“We’ve always believed
that music can be both
incredibly dark but
incredibly deep and
subtle at the same time.”
TH
dynamic ways and whilst mainstream d&b was
once the archetype of insularity it is now throwing
itself open to influences from dubstep, electro and
AN MCGRA
even techno. With the scope to experiment
widening, the time is now for those that innovate.
ALL
ds:
“The success of the dubstep scene has again shown
or that tracks can be totally left of centre, really
W
abstract in form, and still heave dancefloors and
get props critically,” believes Guy. “You’ve seen
this influence d&b floors, particularly for the
younger ravers at Fabric who might not know the
history of this sound.”
And with the spacey womb-like dynamic of dub
again being absorbed by the drum & bass
mainframe, less-is-more principles are being put
to devastating work with tracks like their own
'Bear Music' perfect examples.
“In this sense, Breakage’s (2006 d&b track)
‘Clarendon’ was quite a moment for the scene,”
continues Guy. “It was a totally minimal dubby
track but every corner of the scene embraced it. To
watch someone like Hype play ‘Clarendon’ and see
it have just as much impact as something by
someone like Hazard was really important. It
showed people that they can afford to look slightly
deeper — to go against the grain — and still smash
the floor.”
Cambridge rebellion
Going against the grain is something that has been
rooted in the Commix spirit from their early days.
Growing up in the Cambridge crew that included
Dan ‘Nu:Tone’ Gresham and his younger brother
Matt aka Logistics, the obvious route lead directly
into the Hospital Records family.
But whilst they still contribute to the celebrated
Future Sound Of Cambridge EPs on Hospital,
Commix always craved their own pathway.
“We didn’t just want to become lumped in with our
mates and typecast as another Hospital act from
Cambridge,” says George, who learnt the art of
beat programming under Dan Nu:Tone’s tutelage.
partner George Levings. — forming the spiritual links between Skull Disco’s “We felt like we’d start off in their shadow rather
“I remember watching Doc Scott at Metalheadz’s primal dubstep experiments and the lost ghosts of than on our platform.”
Sunday Sessions,” recalls Guy on their schooling. jungle past. Instead, George, Guy and their original third wing
“He’d start off with a Bukem thing and within 15 But be it light or dark, deep or driving, the common Conrad took a more nomadic approach with EPs on
minutes had worked up into a really heavy Dillinja cut. thread across these new d&b visions is a spine-chilling Fabio’s Creative Source and Bukem’s Good Looking.
They were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum depth of emotion — a dedication to creating lasting But with their early forays following a tough liquid
but it still worked because it had been put together so pieces of art. roller template the typecast as ‘another soulful
well and tracks weren’t overloaded with sound.” “Like many old school jungle heads, we’ve always d&b act from Cambridge’ stuck all the same. It took
believed that music can be both incredibly dark but a split with Conrad to change course.
Pure emotion
incredibly deep and subtle at the same time,” explains “At that point, we took stock, had a serious look at
Indeed, as George puts it, anyone with half a George. what we wanted to achieve and realised that we
production schooling can make a cut-and-paste drum “If you’re not getting some sort of emotion from music were restraining ourselves,” remembers Guy.
& bass banger but to create music with depth and soul then what is it? ” questions Guy. “Any meaningful “We’ve always both been into lots of different
is a different matter altogether. But d&b v.2 is no music is pure emotion. If you strip all that emotion types of music — hip-hop, the whole IDM
d&b-lite for coffee table musos. away from dance music then it just becomes movement, electronica, techno, house — but what
On tracks like dBridge’s jazzy Burial-esque tech- something to nod your head to — something to gurn we were hearing within our music was limited.”
stepper — ‘Creatures Of Habit’ — a dark energy lurks to.” “We felt we had a bit of an identity crisis,” admits
within but, given space to breathe, it comes cloaked in his partner.
latent anger and eerie melancholy rather than the Yet having served their own time as horn-blowing
cartoon fury of the genre’s more overblown moments. 17-year-olds in rowdy raves like Cambridge’s Warning, When Metalheadz enigma Goldie signed them up
Later in the mix, Instra:Mental’s next-level ‘No Future’ leaving the dancefloor behind is not on the duo’s for an EP after hearing a CDR of their dubby
strips things down to a controlled rhythmic rage of agenda. Hospital roller ‘Roots Train’, that identity began to
psychedelic tribalism and dystopian Code Red intones Instead, the emphasis is to work it in different, more take form.
www.djmag.com
037
DJ470.commix.indd 37 19/1/09 22:49:33
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