Although his love of music dates back much farther, Darren’s career began in earnest in 1992 when he moved to London to make music with and produce for his brother Steve (himself a successful solo artist and front-man for the group ‘Spacek’). Catching the buzz of the nascent rave scene along with his brother, he ventured out to club nights such as Roast and the Astoria and drew inspiration from the deep dubby tones of the Jah Shaka soundsystem. Darren soon found himself working with UK hardcore group Armshouse Crew, the production posse responsible for Lennie De Ice’s proto-jungle anthem ‘We are IE’ and began to master the synths and samplers that were the source of this new sound.
In 1995 he linked with the Trouble on Vinyl camp, who released his first solo production as dBridge, ‘Bring Da Flava b/w Keep it Real.’ It was here, amongst like-minds and contemporaries, that he met fellow producer Jason Maldini and the pair went on to form Future Forces. Their early productions stood apart from rest and so a new imprint, Renegade Hardware, was established to cater for the tougher, grittier sounds they were creating. A steady string of releases followed, including the classics ‘Dead by Dawn’ and ‘Triton’ and drew the attention of another production duo, Fresh and Vegas. This meeting of minds was to result in the birth of Bad Company and the beginning of a new chapter in drum & bass.
Their debut single ‘The Nine’ was already an anthem before it was released on the group’s eponymous label in 1998. Over the course of 3 full length albums and numerous singles, the group set about fine-tuning a new template for others to follow. After more than 5 years with Bad Company, however, dBridge felt it was time to move on and keep moving forward with his musical endeavors. In 2003, dBridge opened a new chapter with the first release on his own label Exit Records. ‘Libra b/w The Bride’ was soon followed by more solo outings, across a string of high profile labels including Soul:r, Creative Source, Liquid V and Metalheadz.
More than just a platform for his own music, Exit Records is the fruition of a lifetime goal for Darren and has developed to encompass styles beyond strictly drum & bass. Exit Versus plays host to dBridge’s collaborations with other artists and the first three singles have seen him cross swords with the likes of Commix, Concord Dawn, A.I. and Fierce. Exit Aptitude by contrast focuses on individual artists at the top of their game and includes specially commissioned artwork in a limited edition vinyl package. Previous volumes have included luminaries such as Calibre, Survival, Rufige Kru and Instra:mental, each providing music with integrity and longevity and enhancing Exit’s reputation as a label with the strictest quality control.
In 2008, Exit released dBridge’s first solo LP ‘The Gemini Principle’ to widespread critical acclaim with several tracks showcasing his talents as a vocalist as well as a producer, a sure sign of a confident artist not afraid to stamp his own personality on his music. With the standard set high, Exit followed up with albums from Survival LP and Consequence in 2009 and has a wealth of music to come in 2010, including singles from Alix Perez, Abstract Elements and more from dBridge himself.
dBridge has continued to forge links with creative producers in and outside of drum & bass, most notably with the Instra:mental duo. The ‘Sepia Tones’ EP on Darkestral included a pair of collaborative tracks (‘Translucent’ and ‘Detuned’) and dBridge’s own ‘Wonder Where’ opened the account for Instra:mental’s new label, NonPlus+. Together as Plus Ultra, they present the monthly Autonomic podcast series which explores their influences across all genres and styles as well the freshest sounds in drum & bass and dubstep. A huge success so far, the podcasts have gained worldwide acclaim with over 60,000 downloads of the latest installment. The trio is currently working on a number of further studio projects, crossing a range of tempos and including other producers such as Burial and Skream. dBridge has also recently worked with another of dubstep’s frontrunners, with ‘These Words’ appearing on Martyn’s debut LP ‘Great Lengths.’
In 2009, dBridge has been representing for the A Bunch of Cuts collective at their new London residency as well as opening his own residencies for Club Autonomic at Fabric and Rinse FM. Breaking new ground by playing at Berlin’s new home of techno, the legendary Berghain club, he’s also been touring clubs and festivals the world over, including Japan, Australia & New Zealand. Look out for more in 2010 as he takes to the road alongside Instra:mental to promote the release of their upcoming mix CD for the prestigious Fabriclive series. Constantly exploring the potential of drum &bass and staying several steps ahead of the rest, dBridge is showing no signs of letting up just yet and remains one of the leading lights in independent underground music.
