Crate Diggin': The Best of MTA, As Selected By The Artists

With advance tickets selling out a full calendar month before they takeover our club this Friday, there is little doubt that MTA's first ever full-club takeover is anything short of an ‘immensely anticipated’ event. The long awaited party will see the label bring the full breadth of its roster (and a slew of assorted special guests) to take on booth Room One and Two this Friday night and whilst it might be the first time they've taken the reins of our EC1 bunker, we’re very much aware of their footprint and their position within dance music today with acts like Chase & Status, Bonkaz and Ben Pearce having already made their presence felt. Launched in 2009, MTA has refused to stick to any one template, having released a menagerie of styles from drum & bass to four four and grime. So much so that even picking a favourite record from the catalogue is a pretty mammoth task, something that was proved perfectly a couple weeks back when we asked the label’s core members to pick their number one MTA backed track and their favourite Chase & Status cut…

The MTA Guide To... Um... MTA:

Braxton And Josh Butler Shout Ben Pearce’s ‘What I Might Do’:

Braxton: A sick tune. Straightforward house music. No messing about. Also the best use of an acapella I’ve heard in ages.

Dellux Gets Excited By Moody Good’s ‘Living Off The High (feat. Harleighblu)’

Dellux: This album is one of my favourite bodies of work. It’s musical without showing off and it sounds amazing. Very original. This tune just carries the strongest vibe for me.

Skankandbass Thinks You Should Stream Authr’s ‘Belief’

Skankandbass: This may be quite a surprise to some as MTA Records catalogue boasts a lot more ‘well known’ tracks but I signed this track to the MTA Summer EP off the back of hearing it in the DJ EZ Essential Mix and I've been in love with it ever since. It’s in my top 5 electronic tracks of all time for sure.

MANT Regularly Bumps Nero’s ‘Departure’:

MANT: It's hard to pick a favourite from Nero's first album but we love this track. A spectacular finale to an amazing record.

Ossie Tips Toyboy & Robin’s ‘Jaded’:

Ossie: A big tune. Goes off in my sets!

Catchment, Koncept And My Nu Leng Fancy Dimension’s ‘Whip Slap’:

Catchment: This track speaks for itself. We're most interested in energy, power and melody which is testament to its success within the drum & bass scene and current charts. My Nu Leng: Ridiculous tune from Dimension that has been going off everywhere all year! HUUUUGE. 1991: Easily one of, if not the biggest, drum & bass tunes of 2015. If this tune doesn't make you feel some type of way, there must be something wrong with you. Dimension is a producer that goes from strength to strength with every release.

The MTA Guide To Chase & Status:

Josh Butler and Dimension pick Chase & Status’ ‘Hurt You’ & ‘Take Me Away’

Josh Butler: It's a very close call between ‘Hurt You’ and ‘Take Me Away’. They’re both quite similar tracks in a way but this is why I love them. They have soul and killer vocal hooks but both retain the raw ‘90s jungle feel about them. For me, that's what makes drum & bass.

Dellux, Catchment And Ossie All Stumped For ‘Eastern Jam’:

Dellux: This was a hard one. Their album More Than A Lot was literally full of bangers and I’m not exaggerating even in the slightest. This track had to take the biscuit because at the time of its release I was a 14 year old kid trying to make dubstep. Hearing DJs play this as a dubplate… it really did make mine and the whole dubstep scene’s jaw drop. Ossie: That lead synth is fucking insane. Catchment: ‘Eastern Jam’ arrived during the end of our school days. It was the first eye opening tune at the forefront of the UK bass scene that really represented what was going on. It’s still such a stand out track for us.

Braxton Tips ‘Blind Faith’:

Braxton: It was on an old Colin McCrea driving game and I would always crank it when that tune came on.

Skankandbass Recommends ‘Take Me Away’:

Skankandbass: The drop! That breakdown! That vocal! I'm a sucker for strings. This is peak time euphoric drum & bass, simple and effective and effortlessly executed. When Chase & Status dropped this live at Glastonbury 2013 it was a moment. This track will stand the test of time.

MANT Plump For ‘Future Cut 20/20 (Remix)’

MANT: We've been huge Chase & Status fans from pretty much day one. One of the early tracks that comes to mind is the remix of ‘Future Cut 20/20’. Just raw, dark drum & bass from early ‘00s - such an exciting time for drum & bass and a monster track I'll always associate with when we first got to know Will and Saul.

My Nu Leng Hype ‘Judgement (Informer)’:

My Nu Leng: I remember hearing this for the first time in Turnmills at one of it's last nights. It blew me away! I’ve been hooked on raves and trying to produce ever since.