BPM Presents KILIMANJARO

Bringing new soundscapes to St Andrews

Tuesday 23 September was BPM in Club 601, featuring KILIMANJARO, the London-born DJ of Zambian heritage. The music moved from classic rap songs to house to afro beats. Each transition was seamless, and the music was some of the best I had heard in St Andrews. 

Alongside good music, there was plenty of room to order a quick drink, use the bathroom, listen to yourself think, dance, or do a gymnastics routine. That is, if you were one of the twelve people there who thought it was a good idea to go to 601 a night early. Great event, wrong night. I thought this was a big shame. The event would pick up more into the wee hours of the night, as I decided it was time to get to bed. 

Reece Harriot, the co-manager and creative director for BPM, clarified the collective’s mission. One thing that stood out to me is that BPM fills a niche in St Andrews, a town highly saturated with student DJs, many of whom produce tracks which are completely void of any melody and seem to carry one beat for hours. BPM was different. It was songs you knew, weaved together with vibrant afro beats and house tracks, taking you on a journey. 

Harriot, a Londoner who has worked with BPM for three years, believes that St Andrews severely lacks the hip-hop scene that BPM provides, something he misses from the nightlife in London. He wants to work with artists in St Andrews, Dundee, and surrounding areas in order to amend this: “We want to bring the songs you thought you only hear in your headphones to the stage.” BPM satisfies a craving people don’t yet know they have. 

KILIMANJARO is best known for his genre-blending sets that move seamlessly between afro, amapiano, house, and global club sounds. His musical foundation as a drummer gives his work a strong rhythmic core, which still drives the energy of his sets today. Starting out playing in bands across Scotland before turning towards electronic production, he has since built a reputation for pushing boundaries in the UK and beyond. 

He founded KILIMANJARO MUSIC as a platform to amplify underrepresented voices in electronic music, particularly Black artists, women, and other marginalized groups. Aside from upcoming releases with major labels like Capitol and Universal, a highlight of his career includes a Boiler Room London performance — to which he was invited by Fred Again — which has racked up well over a million views on YouTube. His recent track ‘The Seeker’ captures his style perfectly: dark synth textures layered over Afro-centric percussion, balancing both weight and bounce. In 601, he was a relatively large fish in a puddle. 

In its six years of existence, BPM has had a substantial impact on the nightlife culture within St Andrews. Harriot describes KILIMANJARO’s performance as a “full circle moment.” They had found an artist who “embodies their mission perfectly.” He is London-born, raised in Dundee, and has found success in blending music that is rarely played in Fife — a path similar to the one BPM is looking to carve out for itself.

It may not have instantly sold out 601 on a Tuesday night, but it did manage to fill a gap in the St Andrews music scene. KILIMANJARO brought a level of artistry that reminded me of just how narrow the town’s nightlife can feel, and how BPM’s mission to broaden those horizons is both ambitious and necessary. Their work is less about chasing crowds and more about reshaping tastes, which unfortunately takes time. However, if this event proved anything, it’s that BPM has the vision and the talent — now all they need is an audience willing to step outside the usual soundtrack.

Photos by BPM