bookings; clive@earth-agency.com management; joe.k@karma-london.com north america; rob@respectartistagency.com

A legendary DJ with his fingers firmly on the pulse since the 1980s, Fabio, along with DJ partner Grooverider, has been at the forefront of dance music since the emergence of acid house and an essential force in the transition from rave music into hardcore and eventually drum & bass.

 

From the infamous Rage parties to the Speed era, the Swerve nights at The End, Fabio deserves his title as drum & bass' godfather, already considered an essential tastemaker by the 90s, before going on to pioneer the 'liquid funk' sound. His label Creative Source released over 50 12” singles and 4 albums, and was the label that introduced Calibre among many other now seminal artists to our scene.

 

An ambassador for the genre since the start which included his 14 year show on BBC Radio 1 alongside Grooverider. Fabio remains an important figurehead and a festival regular, with highly revered DJ sets across genres, playing just as comfortably alongside Gilles Peterson & Artwork as he does with Goldie & LTJ Bukem.


An individual who is undoubtedly synonymous with the birth, growth and rise of UK Dance music particularly Drum N Bass is DJ Grooverider and two words synonymous to him are Pioneer and Icon. Having been integrally involved within the UK underground scene for well over 15 years he has participated in and supervised its evolution to it now being an highly eclectic club culture regarded and revered globally for being one of the most dynamic and developed.

Despite being for the most part associated with Drum N bass and regarded by both avid listeners and his fellow artist and peers as being the Godfather of this genre, he himself is quick to publicise his own musical journey charting his other creative influences and exploits prior to the birth of Drum and Bass. I’ve listened to black music all my life. Reggae, Hip Hop, R&B, Funk, Disco the whole thing. I started cruising to house then Hardcore. Now its drum n bass but house is what I know inside out.

That’s what I grew up with, my first love. I know everything about it. Drum n bass is something we formulated out of house. Its this cultured journey which qualifies him for almost unrivalled praise and recognition as clearly his efforts and his contributions have been critical in helping to establish and nurture UK Urban music as we know it today, which is flourishing as one of the most lucrative mainstream genres. As a DJ his credentials are phenomenal and testament to this is the fact that despite the underground club scene having unbelievably calmed since the memorable and tumultuous years of the 80 and 90s rave era, Grooverider is of a select few DJs who continues to play out at numerous events many of which are worldwide.

This acclaim and notoriety is a far cry from the so called early days and his time on a sound systems and pirate radio station Ill always be a DJ first. I used to DJ on a sound system years ago then I got on to a radio station It was called Phase 1 I was playing acid house every Sunday morning, like, 8 ’til 10 in the morning sometimes we would start 3 am and go on ’til the next day The guy who owned the station opened a club after-hours and booked me and Fabio, cause we were both on the station This association with Fabio also considered by many as a forefather to the scene, proved not to be a flash in the pan and the two of them remain close friends, sidekicks and business partners and presently cohost the weekly radio 1 Drum n Bass show. Amongst Grooverider’s lasting legacy will be not that he simply helped establish the genre but also he helped it grow and expand it by exporting this energetic and progressive music to those who traditionally would not have listened to it.

“It’s not just about me and Fabio, its a whole platform for drum n bass. It’s about what’s happening in drum n bass, taking it on the road and showing people who dont necessarily go to drum n bass parties that this is what we do.” This aim is clearly something that motivates him and it is clear that his long journey to where he is today had many challenges and struggles but with tenacity and resilience he started also to gain the respect of larger legitimate mainstream radio stations who could no longer ignore the genre or Grooverider, eventually he was given a set on Kiss Fm. We were on Kiss before and when Radio 1 called us in we ran at it.

In closing Grooverider has had a profound influence on UK music in general and in several different capacities as he has successfully assumed the both mantles of being a pioneering DJ and Producer. He is also the recipient of countless underground and global dance awards but perhaps his most reputed achievement was the MOBO best DJ award he won in 2002. As long as he continues to play at massive events, produce great tunes and pursue his Radio 1 shows it is likely that he will receive many more awards yet and each one will be deserve


Bookings; clive@earth-agency.com Management; Joe.k@karma-london.com

Fabio and Grooverider, the Godfathers of Drum & Bass and legends of modern music who are idolized worldwide. Industry heavyweights, fans and artists regardless of genre will readily respect and praise the ongoing influence of the two. 
Since aligning professionally 30 years ago, Fabio & Grooverider have been at the forefront of a genre which just seems to get stronger and more ‘global’ year on year, with names such as Chase & Status, Sigma, Pendulum and DJ Fresh enjoying huge commercial success, these are just some of the names that received their initial exposure from the pair on their 14 Year Award-winning show on BBC Radio 1. 
The scene, in general, owes much to Fabio & Grooverider’s dedication, focus, and longevity. They were part of the very few UK DJs to first play House music, and to then fuse and formulate something entirely new which would eventually evolve into Jungle/Drum and Bass. It is no understatement to say that the respective streams and offshoots of D&B that Fabio & Grooverider both represent from those early times now stretch so wide – that it’s effectively the fabric of D&B itself.
 Fabio & Grooverider don't simply DJ. And they don’t simply present radio. They are both respective auteurs and the collective embodiment of a pleasing paradox: they love the past and are impatient for the future, and this shines through. Judging by the visible evidence of the pair L.I.V.E. in 2019, it ain't gonna stop anytime soon.

