THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

Hey Folks! It's been a funny old year for irishdrumandbass.com it started off with the site drifting aimlessly around cyberspace like some sort of destitute cruise liner, activity reduced to a minimum and incredible numbers of technical problems. But in the last few months it's gotten a lick of paint, a kick in the nether regions and a blood transfusion and it's creaking back into action again!

Jungle Republic made a welcome return too, with hundreds of junglists from all over the country making the trip to Kerry for another weekend of basslines, beats and booze. Calibre kicked arse all over the world and dropped another vintage year of tracks, Bassbin furthered it's reputation as one of drum and bass number one labels, Beta 2 & Zero Tolerance whisked up a storm with their releases this year, Jet Li and Source made their initial forays into the world of jungle labels with Phase 2 Recordings and the inimitable Code pushed the envelope even further with Subtle Audios releases, and Al Genetix continues to make waves with his wicked productions and live drum and bass PAs.

Elsewhere we've seen new nights and new producers making waves, new DJs breaking through and new faces at nights all over the country, not to mention other jungle soldiers keeping the vibe alive in the towns and countries of our small island. Anyway, this little mail is to remind you we are still here, and the site is now back to being THE place for irish junglists to get their fix, be it mixes, news, photos from gigs or just to waste the working day on the forums.

We also provide a haven for fans of other beat based music, and coming in 2008....a new sister site for idnb, irishdubstep.com!

So come on down and check it out if you've been away from us for awhile. http://www.irishdrumandbass.com/

FURNEY: WORDS 2 BE HEARD : audio!

English laddy Furney has been causing a stir this year! Teaming up with the GLO camp, dropping remixes, killer DJ sets, Furney is truely an example of new school on the rise.
No stranger to music, Furney's knowledge of the music industry extends past a decade, but only recently has this veteran been breaking down barriers.

1. When did you start producing?
1995

2.What we're your first few releases?
First few releases, i had to re-write phd&funkytechnicians track Above&beyond for the earth surround compilation from the raw samples, did that with mc conrad, also did a remix of there track "airtight". Did a single side on Soundtrax "babilonia". CaliCali/Feeling Up on advanced, Drum tools on good looking which has just hit the streets. Got alot of tracks in limbo as well that are about to be sorted out for release.

3. Whats your opinon of thcurrent state of d&b?
I think there loads of good producers doing there thing, and loads of different styles of drum and bass out there, something out there to cater for everyone! As Vinyl sales aren't as great as what they used to be, the digital market is starting to open up new avenues so thats cool as well. As long as the promotors keep booking the djs, and the producers keep producing the tunes i think it'll carry on going healthy and strong, every few months someone does a tune that makes people take notice so i think it will always thrive.

December Top Ten
1. Peyo-old times
2. Utah Jazz-money's 1 thing
3. Atlantic Connection - untitled(withyou)
4. Calibre-corner dance
5. LTJ Bukem-untitled
6. Lenzman-marseille
7. Furney/Conrad/ama-unhappier
8. Furney-A song For kong(conradvocaledit)
9. Sirenes-deep end
10. A cat named phil - weak ends (grooverider rmx)


FURNEY & HERRICK - ITS SO GOOD (MP3)

FURNEY ON MYSPACE

INDUSTRY RECORDINGS : Don't Second Guess.

As you all should know Industry Recordings has been a staple in the drum and bass scene for quite some time now. With consistently solid releases which appeal to fans across the board, Industry has truly remained a figure label in the scene. Ben Sumner the exec. for Industry Recordings kindly gave us 20 min of his time to answer some burning questions. So here they are.


1.So how long has Industry Recordings been operational?
We started the label in 2000 and had our first full release in 2001; so we are 7 years old.

2.Highest selling releases ?
Our best selling single was actually our first release Total Science - Format b/w Davide Carbone -Direct; and our best selling vinyl album was the Heads of Industry LP which featured Accidental Heroes, Cause 4 Concern, Future Cut & Kontrol, Influx Datum, EBK, Total Science, Bulletproof and Davide Carbone - all of whom have gone on to big things! The Industrial Revolution mix CD series has also sold very well over the years.

3. Opinion on D&B currently ?
This is a pretty big question that I could probably waffle on about for hours and hours; but the scene has changed a lot from when I started out in many ways. Obviously it is disappointing to see vinyl sales decline over the years and some of the humanity of the scene has been removed through the development of the digital age but as with everything there are two sides to the story. The Internet and explosion of digital music formats have allowed drum & bass to spread to an even wider audience globally, and encouraged more and more people to get into it in one way or another; which can only be a good thing.

