Lowend Records: Playlist 009

Kevin Criollo, AKA @nytclass, may be the 27 year old behind the decks on the Chicago DJ scene, but he’s been immersed in music since his early childhood days playing classical piano at @peoplesmusicschool. Kevin’s taste developed haphazardly over the years—earworms on the radio in his parents’ car, exploring his dad’s CD collection, catching bangers at parties. As a teenager, an obsession with hip-hop evolved into a singular curiosity in sampling and production. The doors blew open for Kevin during the pandemic lockdowns: With the purchase of two iconic samplers (@ensoniqcorpus ASR-10, @akai_pro MPC 2000), he shifted gears from admiration to creation.  

“I spent countless hours learning how to chop samples, make beats, and build my ear,” Kevin says. “All of that—piano, production, crate-digging, hip-hop—naturally evolved into DJing in 2023, where everything I’d absorbed for years finally came together.”

NYTCLASS’ guest spot on Lowend Records 009 is a comprehensive  sonic casserole, where J Dilla melts with the Bee Gees and System of a Down (we let that one slide), and Wes Montgomery drips into The Game.