In Profile: A Potted History of Enei

There’s not long to go until our bumper Critical weekend, where we’ll be joining the crew on the Thames for their boat party showcase. The night then ends up in EC1 as we head back to Room Two for another drum & bass tearout. It’s a significant weekend for us as we prepare to take FABRICLIVE to water for the first time, and it makes us proud to have some of our most cherished guests from Critical on board. Perhaps the definitive minimal drum & bass label, after over a decade in action Critical remains distinctive for its unified sound, which has in turn paved the way for some of the genre’s biggest stars today. This is largely down to Kasra, the honcho who has been running things single-handedly from Herne Hill since 2002. And although the sound of the label is rooted in London, his ear for talent has always extended far beyond the capital. This is exactly how he landed upon Alexey Egorchenkov, the Russian drum & bass producer better known as Enei. After signing to Critical in 2009, with a string of 12”s and 2 full length LPs, Enei’s career has since become one of d&b’s biggest success stories. As we gear up to welcome him to EC1 for a rare set in Room Two next Friday, we felt this a worthy time to look back at some of his finest moments to date.

Parallel – Enei (2007)

Enei was making music from as early as 2003, though his first notable break came when ‘Parallel’ was signed to Dutch powerhouse Fokuz Limited in 2007. Taking clear influence from Dutch trio Noisia, Parallel saw Enei’s first steps into neurofunk with its growling bass line and unrelenting drums. This would typify his sound for much of the start of his career until he first experimented in more minimal soundscapes.

Cracker – Enei, Eastcolours & Noel  (2011)

Enei had piqued Kasra’s interest from early in his career, though his first signings to Critical came in quick succession early in 2011. With its distinctive drum patterns, intricate clicks and erratic bass line, Cracker was the most destructive – we know this because it was one of Andy C’s favourite weapons whenever he dropped by our EC1 bunker in 2011.

Runnin feat. Georgia Yates (2012)

Machines was one of the first full-length albums Kasra signed to Critical, which shows just how integral Enei had become to the label family by 2012. The whole record was characteristically dark, though there was one moment of reprieve in the liquid roller Runnin'. The percussion is subtle, though the breakdowns are big thanks to a few random piano notes and elusive vocals from Georgia Yates. This was one of the sleekest moments for both Enei and Critical, so we had to have it on our list.

Goliath feat. DRS – Enei (2014)

Enei had done everything from neurofunk to minimal by 2014, but Goliath was the first of his releases going on a jungle tangent. While DRS takes care of the bold vocals, the production work centres on a key-changing amen break and Zulu warrior style cry. Goliath even got picked up by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on one of his revered online playlists, meaning it wasn’t long before Enei gained a wider audience outside of the drum & bass world too.

Just One Look feat. Charli Brix – Enei (2015)

Just One Look was the standout moment from Enei’s Rituals LP, but that didn’t stop Kasra from putting it out as a 12” too. While the bass line is moody as hell, the crisp snares and intergalactic sounds make it one of Critical’s smoothest numbers to date. Add in Charli Brix’s alluring vocals, and it’s easy to see why so many people loved this mellow roller. Catch the main man alongside the rest of the Critical family in Room Two next Friday night (12th August). Photo: Sarah Ginn