Drum+Basics

It’s not easy to keep track of all record labels running in the world of drumandbass. Some bigger than others, some better than others and some you’ve never heard of… I want to push things forward a little by showing you new music, new people and new labels. I’m starting with relatively new label Scientia, which has producers like Gerra & Stone, Tim Subterra and Kolectiv on board. Let’s hear it from the man behind it all, JScience…

‘Music is a mission, not a competition… We do this because we love it…’

Hello JScience, who are you?

I’m just me! Music Lover, Sneaker Addict, Music Industry Hustler, Wordsmith… I’m not really into hyping up myself and all that dj music celebrity bollocks, this scene has enough wannabe superstars without another one, that just aint me… I prefer to remain humble so I’ll let you lot make your own minds up!

          Music has always, always been a massive part of my life.

It’s actually my whole existence and that wasn’t something I chose, it’s just always been like that. I played Jazz and Blues Piano from 7, Terry Chimes from the Clash taught me drums, (I had no idea who he was at the time he was just some funky dude with Blue suede shoes and a mullet!) I was buying records at 11, No sleep till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys (R.I.P MCA) and I’ve been buying records ever since.. Early early days were Hip Hop. PROPER Hip Hop, US stuff and early UK stuff like Hijack, London Posse, Criminal Minds & the Demon Boyz and then from there, electronic music started really taking off and you had all the early Detroit stuff then the rave explosion happened and I found myself in different Random Fields in awe of this amazing new sound. From there,

I was hooked.

Jungle really grabbed me and just struck a chord, everything about it; the pace, the rawness, the complexity, its diversity. Everything. I was a junglist from day one, 24/7; I just fell in love with it and it still excites me the same way now nearly 20 years later! Outside of Drum & Bass I have the most extreme and eclectic taste – I massively love reggae (my 2nd passion), through Soul and Motown, Jazz, Blues, Funk, Psyche, Rock, Folk even classical… anything! Duke Ellington once said, ‘There are only two kinds of music; music that sounds good and whatever you want to call that other stuff’, which is something I totally agree with. If you narrow your own field of listening you are only denying yourself from experiencing amazing music!

And when did drumnbass become a part of your life…?

I was a raver! Before and during the birth of Jungle I was out raving – for people too young to remember its hard to imagine, at the time it gripped the country, I mean up to 20,000 people just congregating in fields all enjoying the music.. Part of the Criminal Justice bill was passed because it posed such a threat and potentially could have destabilized the powerbase of the country …what if those 20,000 people decided they weren’t going to work on a Monday and were staying in that field??

                                      The police were helpless, we could have actually been on the verge of a revolution! But as we all know, the Government came in and squashed it.

Then 92 / 93 Jungle began pushing through and as I said I was hooked it was like the most addictive drug to me, I HAD to have it in my ears as often as I could, if it wasn’t I was probably sleeping and its been the same to this day!

So now you have your own record label, what did you do before that?

Well most people will know me as an editorial contributor for Kmag (Big Ups Colin and Rach). I wrote for RAD magazine as a kid, which was one of the first UK Skateboard Magazines and then mainly Technology related stuff.. I’m a massive geek so prior to going all out music, I was doing Various things with Technology, back in the late 90’s I worked with all the clubs in Ibiza setting up their first websites, I’ve worked with schools and setting up studios.. I’ve worked with software companies like Native instruments.

I just kind of hustle lots of stuff so I can do what I love, buy toys that make noise and pay the bills!

Lately I’ve just coordinated the new Drum and Bass course for PointBlank Studios which was a killer project. I drafted in Xtrah, Zero-T, Navigator, Data & Modified Motion and I’m really pleased with the way the course has turned out. For anyone starting out it’s an amazing opportunity, they never had anything like it when I started out! Aside from that, I’m writing a Jungle Memories book which documents the music from it’s inception to present day and I’m also helping Navigator set up his new label ODT, so I’m busy. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.. Aside from that of course, there’s the 16 years DJing and the many late hours with my head down in production!

So you produce music yourself?

Simple answer hell yes! It’s coming. Im my own worst enemy, I am MASSIVELY self-critical and a huge perfectionist so nothing is good enough… everyone else rates it apparently, it’s just me that blocks it – lol.. But I will release soon so watch this space!

Which artists do you have on Scientia?

I’m really pleased with who’s on board so far – I have the first EP from Kolectiv which is actually Keza, Kalm and Carera, individually they have had releases across plenty of great labels like Hospital and Critical but Combined they are deadly. Just check out the first EP, I’m really excited about what’s coming next because they are totally on point at the mo.

Secondly, Gerra and Stone, who for me are the break out Artists from the last 6 months. In a very crowded and generic space they are stamping their own originality on their productions which is absolute key to me, Melting Pot is a killer and again like Kolectiv they are totally on form and killing the buttons at the moment.

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