BIO.
K+Lab is the musical and visual world of New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist Caleb Cowie, a place where bass, hip-hop, funk, breaks, drum & bass, live instrumentation and visual art all collide.
For more than 15 years, Cowie has been following the music wherever it takes him. Five albums, countless releases, international tours, collaborations, remixes, side projects and more than a few strange left turns have shaped K+Lab into something that doesn’t fit neatly into a genre, and doesn’t particularly want to.
There’s a looseness to the project now that only comes with experience. K+Lab has spent enough time in the game to know what he likes, what makes him move, and what sounds good turned up ridiculously loud. The result is music made without much interest in playing it safe: bass-heavy, groove-driven and often a little unhinged, with a deep love for hip-hop, funk and the art of making people move their goddamn bodies.
Since the release of his debut album, Spacedirt, in 2013, K+Lab has released five studio albums alongside a sprawling catalogue of EPs, singles, collaborations and remixes. His music has found homes on Lowtemp, Trippy Bee, Odyzey, Wakaan, Westwood and Philos Records, where he also releases his more left-field, lo-fi work as PXLMTREES.
Along the way, he’s collaborated with artists including Lyrics Born, LSDREAM, CloZee, Opiuo, Gramatik and Sunsquabi, while building a reputation for making music that can move between worlds without losing its identity. His tracks have also found their way into film and television, including Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Invincibles.
His latest album, K+Lab Waz Here, feels like a snapshot of that freedom. Gritty and bass-heavy, but colourful, playful and full of character, the nine-track record brings together the sounds that have followed Cowie throughout his career while leaving plenty of room for whatever comes next. The album was accompanied by nine interconnected artworks, each revealing another piece of a fictional city until the entire world emerged. It’s a reflection of the way K+Lab has always treated music and visuals as part of the same universe.
Since 2012, K+Lab has taken that world around the globe, touring extensively through Australia, New Zealand, North America, Canada, France, Germany and the UK. He has played headline festival sets and major festivals including Shambhala, Bass Coast and Electric Forest, as well as Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Outside of K+Lab, Cowie is the founder of Junkfood Records, an independent label and creative community built to give Basshop a home. More than simply a record label, Junkfood brings together artists, producers, visual creatives and the people who make up the culture around