REWIND: 1996. A year of technological enlightenment and progression… Dolly the sheep is cloned in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Nintendo 64 is unveiled in Tokyo, Japan. Chess computer Deep Blue slaps Gary Kasparov for the first time in Philadelphia, USA and Drum&BassArena is founded in Sheffield, England by The Risky.
FAST FORWARD: 2014. Dolly died in 2003. The N64 is now a quaint retro console curio. Deep Blue was dismantled in 1998, its racks are on display in the National Museum of American History and the Computer History Museum. Drum&BassArena, however, has become one of jungle’s most respected, long-standing authorities.
A scene bastion that has documented, celebrated and promoted every aspect of drum and bass and jungle since inception: Unlike its birthday buddies, Drum&BassArena has developed and evolved with the times. In many events it’s been ahead of the times; the first brand to host live DJ webcasts in 1997, the first brand to host video streams with D&BTV in 2002, the multi-award winning website and its thriving community and fanbase have continually pushed every facet of the scene – its artists, its DJs, its promoters – supporting it to help it become the number one-smashing, arena-filling beast it has become.
The latest addition to the brand’s ever-growing album series (which includes the highest selling D&B albums of all time) Drum&BassArena: 18 Years is a celebration of the brand’s longstanding presence, influence and voice within the scene… And more.
Delivered across three mixes (present, past, exclusives), 60 tracks and 20 exclusives, Drum&BassArena: 18 Years goes beyond celebrating the best releases since the brand’s inception… Rather than simply looking back to 1996, Drum&BassArena: 18 Years explores the very origins of the scene, plotting and mapping the genre’s most pivotal releases right into the future.
From Shimon & Andy C’s Nightflight to Sigma’s chart-topping Nobody To Love to Mampi Swift’s as-yet unreleased Higher, this is the brand’s most explorative release that reflects the scene’s many sub-genres and genetic mutations over the past 20 years. Most importantly, it looks forward just as hard it as it looks back…
The grand climax of the album is a 20-strong collection of 100 per cent exclusive tracks that you will not find anywhere else. As well as contributions from veritable scene legends such as Klute, Bladerunner, Mampi Swift and Q Project there are cuts from every corner of the drum & bass loving globe… BTK brings badness from Brazil, NC-17 causes Canadian chaos, Kloe corrupts with fine French funk, Ben Kama delivers Finnish fire, Funk Effect are on hand with ardent Austrian attitude while L 33 bashes the blend with Bulgarian bass.
A picture perfect portrait of drum & bass’s global nature and constant culture of progression, freshness and development; it would have been far too easy to knock up a ‘best of’ compilation full of the scene’s biggest hits. Instead Drum&BassArena have created a document that, while referencing all the right roots, will also stand the test of time and help push the genre into a brand new chapter. Here’s to another 18 years of technological enlightenment and progression…
Drum&BassArena 18 Years is out now! Get it here.
TRACKLIST:
CD 1: PRESENT
1. Sigma – Nobody To Love
2. The Prototypes Feat. Amy Pearson – Don’t Let Me Go
3. Matrix & Futurebound Feat. Max Marshall – Control
4. Netsky Feat. Beth Ditto –Â Running Low (Fred V & Grafix Remix)
5. Chase & Status Feat. Moko – Count On Me (Andy C Remix)
6. Jaguar Skills & Chords Feat. Matti Roots – Lust (Break Remix)
7. Rockwell – 1_2_3_4
8. State Of Mind – No-Operative (Audio Remix)
9. Noisia & Prolix – Asteroids
10. DJ Hazard – Mk Q
11. N3GUS Feat. Jakes – Walk The Walk
12. Camo & Krooked – All Night
13. Logistics Feat. Hugh Hardie – As Sure As Sunrise
14. BCee Feat. Philippa Hanna – Back To The Street (Nu:Tone Remix)
15. Technimatic – Like A Memory Feat. Pat Fulgoni
16. Hypoxia – Badass
17. S.P.Y Feat. LowQui – Manicured Reality
18. Optiv & BTKÂ – Shredder
19. Ulterior Motive – M.I.R
20. Emperor & Mefjus – Void Main Void
CD2: PAST
1. The Prodigy – Voodoo People (Pendulum Mix)
2. Sub Focus – X-Ray
3. Wilkinson – Moonwalker
4. Bad Company – Planet Dust
5. Fresh – Signal
6. Wots My Code – Dubplate (Total Science Remix)
7. DJ Zinc – Reach Out (Remix)
8. Top Cat – Ruffest Gun Ark (Chase & Status Remix)
9. DJ Hype, J Majik & Wickaman Feat. Daddy Earl – Dubplate Killa
10. Taxman – Too Bad
11. DJ Krust – Warhead (Ram Trilogy Remix)
12. DJ Hazard – Machete
13. Ed Rush, Optical & Fierce – Alien Girl
14. Dillinja Feat. Lorreia Loushy – Nasty Ways
15. Cause4Concern – Peep Show
16. Noisia – Diplodocus
17. dBridge Feat. Vegas – True Romance
18. Shimon & Andy C – Nightflight
19. DJ Die – Autumn (Commix Remix)
20. Shy FX & T-Power Feat. Di & Skibadee – Don’t Wanna Know
CD3: EXCLUSIVES
1. A.M.C – Ignition
2. Callide & Intraspekt – 5 Tonne Monster
3. Mampi Swift – Higher
4. T-Phonic & Modula – The Resurrection
5. Funk Effect – Devil Dance
6. Coda & Skore – Everything
7. Q Project – Blurred
8. BTK Feat. Ryme Tyme – Spawn
9. NC-17 & Soulculture Feat. KC – Contamination.
10. Akov Feat. Twitchee Cordz – Mirror Image
11. L 33 – Saviour
12. Kloé – A Distant Planet
13. Ben Kama – Blink
14. Raze – Leviathan
15. Klute – The Beyond
16. Bladerunner – Reflection
17. Saxxon – Zapatera
18. KG – Repton Road
19. BCee – Vicarage Road
20. S9 – No More Games
