects to date, which I’m going to be letting everyone know about real soon…