[Audio Blueprint and Underfire Recordings]
Creating a sound that could be dubbed as post
millennium, Brighton based drum n bass artists Stakka
(Shaun Morris) and Skynet (Nathan Vinall), over the
last few years, have fully emerged as two of the
hottest producers on the drum n bass scene. Tracing
their roots, the Brighton crew began their musical
careers in 1994, producing and remixing tracks with
labels such as Ram/Liftin Spirit, and working with
such legendary drum n bass masters as Andy C. Living
in Brighton, far away from the London scene, has
allowed Stakka and Skynet to interpret drum n bass
from a different perspective, helping them to
manipulate and twist their sound into a unique style
of futuristic sci fi drum n bass, that has become
their trademark. Stakka and Skynet discovered early on
that much of the music that they were producing did
not quite fit into the visions of the existing drum n
bass labels. Seeking an outlet for their music,
Stakka and Skynet joined forces in 1997, to create a
genius that has become the mastermind behind the
creation of the drum n bass labels known as Audio
Blueprint and Underfire. Over the last couple of
years, Stakka and Skynet have released, respectively
under these two labels, two LPs, Voyager in
1998(Audio Blueprint) and Blazin (Underfire) in 1999,
earning them massive props from the drum n bass
masses, allowing them to take the drum n bass arena by
storm.
Sharing the same vision, Stakka and Skynet started
Audio Blueprint and Underfire out of desire to
break boundaries, seeking a way to channel their
energy, and a place to bring something fresh to drum n
bass. Shaun explains, "There was no room for where we
wanted to go and we were on the same wave-length, so
we kind of went down that road and before we knew it
we had tracks laying around that were not fitting any
other label..". Influenced heavily by science
fiction films, their music has taken on a very visual
feel. Stakka and Skynet, using primarily analogue
editing machines, spend as much as 14 hours a day,
producing music with the intention of expressing a
strong mood, creating a story that takes the listener
on a journey through a barrage of strange tech noises,
manipulated basses, and solid beats. Stakka and
Skynet feel that "the analogue equipment ....lends
that vintage feel, bringing that seventies sci-fi
sound into the music". Their music is driving, subtly
hard and has a feeling as Shaun would say of
"controlled nastiness". Each label lends itself to a
certain style of music. Underfire was created as
outlet for the tracks that are more energetic, dance
floor oriented while the music released under Audio
Blueprint is more mental and less physical.
Using their labels as a voice to interpret drum n
bass, it will be interesting to see how the music
Stakka and Skynet produce will change and evolve.
Undoubtedly, it will continue to be fresh and
exciting, a driving force in the drum n bass arena,
allowing Stakka and Skynet to carve a niche for
themselves in the history of drum n bass. Stakka and
Skynet are expected to release an LP under their
Underfire label at the end of the year. Two tracks
already on dubplates, "Rubber Bullet" and "Bios Fear"
are already being played out by djs such as Usual
Suspects, Konflict, Teebee and Andy C.
-- Max Cat
