Marcus Intalex - Soulution Radio 10 - May 2008

Biography of Marcus Intalex

Both as an artist and a DJ, Marcus Intalex represents the forefront of soulful musical drum and bass. From the seminal ‘How You Make Me Feel’ (alongside studio partner ST Files as MIST), to this year’s ‘Eleventh Hour’ LP (together with Calibre and ST Files as Mist:ical), his productions are renowned for pushing boundaries whilst retaining broad appeal. Marcus’ dj sets follow suit and, in carrying the same energy and passion as his music, identify him as a tastemaker and leader in the scene. His versatile style, combined with excellent mixing skills, make Marcus Intalex one of the most in-demand DJs on the circuit and his reputation for breaking new quality music, without compromising the dancefloor, only continues to grow.

Marcus’ passion for music was born in his native Manchester, where he experienced firsthand the energy of the nascent dance music scene as a regular on the dancefloor at the legendary Hacienda club. His interest for the music grew as the scene developed and, after landing his first professional dj gig at the tender age of 17, Marcus went on to work at the infamous Eastern Bloc record store. From here he established himself on the Manchester scene and began producing tracks together with fellow Mancunian Mark XTC as Da Intalex, appearing on Flex Recordings.

A chance meeting in the early 90’s, through Flex boss L Double, led to Marcus pairing up with producer and engineer ST Files and gave rise to the partnership we know today as MIST. In 1999, the pair’s ground-breaking release ‘How You Make Me Feel’ (on Doc Scott’s 31 Records) began a new soulful movement in drum and bass at a time when the scene was driven by predominantly dark and aggressive sounds. Following up their success with a series of high-profile remixes for MJ Cole, Un:Cut, 4 Hero and Solid State, MIST duly established themselves as leaders in the field.

In 2001 they set-up their own label Soul:r, to release their own music and that of like-minded artists such as Calibre, High Contrast, DJ Marky and D:Kay. Since then the label has grown to be one of the most respected in the scene and reflects Marcus’ own strong personal ethics, releasing innovative drum and bass with musical integrity. Last year’s DAT Music project, in collaboration with younger sibling Revolve:r, saw Soul:r once again pushing boundaries with a series of strong and ambitious releases from artists including Klute, D-Bridge, Martyn, and Marcus Intalex himself. For 2007, Soul:r continues to drive forward with singles planned from Lynx (‘Global Enemies’ b/w ‘Break the Mod’) and Break (‘Mr Crystal’ b/w ‘Come and Get It’) as well as remixes on Revolve:r from techno legends John Tejada and Nomadico from Underground Resistance.

With recent solo productions such as ‘Nebulus’ on Metalheadz and the ‘Refreshed EP’ on Soul:r, Marcus has continued to push the envelope and married Detroit techno influences with drum and bass in a way that expresses his own unique style. Marcus also plays sets other than drum and bass that explore these influences, fusing together deep house, techno and soulful broken beat rhythms. 2007 also saw an installment in the Fabric Live CD series, brought to you by none other than the man himself. With the freshest drum and bass selection around, this was one of the best yet in this highly acclaimed series.

In time for Christmas 2007, Marcus has launched www.abunchofcuts.com, a new mp3 online store which for the first time ever sells mp3 of Soul:r and Revolv:r alongside that of affiliated labels 31 Records, Exit, Commercial Suicide, Bassbin and Signature.
His goal for 2008 is to establish the store, also by setting up one off 'a bunch of cuts' showcases and residencies across the globe.

Taking his sound to dancefloors worldwide, Marcus has played all overthe UK, Europe, North and South America as well as Asia andAustralia/New Zealand. This includes frequent appearances at Nightssuch as Metalheadz as well his own Soul:ution nights, held regularly inBirmingham, Bristol, Brighton, London (Fabric) and Moscow. Besidesthis, Marcus finds time for guest appearances at many of the UKsbiggest events, from Drum and Bass Arena to Breakin Science, making himone of the most in demand djs on the circuit.

Fifteen years into his career and Marcus’ passion for drum and bass remains strong: “the music is in a good place right now and it’s setting itself up to get better.” With Marcus Intalex continuing to push things forward, how could anyone disagree?

http://www.myspace.com/intalex
http://www.esp-international.co.uk/

D Bridge - Soulution Radio 10 - May 2008

Biography of D Bridge

A veteran producer and one of the most experienced artists in drum and bass, Darren White aka D-Bridge is taking his music to new heights with Exit Records. Numerous collabrations with the likes of Calibre, Commix, A.I., Concord Dawn, D-Kay, Jenna G and others stand testament to his reputation and form part of a diverse and inspirational release catalogue of truly enviable proportions. Having set the drum and bass scene alight as part of Bad Company, D-Bridge stepped forward once again in 2003 reintroducing himself as a solo artist and unleashed a barrage of releases across top labels Metalheadz, Soul:r and Creative Source. More recently he�s turned his attentions to his label with singles in 2007 featuring Rufige Kru, Survival, Break and Steve Spacek, and an album titles 'The Gemin Project' to follow in April/May 2008.

