Crate Diggin’: Skankandbass Drops a FABRICLIVE Primed Playlist

When Sebastian Weingartshofer started sharing his favourite drum & bass tunes on YouTube in 2009, he never imagined it would end up being the launch pad for a successful life in music. His Skankandbass channel has since amassed 70,000 followers, becoming a leading outlet for presenting the newest and best sounds in drum & bass. Skankandbass helped Weingartshofer start his own artist management company representing some of the sound's key figures, while his regular DJ sets with us led to a residency at our own FABRICLIVE events this year. Outside of the YouTube channel, today Skankandbass might be best known for their London parties. At these events, some of the drum & bass scene’s leading figures often appear alongside lesser known upcoming talents, much like the spirit of the ongoing YouTube channel. On 12th January, Skankandbass bring their party to Farringdon for the first time ever, with S.P.Y, DLR, Upgrade and Phaction among the guests joining Weingartshofer in Room Two. Ahead of the date Weingartshofer created a full playlist loaded with some of the bombs you can expect to hear on the night, before talking more about the inspiration behind each of the artists playing his first EC1 showcase.

Alone In The Dark – S.P.Y

Carlos (S.P.Y) sent me this when it was unreleased, around the time I was playing in the second room at Andy C’s residency at XOYO. I would start an hour before the main room opened, which meant I always had a big crowd from soon after the doors opened. Usually I’d draw for liquid rollers near the start, but with the room being so busy I knew Alone in the Dark would be a big choice. Lo and behold it absolutely went off and I had to pull it back – it was madness. S.P.Y has consistently delivered in 2017 and beyond.

Motion Blur (DLR Remix) – Noisia

I didn’t think the original Motion Blur could be improved on, but I think DLR did just that. He’s an artist with an incredibly high level of production – there are very few tunes of his I don’t love. He headlined our second Skankandbass night in London and shelled it down, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he brings in his bag this time.

Shot Down – Upgrade & TI

This one’s still unreleased, but it’s an absolute wall slapper. Drop this in a club, get your shirt off, swing it around your head and shout obscenities – it’s all a bit too much. Both Upgrade and TI have been killing it in 2017. Be sure to check out Upgrade’s Blow and More and T>I’s Sub Stance and All I Do.

Low Blow – Benny L

One of my tunes of the year. The first time I heard this was watching Goldie at the Glade stage at Glastonbury this year, without a clue what it was – there’s some video evidence on my Instagram. It gave me the feeling I had when I first started going to drum & bass raves, of hearing a tune and thinking ‘WHAT is this?’ I don’t think I’ve heard it played without getting a rewind. Severe heat.

Signature Moves (feat. Hugh Hardie) – Phaction

Skankandbass is all about supporting newcomer talent in the scene and I hope that the YouTube channel, event line-ups and free download label really prove that point. Phaction is one of those newcomers that I’ve been keeping a close eye on and I’m really happy to get him down for his FABRICLIVE debut! His sound is perfect for Skankandbass. The full playlist from Skankandbass is also available to listen to via his YouTube channel.