Across the flood with dBRIDGE

PHATFUNK IS treating its patrons to a drum-and-bass extravaganza tonight with subliminal sounds by Britain’s celebrated DJ dBridge.
A drum-and-bass pioneer and visionary, Darren White, as he was born, helped carve out a dominating sound as part of the DJ supergroup Bad Company during the later ’90s. He’s released classic tunes such as “Planet Dust”, “Nitrous”, and “The Nine”.
Recently dBridge, under the alias Velvit, started to create 130-beat-per-minute rhythms, significantly slower than conventional 160-180bpm drum-and-bass tunes. In August he released the EP “Move Way” filled |with speech samples, |booming drums, eerie |synth and melancholic melodies.
He’s spinning tonight alongside Bangkok’s finest drum-and-bass DJs Azek, DeLorean, Instinct and Orawan. We caught up with the maestro just before he arrived in Bangkok.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT DRUM-AND-BASS THAT APPEALS TO YOU MOST?
It’s many things. I grew up with it, from the early days of hardcore to jungle to what it is now, so there’s a sense of family and belonging. Also, I think that, of all the electronic music genres out there, I still find it the most fulfilling to make, and I think it’s still very much under-explored.

IS DRUM-AND-BASS STILL PRETTY MUCH AN UNDERGROUND GENRE, OR HAS IT BECOME COMMERCIAL?
It’s very much both. There is and will always be an underground part to drum-and-bass, but it’s now seeped into mainstream acts like DJ Fresh and Chase & Status. We were born from the underground and have managed to obtain commercial success. More recently you have acts
 like Rudimental, who have no underground tradition as a group as far as I know, which says to me that, as a genre, it’s now a commercial option for pop acts and will spawn many more.

YOU TAKE INSPIRATION FROM ECLECTIC SOURCES. WHAT INSPIRES YOU MOST WHEN YOU MAKE MUSIC?
My sources are varied. In regards to music I draw inspiration from Soul, ’80s synth pop and movie soundtracks.
I think what inspires me most is my current state of mind – I’m very much affected by my surroundings and the people around me. I use how I’m feeling to convey ideas and to also exorcise any demons that may be lurking within. Making music is an emotional release and a useful healing tool.

WE’VE HEARD THAT YOU “LOVE HEARING IMPERFECTIONS IN MUSIC”. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?
I suppose we all strive for perfection. From a musical standpoint it might be the perfect mix-down or arrangement. For me, drum-and-bass and for the most part any new scene comes about through imperfection. Not fully understanding how to use the equipment, how to mix, do harmonies and control other elements being in key. Early drum-and-bass was a mixture of all of this. The imperfections were what made the vibe. Early dubstep had that same essence.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE EXIT LABEL’S CHARACTERISTICS?
An open-minded electronic-music label with its roots in drum-and-bass.

TEN YEARS IS A LONG TIME FOR ANY RECORD LABEL. HOW DIFFERENT IS EXIT NOW FROM WHEN IT STARTED?
I’d like to think it’s grown, as I have. It started off as a vehicle for me and my music and has now become a strong underground label. What I want for it is still to come though. I’ve grown up following labels from their infancy, such as Warp, Ninja Tune |and XL, so I suppose that’s what I would one day like to be. Still got a long way to go, though.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE PAST DECADE?
There have been many. Obviously being a part of Bad Company was a big one. That was short-lived but intense time. We were at the top of the tree within in drum-and-bass. I think starting my own label and the path that has led me down is my biggest highlight. I get a real sense of pride from seeing that thing I created has transformed and turned into something that can help other musicians be heard, and provide work with gigs, etc. It’s a nice feeling.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE FESTIVAL TO PLAY AT SO FAR?
I think the Outlook and Dimensions festivals are amazing in terms of production value. They bring in some of the best acts from around the world for four days and have them play on great sound systems. Of the two I prefer Dimensions. They have more acts that I’m more interested in seeing.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TONIGHT?
You’re going to hear a healthy mixture of my musical past and what I perceive to be the future of Exit Records and my vision of drum-and-bass.

Catch dBridge tonight |at Glow on Sukhumvit Soi 23 near the Asoke BTS station.
The party starts at 10. |Tickets are Bt500, inclusive |of one drink. Learn more at http://PhatfunkBangkok.com