Russ, Paul & Bobbi aka K-Klass are synonymous with UK Dance music. Ahead of their Love To Be Festival headline spot, we caught up with them for a quick chat and a spotlight on some of their ‘most loved’ anthems.
As one of the UK’s most respected house acts, K-Klass have been shaping dancefloors since the early 90s. Rising out of the North West rave scene, they quickly became household names with their unmistakable brand of soulful, piano-driven house. Their breakthrough hit “Rhythm Is a Mystery” stormed the UK Top 5 in 1991, followed by the timeless “Let Me Show You”, cementing their place in club culture history. Alongside their own productions, the group became sought-after remixers, reworking everyone from Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson to New Order and Frankie Knuckles, leaving their stamp on both underground and mainstream charts.
Three decades on, K-Klass remain a powerful force behind the decks, with their sets as euphoric and energetic as ever. This year they’ll bring that legacy to the Love To Be Festival in Harrogate on September 6th, 2025, joining a stellar lineup of house icons. Ahead of the big day, we’ve teamed up with them for a special two-part feature: first, they’ve shared their Top 10 Most Loved Tracks, the music that continues to inspire their journey. Then, they sat down with us for an exclusive interview, reflecting on their story so far and what fans can expect when they touch down at Love To Be.
Interview with K-Klass
KOTT: You first came together after meeting at The Haçienda back in the late 80s. Can you take us back to those early days and what the scene was like when K-Klass began?
The UK House music scene was still in its infancy when we met up at the Hacienda and felt so exciting and fresh. Paul and myself knew each other but had lost contact around 1987 but without realising it we were both going to the Hacienda and bumped into one another one night in late summer 88. The rest is history!!!
KOTT: “Rhythm Is a Mystery” is still regarded as one of the all-time great dance records. Did you know at the time how special that track was, or did it only hit you later when it blew up?
The simple answer is no!! I think we all knew that we had a good track but you never think Oh this is a hit record. The crazy thing for us is that all these years later people still talk so fondly of it and it still gets played out regularly.
To see it pass through generations with love shown for it from parents and now their grown up children is very humbling
KOTT: After that first wave of hits on Deconstruction, you became one of the busiest remix teams in the UK. What was the secret to nailing a remix and making it stand out during that golden era?
Starting with a solid foundation of your rhythm and bassline, then building the track up and trying to create a hook or catchy melody to work with the vocal. It sounds simple but it’s not!!!
>KOTT: You’ve remixed a staggering range of artists from Bobby Brown and Janet Jackson to New Order and The Corrs. Which remix project stands out as a personal highlight for you?
Probably the remix we did of Frankie Knuckles feat. Adeva “Whadda You Want From Me”.
KOTT: Winning the IDA award in 1996 and then a Grammy nomination in 2002 must have felt like huge moments. How did those milestones shape your journey?
It was fantastic to receive the accolades of awards and nominations but the real love came from seeing dancefloors dancing to tracks that came out of our studio
KOTT: The bunker studio you built in Wrexham has become a bit of K-Klass folklore. What was it like working and creating in such a unique space?
The Pharmacy came before The Bunker hence all the Pharmacy Dubs. The Bunker came around in 1996. We had to get out of The Pharmacy and asked estate agents to let us know of any premises that came up for sale or lease in the North West that would suit being a recording studio and an old atomic bunker came up for lease in wrexham so we took it on and built a state of the art studio inside it. Working inside it was a bit surreal as we had no daylight which gave a kind of lost time feeling being in there. so many remixes came through the Bunker though.
KOTT: Over the years you’ve worked closely with Bobbi Depasois, whose voice is a huge part of the K-Klass sound. How important has that partnership been in shaping your music?
We are like family as we have known each other for so long also Paul & Bobbi are married. It’s obviously a very important partnership as Bobbi has appeared on all our 5 top 40 hits and has been the front person of the K-Klass live band since 1990. Bobbi is K-Klass!! The same as Paul and myself are K-Klass!!
KOTT: You’ve seen house music evolve through multiple decades. What has kept you inspired to keep producing, remixing, and playing after all these years?
Quite simply a love of the music!!!
KOTT: The Love To Be festival in Harrogate is coming up soon. What can fans expect from your set there?
The crowd in front of you drive the set. Love to Be events are always up for it crowds who inspire you as a DJ.
KOTT: You’ve also put together a Top 10 All Time Chart for us. Was it difficult narrowing it down, and were there any tracks that almost made the list but did not?
Yes quite difficult as we didnt want it to be just House tracks hence a couple of curveball tracks in there but yes to name just 10 was very difficult choice as it was also based on the word Love
KOTT: K-Klass are as well known for their DJ sets as for their studio output. How do you approach balancing those two sides of your career?
We actually make a lot of edits now just for our DJ sets. But balancing things is tricky at times as we also do a weekly radio show on Centreforce 883 which also takes up time
KOTT: You now run your own label, Klass Action. How does running a label compare to your experiences with the majors back in the 90s?
To be honest we have a label manager that pretty much looks after everything for us on the Klass Action side of things. As for the majors back in the day again we had a buffer zone of a manager that took care of all the ins and outs of contracts etc. We literally used to spend our days in the studio during the 90s and early 2000s.
KOTT: House music is enjoying another huge wave of popularity. Do you see parallels between today’s scene and the era you first broke through?
My youngest daughter is 23 and I do see the same excitement when she tells me about certain tracks or how good the event she went to was. I think the big difference for us back in the late 80s was that it was all so fresh whereas now everyone knows the history of the UK scene but in some ways having that history is a big driving force in keeping the scene thriving as people like to reminisce
KOTT: Looking back, what is the one piece of advice you would give your younger selves starting out with just a SH-101 and a Tandy mixer?
It’s a tough question. We are so lucky and blessed to have had a career that has spanned 36 years so would we change anything? If we did we may have gone down a different path that may have had a different outcome so i’m going to say no i wouldn’t change a thing as there have been way more ups than a few downs.
KOTT: Finally, what is next for K-Klass beyond the festival season. Are there new projects, collaborations, or releases we should be watching out for?
Yes we have Rhythm Is A Mystery 2025 that has just been released. We got asked by Lizzie Curious last year if she could have a go at remixing it and we said yes. The result was outstanding which led us to getting a package together for a full release on Klass Action. We got another remix courtesy of Flashmob and an updated 2025 version as well as a 7th Day Remix which will take a lot of people by surprise.
We had been planning releasing Let Me Show You which we have already got remixes done and we shall probably look at releasing that later in the year. We are always working on music but as i said earlier a lot of it is now done just for our DJ sets
K-Klass’s Top 10 Loved Tracks
10: Ten City – Thats The Way Love Is …
“Classic Track”
9: Raze – Break For Love
“Another stone cold classic”
8: Kariya – Let Me Love You For Tonight
“A track loved by many”
7: Alison Limerick – Where Love Lives
“One of David Morales classic mixes”
6: New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
“80s at its best”
5: Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
“Simply one of the best”
4: Donna Summer – I Feel Love
“The future created in 1977”
3: Charles B – Lack Of Love
“Acid House”
2: M-People – How Can I Love You More
“Sing a long song”
1: Bob Marley – Could You Be Loved
“Happy vibes”
Thanks to K-Klass for taking the time to speak to us. Go follow them on Facebook here and on Soundcloud here. Also, get your tickets for the fantastic Love To Be festival here.
