The Burrell Connection - Celestial [Craigie Knowes]

FEATURE > https://inverted-audio.com/feature/the-burrell-connection-looks-back-on-10-years-of-craigie-knowes For Zander Hay - better known as @theburrellconnection - music has always been as much about people as it is about sound. His new EP for @craigie-knowes, 'I Waste My Time So You Don’t Have To', arrives as the label marks its 10th anniversary, a milestone that means more to him than most. Not only has Zander released music with the Glasgow-born imprint, he’s also been quietly running their PR from behind the scenes since the early days, helping to tell their story to the world. That dual role makes this release feel like a full-circle moment. The EP gathers together material shaped in the club, in the bedroom, and most importantly, in the company of friends. Lead cut “E Before I” has already been heard echoing through Berlin basements, including in a live version taken from Zander’s performance at Tresor, invited by LNS and DJ Sotofett. The B-side heads deeper, pairing the dubbed-out force of “Celestial” with the warm, widescreen pads of “Ensemble” - tracks that carry what he half-jokingly calls his “signature sound,” something he’s been chiselling away at for over a decade. Zander speaks candidly about the title of the record, pointing to the endless hours spent in pursuit of something original. He’s unflinching in his criticism of DJs hiding IDs or passing off other people’s tracks as their own - a reminder that, for him, credit and community go hand in hand. “Music is not a luxury, it’s an essential,” he insists, and it’s clear that ethos drives not just his own practice, but also the way he moves through the scene. That scene has taken him from Glasgow, where he cut his teeth at La Cheetah Club and soaked up records at Rubadub, to Berlin, where he now co-runs Slurp of the Antics with Valcat - a party deliberately centred on live performance in a city often saturated with DJ culture. Between the drizzle-soaked after-hours of Scotland and the intensity of Berlin’s underground, he has carved out a practice that feels both grounded and exploratory, rooted in place yet open to evolution. At the heart of it all is Craigie Knowes. For Zander, the label’s story is bound up with his own - from being pushed creatively by deadlines and honest feedback, to finding genuine friendship with Max, Mitch and the wider CK family. “Friendship!” he says without hesitation when asked about the most rewarding part of his journey so far. That word runs like a thread through his reflections: from teenage trips to Sub Club on borrowed IDs, to afterhour residencies, to the countless connections made through music over the years. As he sets up a new studio, offers tuition, and continues to develop his live shows, Zander isn’t slowing down. 'I Waste My Time So You Don’t Have To' is more than a title; it’s a snapshot of where he’s at right now - committed, outspoken, and still finding joy in the graft. For him, the story of Craigie Knowes at 10 isn’t just about a label’s legacy, but about the friendships that make the music possible.