APART FROM David Taxi Driver Holmes, Northern Ireland dance releases have been few and far between in recent times. A lack of equipment and know-how or maybe even a preference to concentrate on their burgeoning club scene has meant that although Northern clubs like Lush and Shine have achieved world class status, the tunes that fire their floors are not of the six counties. Its been one helluva long time since De Niro and we re still waiting.
Things have changed recently in the province, with Lush and Robbie Nelson producing epic house, and this month sees the release of arguably the first ever NI drum n bass record. Calibre s Reflections/Last Man on Earth release on Dublin s Quadraphonic Records proves that not all Northerners are Sasha acolytes or soother-sucking gurners. The release displays all the signs of talented producers with the potential to reach greater heights, so, the day after their blow-out performance at Quadraphonic s second birthday bash in the Kitchen, Digital Beat caught up with the alcohol free ones to talk breakbeat Norn Iron style.
There isn t really a drum n bass scene up here, people listen mainly to house, techno or happy hardcore, says Dominic, one half of the duo. If it s any other style of music, then they just aren t interested. Anyway, all you ll hear in the clubs here on a weekend night is house or hardcore. In Belfast, Shine dominates, and in more rural areas happy hardcore is huge.
While the pair claim some attempts have been made by local DJs, including the infamous Judge Dred, to kickstart a scene of sorts oop North, they say that nothing could have prepared them for the reception they received when they played the Kitchen.
If you put on a night in Belfast, people will turn up for the first few weeks, and then lose interest, observes Stuart. When we played the Kitchen the vibe was unbelievable: the people were generally interested in the music, and there was a great reaction when one of the Quadraphonic residents, played one of our tunes. People in the south seem to be more open-minded towards drum n bass.
The two most striking things about Calibre are their ages both Dominic and Stuart look like they d have difficulty buying liquor in the US and the fact that they are newcomers to the genre. We only started making drum n bass about a year ago, admits Dominic. There was no plan to get involved. We were making hip-hop tracks anyway, and as they got faster the music evolved into what we do now. What really did it for us though was going to see Doc Scott play and hearing those big basslines over a proper club PA. My bowels started shaking, it was impossible to escape from!
The experience paid off, and Calibre started to put together music that focused on both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. Listen to their debut on Quadraphonic and you ll hear melodic elements, acid licks, deep, growling sub-bass and some tasty jump-up drum rolls. However, the boys believe that their influences come from far beyond the realms of drum n bass.
We rate people like Doc Scott, Ruffneck Ting and Renegade Hardware, but drum n bass is exciting music because there are so many styles and because it takes its influence from jazz, hip-hop and techno. Its a melting pot for all kinds of technological music, and has become more and more accessible to the general public because it has had to.
While Calibre have done their bit to spread the word by hosting a monthly event in Belfast and by working with local techno producers, they believe they have fused disparate elements to create their own sound. However, in true junglist perfectionist style, the boys are not yet entirely happy.
It s the bass that really gets me, says Dominic. That and really intricate drum patterns and rhythms. We like using jazzy influences, but we always bring in the dark side with hard basslines. We re pleased enough with the music we re making now, but we know we have to wait for a while, maybe a year, before we reach a level of perfection. n
Reflections/Last Man On Earth is released through Quadraphonic Records on April 17th.