My London: Kraak & Smaak

Dutch dance trio Kraak & Smaak – Oscar de Jong, Mark Kneppers and Wim Plug – had an enduring club hit with Let’s Go Back in 2011. They chat to The London Word about record shopping in London, canal walks, the National Gallery and Gala Bingo…

‘As long as it doesn’t rain we’re OK with all of London’s seasons.

Our favourite parts of London include all of the areas around record shops: Phonica, Rough Trade, Sounds of the Universe and Intoxica.

Earliest London memory? Standing on the rooftop of a hotel in Trafalgar Square, when we played a festival there. The view was awesome. It was like you were back in the Victorian age.

Our perfect day out would involve record digging all across London, then visiting the Tate Modern, then getting the best curry in the world and going clubbing.

In all its diversity London still breathes Englishness all over.

Although there are less and less record shops, the ones that are still here seem to carry more and more exclusive, one-off vinyl titles, which is really fun. Dance music has gone digital for the most part, but the whole vinyl thing is still vibrant and alive, with excellent, mouth-watering titles being released.

Gala Bingo in Tooting has an international reputation for being pretty wild. Apparently it’s a bit like Panorama Bar in Berlin but with bingo.

Trevor McNamee, our label owner, has to be our favourite Londoner – but he just moved to Brighton!

We love the whole street art thing that has popped up during the last couple of years, in places you would never expect, as secrets to be revealed.

The new Kraak & Smaak single is coming up, The Future is Yours, and our new album is up for release later this year. Excited!

London airports always seem so far away from London.

There are loads of great parks in London but we like the canal walks, being Dutch. It reminds us of home. Harlesden to Camden is a good one.

The greats of soul, funk, jazz and electronic music are too many influences to mention.

If you’ve never been, visit the National Gallery. It has free entry so you can walk in and out at will – which every public museum should have.’

Kraak & Smaak’s new Single The Future is Yours is released 11 March on Jalapeño Records.

www.kraaksmaak.com