Rob Swire teases new Pendulum music: Listen
Rob Swire of Pendulum has teased forthcoming music from the band on his Instagram.
The Australian drum & bass outfit haven't released any new material since 2011. Last summer, when they were announced to replace The Prodigy at London festival South West Four, the festival said fans could expect "brand new Pendulum music from their forthcoming EP series and album."
Drum & bass history explored in new documentary, United Nation
A new documentary explores the history of drum & bass.
Directed and produced by One Nation’s founder Terry ‘Turbo’ Stone, ‘United Nation: Three Decades of Drum & Bass’ delves into the sharp rise of the genre, from illegal raves to taking over the charts. Looking at both the music and cultural impact of drum & bass, the doc features the likes of DJ Fresh, Andy C, Sigma, Hype, Ragga Twins, Adam F, Fabio, Grooverider, Sasasas, DJ Rap, Jumping Jack Frost and more.
On Cue: J:Kenzo
Drum & bass artist Optiv has died
Drum & bass artist Optiv, otherwise known as Edward Holmes, has passed away.
Originally from the UK but more recently living in Switzerland, Holmes rose to prominence around the turn of the millennium as part of the group Cause4Concern. Their work on their self-titled label, and for imprints such as Timeless, Virus, Quarantine and Renegade Hardware helped shape the dark, tech side of drum & bass.
In 2002 he launched his influential Red Light Records imprint — which celebrated its 50th release in 2019 — and began working under his solo alias, Optiv.
Detroit drum & bass DJ Mark David Fisher has died, aged 50
Detroit drum & bass DJ/producer Mark David Fisher has died, aged 50.
The influential musician, who helped establish Detroit Electronic Music Festival, passed away on the 2nd January from a brain haemorrhage.
Also known to fans as MD!, Dluv and Nefarious, Fisher founded Detroit Luv - an online message board for Detroit's electronic community, created prior to the introduction of social media.
Detroit Techno Militia, a collective from the city, shared a post describing Fisher as a "connector" who will be "sorely missed".
DJ Mag’s electronic albums that defined the decade
Premiere: Blocks & Escher ‘Gem’
Blocks & Escher will release their first collaborative work since 2018’s incredible ‘Something Blue’ LP next month.
Set for release on 6th December on their own Narratives label, ‘From The Ashes’ and ‘Gem’ offer two more trips into expertly crafted, atmospheric d&b with flourishes of dubstep and cinematic ambience.
‘Gem’ is the heftier of the two, with towering sirens and propulsive, beastly bass howls, it’s frankly dancefloor-shattering. Check it out below.
Get To Know: Kimyan Law
Kimyan Law defies simple description in more ways than one. An exiled child of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s long-running, ever-intractable civil war, his unique personal history forms a key part of his creative puzzle. He tells DJ Mag that this cultural, emotional and familial disconnect from his heritage “really, really hurts”, a pain compounded by racial exclusion in his home of Austria.
On Cue: Barely Legal
London-via-Birmingham's Barely Legal is a mainstay of the UK scene. An artist who has been at the forefront of the underground bass world for almost a decade, the DJ and label owner has spent 2019 playing gigs everywhere from Munich to Ibiza, and performed at Croatia’s Hideout, Creamfields, and Snowbombing. As the year winds down, Barely Legal is finishing up her Pretty Weird tour, a label affiliated party series, which has been touring the country since August.
Andy C wins DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2019 Highest Drum & Bass award
Andy C has claimed the Highest Drum & Bass award once again in this year’s DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll - climbing 11 spots on last year’s position to sit at No.79 and serving as the only entry from the genre.
Starting the year with a 12-week residency at XOYO in London, for which he invited a representative cross-section of drum & bass DJs old and new, Andy pretty much sold out each of the nights in the series.
