Meet the Database, the Drum & Bass Collective You Need to Know
Envisioned as an underground collective of up-and-coming drum & bass artists from the United States, the ambitious and newly formed crew known as the Database is individually and collectively preparing to take the bass music world by storm its own way.
Born out of the team environment of the Icon Collective music production school in Los Angeles, the Database is spearheaded by Consouls and Blacklab—winners of the EDC Las Vegas Discovery Project competition in 2015 and 2016, respectively—and Wraith, but it counts over 12 production monikers under its budding umbrella. The crew’s diverse members also includes scene veterans like Ryan Origin and MC Dino, new-school heavy hitters like Theatrix and Sixfour, and underground producers like Avok, Zeal, Ed808, RazZz, and Tempyre. Their shared love of drum & bass, and their desire to build an ongoing network of feedback and support, continue to drive the expanding family onward.
With the recent launch of their own independent imprint and a lead single from Wraith to kick-start the proceedings, the Database is preparing an onslaught of new music as they plan to post a free download by a different member of the collective every four weeks. Plus, they’re gearing up for The Database Podcast, which aims to showcase guest mixes from the collective’s members and premiere future releases as well. As if that weren’t enough, the crew has plans to unleash a full-on album compilation by the end of the year, while continuing to make big moves on the local, national and international fronts.
We figured it was a good time to introduce you to the Database, the drum & bass collective you need to know.
Tell us the story of how the Database came together.
Consouls & Wraith: Troy [from Consouls] first had this idea around June last year. We were excited by the idea of a drum & bass-centric collective and envisioned creating a network similar to the one we had become a part of at Icon Collective. Additionally, the idea was inspired by the inner workings and aspirations of Team Supreme and the 13th Grade. Our intention continues to build something similar and focus our communal strengths on the evolution of drum & bass.
Blacklab: We were first approached by Richy [Wraith] on Facebook regarding our music. I guess some heads in California were going through the Discovery Project mixes, and Blacklab was a bit of a mystery, even though we’re only based a state over, in Las Vegas. Richy wanted to discuss more about the Database, and after sharing some opinions on the scene and our stance on music, we definitely seemed to be on the same page and were more than happy to be a part of the group.
We’ve often heard of collectives in other genres, but this seems to be a rare phenomenon in drum & bass. Why do you think that is?
The Database: [The reason] you don’t hear about them is because they’re either well-kept secrets or simply harder to find, due to the sheer size of the US. Of course, there are plenty of true fans out there supporting their local scenes; it’s just [about] finding a way to unite them. Geographically, we felt we are all positioned in scenes that have been growing over the past five to seven years, and while it’s truly rough on our side of the pond, we felt the collective was the perfect way to nurture the Stateside drum & bass scene from its very roots.
What do you envision the collective standing for or representing?
Blacklab: We stand for support and offer up a proper channel to help each other make waves as a movement for the new breed of US talent. We help each other get more exposure and, as a whole, make contributions to the culture we fell in love with. It also helps with connecting to those resources that lead to gigs and good feedback for music! Trusted ears, different audio systems—the benefit in that alone is crucial for us to learn from each other and grow as artists.
Wraith: For me, the collective represents unity. If one of us reaches new heights, we all reach new heights. In Europe, there’s a sense of community when it comes to big labels like RAM and Hospital, and that’s something North America has always lacked, due to its sheer size and how spread out the scene is. When people picture North American drum & bass, they think Dieselboy and Gridlok. We love those artists, but it’s about time more artists stepped up to the plate to slingshot drum & bass to new heights. Eventually, we envision the Database being a household name for Stateside drum & bass.
Consouls: At the end of the day, it’s a movement—a rough yet entirely inspiring movement that a select few of us pour our time and hearts into daily. In order to form a viable movement with a common goal in mind, forming a producers’ collective is a no-brainer. Too often in the Stateside scene, negativity adulterates the common goal we all wish to attain. Without a team of supporters that share a grassroots common interest, we felt like individual efforts can prove to be much more difficult.
Part of what’s interesting about this model is that it creates a space for up-and-coming artists to interact and develop a kind of professional community.
The Database: Definitely. From our perspective, there are no wrong answers in progress. If one of our members has a question, a production issue, or an idea they’d like honest feedback on, it’s all of our collective duties to adhere to their inquiry. Works in progress are consistently shared. Our main focus right now is thriving through each member’s network. If one of our members announces a new tune, album, tour dates, etc., it’s every member’s job to share it through their social media in order to reach a wider audience; we all win. Everyone in the collective is always eager to share their milestones to get feedback from us, and that right there is inspiring in itself.
Any plans to extend the focus beyond drum & bass? If any of our readers are interested in becoming part of the collective outside of that area, what should they do, and where can they find out more?
The Database: We’re focused on drum & bass right now because it is our blood and sweat, but we do plan to eventually expand out to other genres in the future. At the current moment, we’re keeping our team tight and focusing on the crew we have already in place. However, that doesn’t mean that won’t change in the near future! Keep it locked.
What’s next for the Database?
Blacklab: We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and continue to develop our artists and help make more moves happen for each other!
Consouls: We’ve had our heads deep in the monitors, finalizing an arsenal of new releases for the second half of 2016. We’ve locked in some of our biggest collaborations yet, as well as signed a few originals we’re extremely excited to share with the world. On top of our productions, we’ve got a few massive performances coming up, but we can’t spill those to the public just yet!
Wraith: I’m currently wrapping up a collaboration with Consouls on their Dreamer Remix EP on Patrol the Skies. Aside from that, everyone in the Database is wrapping up a ton of releases for this year, and we’re looking forward to each and every one of them. Eventually, we want to get a compilation album, a club night, and a tour going with all of us. No matter what the future has in store for us, trust it’ll be huge!
Chris Muniz is a die-hard drum & bass fiend. Follow him on Twitter.
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