Krust

Kirk Thompson (born 26 July 1968), known as Krust, is an English producer and DJ working in breakbeat, drum and bass and jungle. He is from Bristol in the United Kingdom and came to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s for a string of influential productions and club sets.

Thompson’s entry into recorded music predates his drum and bass name: he was involved with the Bristol collective Fresh 4 and appears on their 1989 top‑10 single “Wishing on a Star.” In the 1990s he moved fully into the emerging jungle and drum and bass world, releasing a number of tracks that helped define that period. He later became a founding member and co‑owner of the Full Cycle record label and worked closely with Roni Size, including as a collaborator and member of Roni Size’s Reprazent collective. In 2006 Krust moved to London and, after a sustained period of activity through the 1990s and early 2000s, took a period out of the music industry around 2008.

As a producer Krust’s sound is identifiable by precise, percussive break editing, weighty low end and layered atmospherics. Tracks such as “Warhead” (widely cited from his 1990s output) demonstrate his use of chopped and re‑arranged breakbeats alongside tuned, resonant basslines. His productions often sit in the darker, more machine‑like end of 90s DnB — tight kick/snare patterns, crisp transient work on breaks, and an emphasis on sub‑frequency bass design rather than melodic foreground. He also uses space and reverberant textures to create tension; those atmospheric pads and FX sit behind busy breakwork rather than replacing it.

On the DJ side Krust has presented his records and edits in club and radio contexts, pairing his own productions with contemporaneous jungle and drum and bass material. His sets historically favoured structurally complex rollers and heavyweight tracks that showcased both percussive detail and low‑end power, reflecting the same break‑centric approach found in his studio work.

Concrete career highlights: early chart exposure with Fresh 4’s 1989 single “Wishing on a Star”; the release of influential 1990s drum and bass tracks including “Warhead”; co‑founding and co‑owning Full Cycle records; and membership/collaboration within Roni Size’s Reprazent collective. Those roles placed him as both a studio producer and an active participant in Bristol’s scene networks during the genre’s formative years.

Specific connections and collaborators tied to Krust in public records include his work with Roni Size and his place within Bristol collectives such as Fresh 4. His Full Cycle role positioned him alongside peers releasing and curating material across the 1990s and 2000s. After moving to London in 2006 he stepped back from regular music industry activity around 2008, though his 1990s productions and label work continue to be referenced in accounts of that era.

Krust’s profile rests on verifiable touchstones: born Kirk Thompson on 26 July 1968, Bristol origins, early appearance on Fresh 4’s 1989 top‑10 single, key 1990s tracks including “Warhead,” founding member and co‑owner of Full Cycle, collaborator/member of Roni Size’s Reprazent, move to London in 2006 and a period out of the industry around 2008.