Crate Diggin': DBridge and Radioactive Man Exchange Influences

Despite building their careers out of strikingly different musical places, both DBridge and Radioactive Man have taken influence from the field in which each other operate. DBridge (Darren White) was part of the iconic drum & bass outfit Bad Company and he helms one of the scene's most solid and quality imprints in Exit Records and Radioactive Man (Keith Tenniswood) was born from the acid house scene and the off kilter electronics of his Two Lone Swordsman projects (alongside Andrew Weatherall) which led him to create his decidedly UK take on Drexciyan electro. It's by no means a stretch to learn that both producers have crates that contain their favourites from each genre but they've also found a mutual respect and connection in the studio over the last few years, coming up with some pretty killer cuts under their dBRm moniker for Craig Richards' The Nothing Special label. It's this connection, in fact, that has put them together under the same billing this coming Saturday night in Room Two. Tenniswood will often drop a drum & bass rinser or two in his DJ sets and it's clear listening back through his output that this sound has often collided with the electro influence in his music, while White is also known for his own excursions into four four under his Velvit alias. So, flipping their respective backgrounds on their head for our latest Crate Diggin' feature, we asked them to each draw from their respective influences offering a revealing insight into how their own productions have influence from different fields.

DBridge's Most Influential Techno Tracks:

InSync - Storm

DBridge: This one stems from a 19 year long hunt to work out what the hell it was. I remember an old school friend of mine had a DIY tape and this song always stuck with me. The ghostlike whistle was probably the first riff I learnt to play on a keyboard. Whenever I find a sound that’s similar, I’m always compelled to play the riff. I was staying at Marcus Intalex' once and told him how I’d been looking for this tune since the late '80s, I whistled it and he knew straight away. To finally have a 19 year old mystery solved was an amazing feeling. This track represents fulfilment.

Reel By Reel - Surkit / Reel By Reel - Sundog

I first discovered these tracks via drum & bass. A sample from Surkit was used in ‘Atlantis' by LTJ Bukem, a track that had a massive musical influence on me. I’d grown up in the countryside, moved to London and became immersed in the jungle scene in the early '90s. Through my desire to make music and understand the art of sampling, I started to have a better understanding of the lineage of drum & bass and where some people were finding their samples. It lead me back to this record. The whole thing is amazing, so I had to include two of its tracks. They represent knowledge and learning.

Tronikhouse - Uptempo

Again there's a jungle/drum & bass connection. I remember this track used to get played alongside tracks from the emerging scene. This was an alias of Kevin Saunderson and it’s a great example of the use of drum machines alongside breaks. It also shows how producers influenced and borrowed from each other with the re-sampling of the Second Phase (Joey Beltram) 'Mentasam'; another song that could make this list for me. Tracks like these acted as a bridge between the scenes and highlighted the cross influences which seem to be untold today. This track represents commonality.

Reese - Just Want Another Chance

OK, so a theme is forming here. Kevin Saunderson again on this one and this track single-handedly influenced a huge swathe of tunes in d&b, and in myself too. The bass was probably best known for being sampled and used in Ray Keith's ‘Terrorist’. It went on to be a defining bass sound within the scene. Nico of No-U-Turn's sonic manipulation alone of the Reese bass was nothing short of audio art to me and a huge influence whilst I was part of Future Forces. This track was also heavily sampled by Dillinja. It’s interesting now I think about it, if you follow the branch of influence this one track has had. Things might be very different without it. This track represents foundation. Honourable mentions also need to go to: Ron Trent - Altered States Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk - Acid Life Mathew Jonson - Decompression

Radioactive Man's Most Influential Drum & Bass Tracks:

Dom + Optical - Rage Roll - Audio Couture

Radioactive Man: I just love the simplicity of this track, the bassline is proper and there's lots of space with a real techy edge to the rest of the sounds. Stripped back simple beats... it's dirt. I would love to hear this in fabric's Room One.

Photek - UFO - Metalheadz

Photek quite simply is the main man for me when it comes to chopping the beats, he makes beats even Luke Vibert would be proud of. Rupert was absolutely on fire during this phase. I would just play this record, then put it on again and again. In fact I could probably make all these 5 tracks from him to be honest, he's the don.

Ed Rush -Mothership - No U Turn

I love the sheer ruffness of this production, the main bass drops around 3.45. This brings back the memories of being in a derelict warehouse in Hackney somewhere with the sun coming up and not a care in the world.

Commix - Belleview (d:Bridge Belle Reviewed remix)

Lets have one from DBridge. It's on the FABRICLIVE 44: Commix mix as it goes and it's just amazing, It's what turned me on to Darren's stuff and then found out he was in Bad Company too...! Nuff Said.

Insync- Nasty - Dread Recordings

Jungle. You just cannot get this energy from any other music. Thank the lord for the Winstons! It still drives me crazy whenever I hear a good chopped amen. However you cut it , it just works. This track is so well chopped, it's pure chaos and is unlike any other break out there. I love all the intro's to early jungle stuff, just knowing it's all about to kick off.

Ed Rush, Optical and Fierce - Cutslo (lokuste remix)

I know we said 5 tracks and I'm sorry but I've gotta include this one. This bass sound inspired me for the 'Uranium' bass line. It's filth of the highest order. Roll! This has been great for me to reminisce over some tracks that inspired me from this genre, I'm no expert on DnB /Jungle but I did collect loads of it for a while. It was just so exciting at the time, hearing all this stuff; and it still is! It's amazing to think that most of this old stuff was done using just a sampler. OK, so its not polished and all shiny and perfect, but that's half the thing I miss about the older rough as old boots stuff.