Although his love of music dates back much farther, Darren�s career began in earnest in 1992 when he moved to London to make music with and produce for his brother Steve (himself a successful solo artist and front-man for the group �Spacek�). Catching the buzz of the nascent rave scene along with his brother, he ventured out to club nights such as Roast and the Astoria and drew inspiration from the deep dubby tones of the Jah Shaka soundsystem. Darren soon found himself working with UK hardcore group Armshouse Crew, the production posse responsible for Lennie De Ice�s proto-jungle anthem �We are IE� and began to master the synths and samplers that were the source of this new sound.

In 1995 he linked with the Trouble on Vinyl camp, who released his first solo production as D-Bridge, �Bring Da Flava b/w Keep it Real.� It was here, amongst like-minds and contemporaries, that he met fellow producer Jason Maldini and the pair went on to form Future Forces. Their early productions stood apart from rest and so a new imprint, Renegade Hardware, was established to cater for the tougher, grittier sounds they were creating. A steady string of releases followed, including the classics �Dead by Dawn� and �Triton� and drew the attention of another production duo, Fresh and Vegas. This meeting of minds was to result in the birth of Bad Company and the beginning of a new chapter in drum and bass.

Their debut single �The Nine� was already an anthem before it�s release on the group�s eponymous label in 1998. Bad Company fast became a household name and, over the course of 3 full length albums and numerous singles, set about fine-tuning a new template for others to follow. After years of touring, the natural progression was to realise the group�s collective aspirations in the shape of a live project, Digital Nation. The project was short-lived but a prestigious studio session at the BBC�s Maida Vale studios highlighted both their talent and potential.

After more than 5 years with Bad Company, D-Bridge moved on driven by his own ambitions and announced his return as a solo artist in 2003 with �Libra b/w The Bride� on his own label, Exit Records. �The Monochrome EP� on Bingo followed (the title a nod to an old moniker he used for Renegade Hardware) and demonstrated the depth and versatility of D-Bridge�s fresh new musical sound. In 2004, he teamed up again with old spar Maldini for the massive single �True Romance b/w Bellini�, released on Metalheadz Platinum which went on to be one of the biggest selling drum and bass singles of the year. A series of well-received singles for Quarantine, Soul:r and Creative Source have since followed and, alongside the collaborative work for his own Exit Records, earned D-Bridge a solid reputation for both quality and consistency.

Exit Records is not only a platform for his own music, but the fruition of a lifetime goal for Darren and he has developed the label to encompass styles beyond strictly drum and bass. Exit Versus plays host to D-Bridge�s collaborations with other artists and the first three singles have seen him cross swords with the likes of Commix, Concord Dawn, A.I. and Fierce. Exit Aptitude by contrast focuses on individual artists at the top of their game, as shown by the sell-out success of the first volume, featuring tracks from Calibre and Lost in Shadows. The next installment, due July 2007, sees the mercurial Survival pair up with Break this time for �Cronk� and go solo on the flipside with �U457�. Set to follow shortly after will be a single featuring tracks from both Rufige Kru (�Is this Real?�) and Instra:mental.

Proving that Exit is much more than simply a drum and bass label, the first in the Black Pocket series was released early 2007 and features the combined talents of both Steve Spacek and D-Bridge. More deep space soul grooves are due with the release of Black Pocket Volume 2 in July and an album scheduled for 2008.

For April/May 2008, D-Bridge plans to release his first artist album 'The Gemini Principle' and take his music and Exit Records on to new heights. Further plans include the release of a compilation LP, drawing together the best moments from his enviable back catalogue.

D-Bridge loves to draw from the range of diverse music he�s so passionate about when playing a live DJ set. Seamless transistions from rough to smooth are his trademark although his sets always deliver for the dancefloor, making him equally at home whether representing Metalheadz or Soul:r for example. Having honed his deck skills with over 10 years of DJing experience, D-Bridge brings the same quality and style to a live show that he does in the studio. It�s no surprise then that demand for D-Bridge is high and can surely only rise as the success of Exit Records continues to grow.

http://www.myspace.com/exitrecords