BONG-RA

Pseudonyms

Neo-Gen, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

Bong-Ra

Bong-Ra is Jason Khonen from Utrecht. His fierce and thrilling mix of ragga, breakbeats and gabber gets him international attention. His fans include BBC DJ John Peel and the creators of US underground film series Bikini Bandits. Bong-Ra also organizes electronic music nights in Utrecht and Rotterdam.
Full biography

Members

Jason Köhnen   draaitafels, elektronica, producer

Mentioned in the biography of

1998   Celestial Season
2008   Gem

Biography Bong-Ra

Bong-Ra is Jason Khonen from Utrecht. His fierce and thrilling mix of ragga, breakbeats and gabber gets him international attention. His fans include BBC DJ John Peel and the creators of US underground film series Bikini Bandits. Bong-Ra also organizes electronic music nights in Utrecht and Rotterdam.

1996

Jason Khonen plays bass in stonerrock band Celestial Season. Inspired by drum 'n' bass and especially the loud and thrilling sound of early jungle (a combination of ragga, breakbeats and gabber) he starts working on new songs.

Celestial Season

1998

Jason leaves Celestial Season. He releases two 12" EP's (Darkbreaks Volume 1 en 2) and debut album New Millenium Dreadz on indie label Djax. The records get positive reviews and with MC Guzman he supports acts like Front 242, Godflesh and Postmen.

Postmen

1999

In the autumn Jason works on several projects: With MC Miss Bunty (from British DJ Aphrodite) he forms the drum 'n' bass project Neo-Gen and under the name the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble he plays experimental jazz. As 7105 he and video artist DLF make videos for Speedy J and Quench and also a video remix of the horror classic Night Of The Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968). Jason is also a member of the instrumental noise rock trio Selma.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble

2000

Jason is invited to go on tour with Junkie XL to promote the latter's album Big Sounds Of The Drags. Unfortunately, the tour gets cancelled.

Junkie XL

2002

DJ John Peel receives a demo with new material and invites Bong-Ra for one of his renowned sessions. This session is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on February 21 and is released as a 12" in December. When the creators of US film series Bikini Bandits listen to the Peel session they ask Bong-Ra to write the music for the DVD Bikini Bandits Exposed. Bong-Ra organizes parties in De Vloer (Utrecht) and Waterfront (Rotterdam) for which he invites both national and international acts like Eboman, Panacea, DJ Scud, Mike Paradinas and dj/rupture. For the first time in two years Bong-Ra releases two 7" singles: Riddim Wars, which contains two hardcore jungle tracks (released on the UK label Death$ucker Records) and the 12" Blood EP (with ragga vocalist The Dirty Dred). Clash001 is the first in a series of ten 7" singles with old-school ragga jungle on Bong-Ra's own label Clash Records.

Eboman

2003

Bong-Ra performs at the Eurosonic festival in Groningen. The Darkbreaks EP is released on the German Roulette/Suburban Trash label. The EP is a combination of jazz, samba, breakbeats, jungle, rock and rave. In February the concept album Bikini Bandits Kill! Kill! Kill! (with contributions by the Bikini Bandits) is released on the Dutch Supertracks label. Between May 8 and June 1 Bong-Ra vs Bikini Bandits can be seen at the Museum Of Modern Art in Arnhem. Bong-Ra performs at the Metropolis and Lowlands festivals. After several gigs in the UK (including the Breakcore a Go-Go! festival) in September and October Bong-Ra travels to Belgrade to play a set during the Belgrade Soundsystem Festival.

2004

The collaboration with Skindred singer Benji [aka The Dirty Dred] on the album Bikini Bandits, Kill! Kill! Kill results in a special remix EP, featuring UK DJ Scud among others. With Scud and Soundmurderer he embarks on his first international (or rather UK) tour with shows in London, Bristol, Newcastle and Norwich.

2005

The sampler Warrior Sound consists of 13 tracks, most of which have been released as singles before on foreign labels. He is featured on the Wasted 2 bill, one of the biggest breakcore festivals in Europe, staged in Berlin's Maria Am Ostbahnhof club. The CD I Am The God Of Hellfire, featuring guests Hanin Elias (Atari Teenage Riot), Drop The Lime, Mike Redman and Ras, contains both melodic rave and more down tempo tracks.

2006

The 12'' EP Killahman Machine: To All Pagan Boys And Girls is released through the Japanese label Dread Power/Omeko Records. The album Soldaat Van Oranje ('Soldier Of Orange') features gabber, breakcore, remixes by D.A.C. plus guest vocals by Wudstik and Grootmeester ('Grandmaster') Jan. About the same time the untitled debut by side project The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble comes out. The first recordings for this album date from the year 2000. In May Bong-Ra tours Japan. The style of the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble can also be heard in the Bong-Ra remixes at the 12'' 4 Adaptations Of Rossz Csillag Alatt Született by the Canadian Venetian Snares. The familiar hardcore jungle beats can be heard on for example the Stereohype Heroin Hooker EP. The CD version of this EP contains remixes by Duran Duran Duran, Drop The Lime, Parasite and Enduser. Bong-Ra also contributes for compilations of the labels Cock Rock Disco (by label boss Jason Forest), Sublight and Ad Noiseam. In August Bong-Ra plays the Lowlands festival together with MC Mike Redman.

2007

On 23 June Bong-Ra plays the renowned Glastonbury festival in the UK. Also, he gets married. His wedding party at Utrecht's Tivoli club serves as a who's who in Dutch techno. Venetian Snares, Jason Forrest, Sickboy, DJ Scotch Egg, Enduser and MC Mike Redman are several of the acts that perform. The split EP The Kill with Enduser (Lynn Standafer) is released to support the European tour. De 12'' Lupe Kick Push/Sissy Spacek is a split with Starkey (American producer Paul Geissinger). Bong-Ra is responsible for the track on the B-side. Full Metal Racket is a compilation of the EP's Grindkrusher and SickSickSick and features remixes by Doormouse and Sickboy. Bong-Ra produces Class Of 1992, the old-school sounding breakbeat/rave/techno debut album by British Glowstyx. Jason Kohnen works with The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble on a second album.

2008

Between 1 and 10 September, Bong-Ra and Maurits Westerik from Gem are in a studio in Reykjavik for recordings for the In A Cabin With project.

Gem

2009

The Reykjavik recordings by Jason Kohnen and Maurits Westerik feature songs with dark electronic sounds. They are released under the name The Giants Of Húsavík. As The Giants Of Húsavík the duo, dressed in monk's frocks, and Daniel Rose and Jori Collignon from C-Mon & Kypski, perform at the Noorderslag festival in January. Earlier that night, Kohnen also performs with The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble. The ensemble releases second album Here Be Dragons in October.

2010 - 2011

Bong-Ra starts the band Wormskull together with rapper Mike Redman Redman (Deformer), guitarist Eni-less (Enio Ramalho from the band Stöma) and drummer Balázs Pándi Pándi (a. o. Merzbow, Otto Von Schirach and Venetian Snares. Their debut album Sound Of Hell contains a dark mix of metal and breakcore and is released in June 2011.

Wormskull

Photos Bong-Ra

Audio/Video Bong-Ra

Video Bong-Ra