Selections: Rupture
In this regular feature, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their Bandcamp crates and share the contents of their digital collections. This week, London’s Mantra and Double O shine a light on the rising stars and stalwarts who embody the electrified d&b sound of their Rupture label and party
Clubs around the world are shut, and opportunities to find new music out in the wild have been ripped from under our feet as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. While hearing new music played out by your favourite DJs will have to be put on hold due to these unprecedented circumstances, it’s never been easier, or more important, to support the artists and labels putting out EPs, albums and compilations in the midst of all the madness.
With tour cancellations and festival postponements leaving many members of the international electronic music community out of pocket, Bandcamp has become an even more vital platform for supporting the music you love, with 80% of all sales from the online music store going directly to artists and labels. In March, the platform announced it would be waiving its revenue share for all sales for one day, and on Friday 20th, took no cut from purchases made. In total, $4.3 million was spent on music over the course of 24 hours, all going straight to the creators. Throughout lockdown, Bandcamp continued to waive their fees on the first Friday of every month, as well as on 19th June (Juneteenth), when the platform donated 100% of its profits to the NAACP Legal Defence Fund. In July, it was announced that a fee-free "Bandcamp Friday" would take place on the first Friday of each month for the rest of 2020.
In this series, Selections, we’re inviting DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. In lieu of opportunities to discover new records on the dancefloor, Selections – along with radio shows and mixes – will give you the chance to nab sounds from the crates of tastemakers, and support the artists behind them while you’re at it. Win-win, right?
This week, London’s Mantra and Double O shine a light on the rising stars and stalwarts who embody the electrified d&b sound of their Rupture label and party. From mind-bending jungle and futuristic drumfunk to nostalgic trips through the hardcore continuum, it’s a round-up tailor made to make you miss the crew’s legendary parties at Corsica Studios.
Mantra and Double O have been busy this year, in spite of the pandemic. Their monthly Rupture show on Rinse FM has provided heady doses of breaks and basslines throughout the year, earning them a nomination in the Best Radio Show category at this year’s DJ Mag Best Of British Awards. Meanwhile, Mantra has been working hard on EQ50's mentorship scheme for aspiring womxn in the drum & bass scene. Learn more about EQ50 here. The Rupture label has been moving too, with releases from the likes of Coco Bryce, The Untouchables and Digital. Double O has also been insanely prolific on his own Bandcamp page, dropping seven collections of previously unreleased material over the past few months. “Bandcamp Friday has been so helpful over the last few months,” he says. “People really hold out until the first Friday of the month to make their purchases, which is hugely beneficial to struggling artists. I’ve been salvaging old hard drives, sifting through hundreds of unreleased tracks. Of course there are plenty of Edward Scissorhand amens, but there’s loads of others vibes from deep melodic jungle to detroit style techno.”
While we’ll still have to wait some time before we can rave with the Rupture crew again, you can dig through their Selections below.
“Warlock is somewhat of a legend in the UK rave scene. A mindblowing DJ. Under his new alias Hooverian Blur he’s released some of our favourite tracks. Slow tempo, heavy driving breaks, rave nostalgia, big basslines, total badness!”
“This was our favourite track from his ‘Persuasive Funk’ LP. The way the track builds is amazing, it really takes you on a journey. The tempo builds too, which works so well on this track.”
“Proper sick ‘Dream Walker’ vibes from 6FG member Yazzus. The arpeggiated synths in the intro coupled with the broken stomping beats really makes your face screw up and your head nod!”
“Coco has been a friend of ours for a long time but we only just recently released his debut EP on Rupture. All three tracks have been main fixtures in our sets over the last year. He’s such a talent and is so versatile. ‘The Unseen’ sees him bring a totally unique drumfunk flavour.”
“SSC has been killing it recently, their output is so consistently brilliant. This LP is incredible and moves between tempos but all with that early rave/hardcore continuum. We particularly love the tracks from Dead Mans Chest, Anz, Etch and Forest Drive West.”
“New label from Tim Reaper. He’s been on fire recently and his progress is such a joy to watch. It’s great he’s now started his own label – his own platform to release his many, many tunes! His first two releases are collab EPs. There are so many great tunes it’s hard to pick one but his collab with Kloke is excellent. Pitched flying amens reminiscent of Remarc. All killer, no filler!”
“Harmony has been grafting hard getting old DATs of killer tunes that were never released back in the day. Amazing tracks are finally seeing the light of day. He’ll often have a repress on the other side. Recently he released ‘Sovereign Melody VIP / Sovereign Melody’. You can’t get ‘Sovereign Melody’ for under £100 so it gave people the chance to finally get their hands on one of the most beautiful pieces of drum & bass music on wax for a tenner! You’ve got to be quick because they sell out fast."
“An amazingly talented producer from near Bristol. His music is so deep, ethereal and tribal. He has the ability to create such an amazing atmosphere in his music - it’s always so layered. This EP is beautiful, ‘Evolution 2’ is particularly sick. His pads and patterns have a DJ Crystl feel.”
“Theory is one of the most talented yet underrated producers around. He nails all styles of d&b from dubbed out half time and tear-out-amen to beautiful mellow vocal tracks. This 11 track compilation shows his versatility - go check it!”
