No other producer packs a punch like AUDIO. From his tattooed drum & bass knuckles to his ruthlessly hard-hitting productions, Gareth Greenall embodies the spirit of D&B. Uncompromising, inherently underground and refusing to play games, the South London artist’s diligence, creativity and lack of complacency has inspired mass respect from every possible corner of the scene.

Four albums, countless 12”s and over 15 years deep into his limit-pushing adventures, Gareth continues to surge at the very forefront of the sound he’d first experienced as young Londoner tuning in to Colin Dale’s eminent Abstract Dance Kiss FM sermons. Instant jungle entrenchment: he hurled himself into the fray. Vinyls, Reason, illegal raves… The boy – whose mum brought him up on a strict diet of ABBA and Queen – grabbed any angle and any opportunity to get involved.
From ringing up and booking Ed Rush for a party above a pub in Croydon off the back of mobile number on a test press … To scoring a job as in-house studio engineer at legendary rave distributors Alphamagic where he studied the dark art of dynamics at a masters level: Audio wouldn’t – and still won’t – settle for anything less than full immersion.

His own production stripes stretch back to just after the turn of the century when he found himself at the helm of Resonant Evil. Demonstrating their power with a debut on the genre-defining Renegade Hardware, over the course of two years they scorched the repertoires of Moving Shadow, G2 and Outbreak. As Resonant Evil’s brutal bulletins wound down, Audio was winding up. Carving his own path with his own rules, he was soon snapped up by early neuro pioneers Tech Freak Recordings who gave him the opportunity to stretch himself creatively and broadcast his first long playing message. Audio’s debut album ‘To The Edge Of Reason’ showed the world he could cater for experiences beyond the dancefloor yet convey the same attitude and defiant dynamic he’d become synonymous with as a DJ and on 12”s. It was so well received; within a year he was signed by Ed Rush and Optical and for five years became an intrinsic member of the Virus family.

Audio’s work on Virus is where he really developed momentum. Already an established headliner across Europe, his productions and reputation became a global phenomenon, leading to tours in every territory. This reputation was compounded by albums such as ‘Genesis Device’ and ‘Soul Magnet’ which spawned the mighty ‘Headroom’. One of the most influential and successful tracks of its time, it knocked chart-topping EDM star Avicii off the Beatport top spot, dominating the chart for a total of 13 weeks and setting the foundation for his final Virus album ‘Force Of Nature’. Released in October 2013, it threw the scene completely off-guard… No other producer has conjured two albums of such strong-armed quality within less than a year. Just as his debut album had pricked the ears of Virus, ‘Force Of Nature’ attracted Andy C’s Ram Records.

Kindred spirits, Audio and Ram Records are a natural fit: both D&B lifers, both as emphatic and enthusiastic about the scene as they were at inception, both dedicated to pushing drum & bass to its furthest limits creatively and sonically, Audio’s decorated career has leveled up once more. To Gareth, though, it’s business as usual; still immersed in production science (now using the unique Studio One set up) and still just as buzzed about slapping a dancefloor into submission with deadly double drops as he was when he kicked off, Audio’s unique punch is harder than it’s ever been.

Optical is owner of Virus Recordings, Music Producer and DJ from England.
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"He is best known for his work with Ed Rush, fellow head of the Virus Recordings label, and as a pioneer of the techstep and neurofunk sound. His first single for Metalheadz, 'To Shape the Future'/'Raging Calm' (1997) and his collaborative material with Ed Rush, such as the Wormhole, album (1998) were archetypal developments in the style. The duo followed this debut album with The Creeps (2000) and The Original Doctor Shade (2003), as well as countless singles and remixes. More recently, the duo have returned to form with their (2009) LP 'Travel The Galaxy' containing the modern classic 'Chubrub' and 'No Cure' LP in 2015."

"He also notably did all of the engineering and production work for Grooverider's album Mysteries of Funk, and work on Goldie's 'Saturns Return' LP. In addition, he has produced solo for many labels including Virus, Metalheadz, Prototype, 31 Records, Metro and released in collaboration with many artists, including Ed Rush, Trace, Dom and Roland, Fierce, and his brother Matrix. The first Optical release was in 1996."

"Matt Quinn's savage dance floor productions as Optical (for, among many others, Groove's own label Prototype) have earned him a place in drum'n'bass's premier division.”

"Optical's pure, unchallenged talent shines through on his solo tunes, showcasing an artist well ahead of his time. No doubt the modern sounds of the likes of D-Bridge, Instra:mental and the rest of the minimalist dark revival heads, draw heavy influence not only from Optical himself, but from his inspirations in Jazz, such as Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. His ability to blend Jazz, Funk and futuristic, technical soundscapes is masterful. From his early work on Metalheadz and Prototype Recordings to his collaborative work on Virus Recordings and the classic Mysteries of Funk (Grooverider's landmark LP), Optical can perhaps qualify as one of the most underrated musicians of the modern era. His mind has crafted sounds which were never before heard, moods which were completely original, and his vision of the future, although ultimately dark and disjointed, is beautifully vivid and addictive. Its a world he pulls you into with each and every track and only a handful of artists can begin to dream of being this successful in their work."

Virus Recordings has become a DnB scene favourite and continues to release the ultimate in DnB vibes, with artists like C4C, Audio, Optiv & BTK, The Upbeats, Noisia, Gridlok, Ram Trilogy, Matrix, Rymetyme, Sonic & Silver, Pendulum, Mefjus,  InsideInfo

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Based out of Linz, north Austria, Martin Schober is a singular protagonist at the forefront of this beguiling game we call drum & bass. He likes hip-hop, skateboarding, schnitzel, Leibniz biscuits and long walks in the sunset, but he’s most respected for how he traipses across electronic music’s wildest terrains with total boundary abandonment… And is regarded as a leading influential new-gen figure in the genre. 

From his agenda-setting halftime twist of ‘Sunday Crunk’ to his rolling, emotional collabo cameo on Camo & Krooked’s acclaimed album ‘Mosaik’. From his entrance into the Fabriclive mix hall of fame with a mix album comprising entirely of his own productions (‘Fabriclive 95’) to his Drum&BassArena Award-winning debut album ‘Emulation’, Mefjus’s signature sound has been felt across the furthest expanses of the genre since he emerged in the early 2010s. 

Now working closely with Vision - the label run by kindred studio spirits Noisia - Mefjus continues to fine-tune his musical syntax, technical dexterity, eye for detail and deft groove sensibilities. The latest chapter to savour this on-going flux of development is his second album ‘Manifest’.

Released April 2018, ‘Manifest’ is the sound of Mefjus 2.0. After several years in the studio wilderness, exploring the dark science of song structure, musicality and textural contrasts, ‘Manifest’ captures a new mindset for Mefjus. Raw, energetic, playful and subversive, ‘Manifest’ is the most personal, diverse and daring body of work to date. Not so much as reminder of why he occupies such a unique position in drum & bass but a straight-up statement of intent.

So now you know. And knowledge is power. Thanks for reading.

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Rotterdam based Drum & Bass producer and YouTube content creator.

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