This week sees the release of the Brookes Brothers’ Loveline/The Blues… Their first single in what feels like an eternity, we thought we’d give them a call and ask what the devil they’ve been up to. Turns out they needed the D&B equivalent of a cabinet reshuffle. Read to discover how Dan and Phil Brooke have recently undergone some massive changes… And how it’s going to benefit their future floor burners.

Studio partnerships can be intense. Just two of you in one smelly soundproofed room, locked in the groove for unbroken sessions so long they’d make a human rights campaigner explode. It’s a wonder we don’t hear any rock n’ roll style stories like when bands split up. Smashing the hell out Macbooks, 909s and each other in hotel rooms. What capers!

So imagine if your studio partner is your brother. Like actual brother and not just a bro. Sure; your communication with each other will be crisp and clear. Sure; your understanding of each other will be innate. But, as Dan explains, living and working with your sibling can have its occasional down sides…

”We can argue over the tiniest things. It’s ridiculous. We once had a blazing 3 day row over an arpeggiator,” he says. “And we can be a bad influence on each other. When one of us is being lazy… the other can very easily be sucked in to the lazy vibe. So instead of one, you’ve got two people slacking off!”

Which is part of the reason why, after six intense years sharing the same studio and living space, the bros are currently in the process of moving into a new space: Phil will operate a new studio, while Dan is staying in the old studio, “pimping it out” and installing a brand new vocal booth. As Dan says, “it was about time we upgraded the studio space and made some slight changes to our living arrangements!”

Props to the bros for living and working in such conditions for the amount of time they did.  And props to Phil for moving out… Dan reckons they’ll get a lot more done now there’s a wee bit of space.

“We’re already working better and getting some real momentum going,” he tells us. “Really looking forward to the next few months to see the benefits of the new setup start to show in the music”

No sooner said than done… Their new single is resoundingly fresh and exciting. Both cuts sparkle with creativity and character and come with their own little stories. Madly, it’s their first new material since their eponymous album release summer 2011 and their first single in just over a year!

“It’s a bit shit isn’t it?” laughs Dan. “Life comes first, man. Studio had to be put on the back foot for a while. We’re back on it now; hopefully there’ll be a chain of releases. A single every three months or so.”

Great news! And it starts right here as we get Dan’s tale on how both Loveline and The Blues came together.

Loveline

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D63rzj2ibo

“Haz-Mat is a talkbox artist from Detroit who we found on YouTube! We were blown away by his videos so we hit him up. We did a track with him and Foreign Beggars then thought we’d do this. It took age, we over a four month period or so, but it came together. He had no idea what drum & bass was; now he’s vibing on all the tunes!”

The Blues

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7jfiL99LHc

“It’s actually from a really old sample CD which we bought about 10 years ago. Blues isn’t one of my favourite genres; I love bluesy style but eight-bar blues isn’t my favourite harmonic progression. The whole vibe does interest us, though; we love the story telling aspect. The down on your luck vibes. A lot of music doesn’t tell such a story. I love that. The lyrics come across in a unique way. It’s an important genre, too. It led to R&B and rock; it’s a hugely influential genre in the development of our music.”

Loveline / The Blues is out now on Breakbeat Kaos. Listen and download.