Konflict

Konflict
Background information
Also known as	Kemal and Rob Data
Origin	Glasgow, United Kingdom
Genres	Drum and bass, neurofunk
Years active	1998–2000 as Konflict, 2000–2002 as Kemal and Rob Data
Labels	Renegade Hardware, Negative, Cryptic Audio, Underfire, Audio Blueprint, Moving Shadow, Black Sun Empire Recordings, Deeper Realms, DSCI4, Cyanide, Nerve, Industry
Associated acts	Paranoid User, Nomad'iqa, Velahavle
Members	Kemal Okan (right) Robert Rodgers (left)

Konflict, also known under their separate artist names Kemal and Rob Data, were a musical duo that composed drum and bass music, consisting of Kemal Okan and Robert Rodgers. Their music had a strong techno influence, and it was influential in the shaping of the neurofunk subgenre. The majority of their material was released between 1999-2002; a period which carried the Anthem status in the Drum and Bass music scene. They released their first work in 1998 under the name Konflict, but after abandoning the name in 2000, they continued to release music as Kemal and Rob Data. After the Konflict period, Kemal also released many solo works as well as collaborations with other drum and bass artists.

Kemal Okan and Robert Rodgers, both from Glasgow, United Kingdom, had their origins in the Detroit Techno scene, with their preferred sound being the minimal style of Techno. Kemal started to DJ at an early age and worked at the iconic 23rd Precinct record store in Glasgow. Their techno background can be heard as it had a strong influence in their music. In 1998, they released their first track under the alias Konflict. The track was a remix of a trance tune named Share Of Bitterness by Paragliders. It was released on a Scottish label named WAQT Recordings.

Their first breakthrough occurred when they signed to Renegade Hardware in 1999. Their most notable releases on this label include Roadblock, The Beckoning, the Maelstrom EP and their hit, Messiah, which in 2010 was named the number one most essential Drum and Bass track of that decade by the influential Knowledge Magazine. After a struggle over the release of Messiah, when Kemal and Rob left Renegade Hardware in 2000, they abandoned the Konflict name as it was owned by and exclusively signed to the label. They continued to make music as Kemal and Rob Data and started their own label, Negative Recordings.

Rob Data decided to quit in 2002 to return to his studies for reasons unknown, though it has been rumored that it had to do with his brother passing away at a Rave party . After the closing of Negative Recordings, Kemal started his own Cryptic Audio label, through which he released music until 2004. On its first release, Kemal used the alias Paranoid User, which was the only known occasion when he released under a different pseudonym.

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