dBridge Names His Top 5 New Producers

Darren White is a drum n bass chameleon. Over the past three decades, he's dabbled in a wide array of styles and sounds: in the '90s he churned out jump-up jungle cuts as dBridge and composed dark stormers as part of the group Bad Company, and now he's settled into a complex, soulful, and relatively minimal sound. As the label boss of Exit Records, White has exposed the world to dozens of groundbreaking fresh faces, so we sought his counsel for our latest installment of The Lookout. In this edition, the stalwart drum programmer tips us off to rising talents in contemporary drum n bass.

Skeptical

"[Skepitcal is] a rare talent in that everything he produces has a common thread which is undeniably his. Artists, especially new ones, struggle to find their sound, and he definitely has one."

Stray

"Stray first caught my ear with the track "Pushed," which I released on

Mosaic Volume 1

, and I've been a fan ever since. The new stuff that he sends me is amazing, and shows he has skills far beyond most established producers."

Mark System

"This guy has been an MC for a few years, and has been producing quietly throughout that time. His music is rare in that it appeals to all sides of a fragmented scene. It's deep, rolling, and dance floor-smashing—a hard thing to achieve. I received a batch of music from him recently, and he tells me he won't be MC'ing for too much longer."

Chimpo

"Manchester has a history of producing great music, and this guy is another part of that rich history. He's a triple threat: he makes music, raps, and he's good-looking to boot. His music has an effortlessness that is annoying—like everyone I've listed here, to be honest."

Gremlinz

"This one's not exactly new, but he's finally getting the love and recognition he deserves. I come from the old school, when you had to do your apprenticeship in music. I grafted for eight years before I got any real recognition, so seeing this Canadian producer sticking at it, not falling foul of new fads and genres that come along, is impressive—and his music is, too. I think the next few years are going to be some of his best yet."

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