Hardcore Jungle/Drum & Bass label founded by Simon Bassline Smith in 1991 which spawned the careers of Doc Scott, Nookie, MS Six,Glide + others

Got a demo? http://playaz.co.uk/sending-demos/
Launched in 2006 as the new face of DJ Hype and DJ Pascal’s company Real Playaz. The True Playaz brand that Hype, Pascal and Zinc built back in 1996 was missed and now the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Official Soundcloud Of Drum & Bass Dj/Producer DJ Hype

Bookings:

Coda Agency
http://www.codaagency.com
+44 (0)20 7017 2500

Being a major player in the drum ‘n’ bass movement is one thing, but continuing to push boundaries through an ever-changing sonic versatility is quite another. In a career spanning almost two decades, Simon Bassline Smith has been at the forefront of it all, setting new standards with his Technique Recordings label and rinsing dancefloors with ruthless, stealth-like precision. Together with razor-sharp duo Drumsound, the group have slam-dunked drum ‘n’ bass into the 21st century releasing some of the genre’s most pivotal club killers, whilst maintaining a DJ cred second-to-none.

Wind it back to the beginning and Simon Smith (who later adopted the middle name of ‘Bassline’ after destroying his fair share of speakers) fell in love with music as a 16 year old, visiting record stores every Saturday to buy up big on electro, jazz, funk, soul and house records. The Derby-born youngster would also spend his weekends travelling up and down the country with mates to attend ‘all dayer parties’ where they’d put their breakdancing skills on full display. It was during one of these ritualistic missions that Bassline got his Djing big-break, by getting the chance to take command of the dex at Nottingham’s Rock City club.

As the rave scene grew throughout the 90s, Smith was right there at the forefront, winning over crowds and promoters alike with his ball-tearing brand of hardcore and jungle. As his reputation swelled, he began being booked by some of the UK’s biggest dance organisations including Perception, Mythology, Raindance, Dance '91 and World Dance & AWOL to play slots alongside fellow contemporary jungle stars Grooverider, Fabio, Mikey Finn & Jack Frost.

In 1991 Bassline Smith launched his own record label Absolute 2 – one of the early pioneering d’n’b imprints. So astute was the man’s ear for a quality tune, that the label birthed future stars Doc Scott, Nookie, Ray Keith and Danny C (Twisted Anger/Primary Motive), releasing Doc’s seminal ‘Surgery EP’, Nookie’s ‘Give a Little Love EP’ and Keith’s controversial ‘News at Ten’.

In 1998 Smith’s career took a massive turn skywards, when he met the Drumsound duo of Andy and Benn G. The trio’s chemistry was instantaneous, with the decision being made to launch a combined imprint in which to showcase their shared musical vision – it was then that Technique Recordings was born.

Since its inception the label has gone from strength to strength, with Bassline and Drumsound utilizing their knowledge and enthusiasm to build an imprint of global proportions. Over the past 10 years the label has released over 40 high quality dancefloor killers and sold 150,000 units globally from some of the world’s most respected d’n’b artists including Roni Size, DJ Fresh, MC Tali, DJ Friction, Teebee and many others. The label is also involved in nurturing the talents of up and coming artists of the calibre of Phetsta, Skyver & D Jon, Youngman, Terravita.

Amongst all of this, it’s been Bassline’s stunning production work that’s shined the brightest. Having first ventured into the studio in the early 90s to knock out a couple of early d’n’b anthems ‘Music and Life EP’, ‘Palomino’ and ‘Midnight’, the Brit’s career has continued to build with each new year. Together with the Drumsound lads, Bassline has dropped two critically acclaimed LPs ‘Nature of the Beast’ and last year’s ‘Street Technique’ that ripped up the drum ‘n’ bass rulebook with contributions from Roni Size, DJ Friction, J-Magik & Wickaman, DJ Fresh and many others.

When it comes to dishing up a red-hot anthem, the trio have plenty of experience under their belt too. In 2004, they dropped the all-time classic ‘Odyssey’, with the track reaching no.1 in the UK dance charts and Mixmag judged it the ‘10th biggest all-round dance anthem’ for that year. No surprise Grooverider snapped it up for his legendary Prototype label. Recently, their form has shown no sign of subsiding, with a blazing ‘Street Technique’ re-rub of their ‘Skumbag/Booty Call’ bombs going straight into the drum ‘n’ bass charts at no.4. Their ‘Cold Turkey/Stories of the Future’ cuts are also shining brightly, receiving big support from Hype, Roni Size, Grooverider and Zane Lowe & Annie Mac on Radio 1.

Along with a string of club bangers on Technique, Bassline remains one of the most versatile men in the d’n’b game, with releases on virtually every major label in the genre including Protoype, Full Cycle, BreakBeat Koas, V Recordings, Good Looking, Creative Source and Trouble on Viny /Flex.

As a DJ, Smith is prolific as ever, spinning the Technique sound over virtually every continent, including appearances in America, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Iceland, Spain, Holland, Sweden, Ireland, Czech Republic, Brazil, Poland, Switzerland, Uruguay, Norway, Italy as well representing for some of the biggest UK organisations such as Slammin Vinyl, Accelerated Culture, One Nation, Detonate, Movement – the list goes on.

Currently Smith is hard at work playing out every weekend in the UK and abroad, whilst spending his weekdays locked away in the studio with Drumsound focussing on producing tracks for their next album out in 2008.

With so much going on, it’s almost unbelievable to think Simon has time to run his famed Interface club night in Derby, yet true to form, the multi-talented man throws some of the finest d’n’b shindigs in the country. With so many strings to his bow, there’s little doubt this pioneer will continue to set the standard for years to come.


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