I miss the days when if you wanted a tune you had to seek a certain person out in the flesh to get it, and the fun of meeting up with fellow producers and dj's which just isnt the same with AIM. I miss the days of dubplates and vinyl only sets, with that lovely warm analogue sound rolling out in clubs everywhere. However I love the fact that I can get new tunes without leaving my house and I don't have to blaze my life savings cutting dubs @£40 a pop or whatever.

I like the fact that kids with passion can make tunes and start labels but I hate the fact that there's a million labels out there and a lot more shit tunes in the shops. Although having said that I think there is some amazing music out there, with people like Lynx, Commix, Lomax and Logistics pushing boundaries with quality tracks. I have to say I've heard as many tunes I think are sick in this last year as any of the last 15 years I've been listening to this music. I guess as long as the music is good then the drum & bass scene is good; but I worry that DJ'ing is the only way to make money these days and that creation of amazing tunes isn't as rewarding financially for producers as it used to be. Thus making it hard for people to justify spending more time in the studio to keep pushing things forward. I do also really fear the death of vinyl, as I love it so much; so my message to people is if you like a tune - buy the vinyl - it's so worth it, it's the best quality you can get with a phenomenal frequency response (warm bass), and you are supporting the artists you like, so they can continue making tunes for you!!

4. Whats instore for 2008?
We have loads of good stuff lined up for '08 including a Cyantific remix of one of our biggest tunes '9 2 5', a remix from Marky, a few new bits from HoldTight and Lomax as well as stuff from new artists including Brother, Ben E, KDC and Morebeat & Kantyze. We are launching the long awaited Industry Digital imprint which will see a broad variety of interesting material available only through digital medium. Check http://www.industryrecordings.net/ for news, audio and more.

DECEMBER Top 10
1. Lomax - Burning Flag - Critical
2. HoldTight - Old Times (Genetics Rmx) - Industry
3. HoldTight feat. Lomax - Equilibrium - Industry
4. Ben E - Beer Goggles - Industry
5. Lomax - Minimal Meltdown - Critical
6. Spectrasoul - Adoration - NuDirections
7. Lomax & Fokuz - 5 Weeks - Bingo
8. HoldTight - Breakfast Club - Dub
9. Zero Tolerance & Beta 2 - Strike Back - Westbay
10. ? - Movin On Up Rmx - White

Ben Sumner Industry Recordings
+44 (0)7957 622 750
AIM: IndustryRecs
http://www.industryrecordings.net/

www.myspace.com/industryrecordings

Out Now:

HoldTight Old & New LP

Out Soon:

IND027: Lomax / Holdtight & Kleer - Blazius / DweebIND028: Holdtight feat. Lomax / Brother - Equilibrium / Blue Notes

Also watch out for more remixes and tracks from Lomax, Cyantific, DJ Marky, Agent Alvin, HoldTight, Genetics, Domino and more..

A BUNCH OF CUTS! LAUNCH: DECEMBER 10th.

With enough whining about when and if Soul:R will ever drop mp3's of their releases, cry no further. We got an exclusive on some very special labels doing some very special things...


WHAT A BUNCH OF…
After much procrastination and several heated discussions, a number
of leading drum and bass labels have agreed to put their differences
aside to form a collective.

From Monday 10th December 2007 you will, for the first time
anywhere, be able to purchase on mp3 the entire works of; 31
Records, Bassbin, Commercial Suicide, Exit, Signature and Soul:r /
Revolver, at the aptly named collective noun for grumpy junglists
www.abunchofcuts.com . You will also in the very near future be able
to find exclusive digital only content from all the labels involved.
Never one to miss an opportunity to comment, Marcus Intalex had
this to say on the venture, “We all have the same beliefs about
keeping it as independent as possible. We all still love vinyl and want
to reassure people that we will still be supporting it but we felt it was
time to try something of our own. The digital age allows us to take
more control of our own labels” . Everyone else agreed for arguments
sake.

To join the mailing list and register your interest, visit
http://www.abunchofcuts.com/

THE OBLIGATORY LAUNCH PARTY….
Will be held on Saturday 22nd December 2007 at The Castle, 44
Commercial st. Whitechapel. London E1. Entry will be free and will
feature djs, Calibre, D Bridge, Doc Scott, Klute, Marcus Intalex and
others. Music will go on till the last person is standing. It’s literally a
piss up in a brewery and it’s bound to get messy, so come on down
and get your drink on with a bunch of cuts.

More info email : info@abunchofcuts.com