What’s been your ultimate summer mission?
A rare moment in time that you instinctively know to savour. No work. No stress. Best company. Best weather. One of those times where things are as close to perfection as it gets. Sure, they happen in the winter too, but it’s always that sunny ones that stand out. From lazy days eating ice cream in the sun to monster missions, festival tear-ups and nights spent having fun. Summer’s where it’s at, right?
Of course every good sunny season needs an equally warm and free-spirited soundtrack. And we’ve got just the ticket; Drum&BassArena Summer Selection 2012. Two discs, 40 tracks, 10 exclusives; our latest groove compendium is real beaut. Word has it the sun’s actually waiting for us to release it (July 15 digital, July 16 physical) before he actually blesses us with his presence.
With the tracklisting reading like an all star cast: Marky & S.P.Y, Peshay & J Majik, Rewind, Original Sin, Logistics, Mind Vortex, Total Science, Rudimental… The list truly goes on. We exclusively revealed it last week here.
You’ll notice one of those exclusives is LSB’s Some Disco. A warm, soul-tickling piano-licking roller, it couldn’t have more summer time vibes if it tried.
“Am I a summertime vibes man?” LSB ponders. “Yeah I guess so. I do like the coldness of winter, I’m not going to lie. But yeah this track is a proper BBQ tune; get your decks out and enjoy. I’ve always appreciated that scope in D&B; that ability to have tunes that work in different scenarios and weathers. And I guess I’m always drawn back to the music I first I first loved.”
He’s talking about the liquid vibes of early century. Back then he was studying in Norwich and meeting the likes of BCee at his club night Bounce that he ran with Scheme. Little did he know BCee would be signing his tracks several years later. Like his forthcoming Overthinking EP, out next week on Spearhead, it’s a firing ride that teeters on the edge of soul without losing that crucial edge.
“Sometimes you make stuff that’s pure not dancefloor,” he admits. “But if you want to sell your tunes and, most importantly, have other DJs play them, then it’s got to have some proper dancefloor heaviness too. It’s so important to strike that balance. I think sometimes people forget that. Especially with the minimal stuff; things sound good on the headphones but then kind of get lost on the dancefloor. That’s why people like Rockwell smash it so well; they understand that you need it have a proper kick on the dancefloor as well as being musically deep. Calibre, too; tunes have to have proper vibes, a big simple groove and still smash the dancefloor. You should never ignore that dancefloor aspect.”
Proper vibes, a big simple groove, dancefloor smasher; the very same can be said Some Disco. And every other tune on our Summer Selection 2012 album.
Pre-orders are now available: Physical (2CDs) & Digital (iTunes)
We’re celebrating the release on July 15 at a special BBQ in a secret location. But before that mission….
LSB’s ultimate summer mission:
“So many things spring to mind! A really good summer memory that links to drum & bass was about 2003. We went to Ram at The End. It was Independence Day, July 4. Back then The End was the home of drum & bass. You could really feel that at the time too. Since The End shut we haven’t really got somewhere that we can say is definitely the home of D&B. Berlin is techno, Ibiza is house, London is drum & bass and The End is where you really felt it. The atmosphere, the soundsystem, the DJs. Andy C, Zinc, Trace, Krust – amazing times!
So it was a wicked rave but what really topped it off was a mission we had on the way home. I was with Messy MC and a couple of other mates. Just outside where I grew up in Essex the government had grown a load of hemp. Eight foot high hemp plants; you’d walk into it, they towered over you! The sun was coming up, we were wandering through it; it was like a scene out of The Beach. We were surrounded by these mad plants and the sun was coming up. Just a really surreal morning with some great mates.
It’s the fitting end to a very big night. You can either be scared of the sunrise because it’s the end of the night or you can embrace it. We really embraced it that night! Good music all night long, great mates and a beautiful morning to end it all. Enjoying it for all it is. And when the sun is out in Great Britain, you’ve got to make the most of it. A very mad scene for somewhere that was 20 miles out of London.”
LSB’s summertime tip-off: “What should we do this summer? Ha ha ha, buy Drum&BassArena Summer Selection 2012 maybe? Go to a new festival, go and see a new band or check out a new DJ. Embrace something completely new and embrace it with an open mind. Don’t stick to what you know!”
Drum&BassArena Summer Selection 2012 is out July 15 digital, July 16 physical. Join us and celebrate.