Six years ago, Brighton's drum & bass scene was very different to the one we know today. There was a little known emergence of underground sounds, and small events were used to showcase it. There was a unity amongst the drum & bass family, and they all gathered to support the music they loved and believed in.

At the forefront of that influential scene were forward-thinking promoters Insight and Voytek with their popular night Carbon, which gave Brighton debuts to the likes of Alix Perez, Amit and Break.

However, in today's increasingly competitive climate, the pair have decided to call time on the project to explore other avenues in the drum & bass spectrum, but have planned a momentous send-off at Brighton's Concorde 2.

Saturday 20th March sees Carbon's sixth birthday celebrations and the closure of a night which has been truly instrumental in the evolution of the south-coast scene.

The night has developed a reputation over the years for first-time sets and powerful rigs, and Insight was confident the Birthday special won't disappoint.

"We've got a really special line-up for this one," he said, "we're doing things that have never been done before, like putting Randall and Digital back-to-back, and Klute and Break alongside each other. There's something for everyone on the line-up, jungle, liquid, tech, you name it, whatever aspect of drum & bass you're in to, you won't be disappointed."

Cause4Concern will also go back-to-back with Prolix on the night, before Zero T and Sabre do the same, in a line-up which sums up the pair's forward-thinking mentality. Voytek was equally as enthusiastic about the unique event.

"It's going to be a great way of bowing out," he said, "back-to-back sets that have never been done before, all night long on a 40k Funktion One rig. We couldn't imagine a better way of signing off, it's what we've taken pride in over six years, but on a much bigger scale."

Carbon started in 2000 as a bar residency at Riki Tiks in Brighton, before becoming an occasional club event the following year. Finally in 2004 it became a regular occurrence, after Insight, Voytek and friends Unseen and Absent decided that there was not enough representation for the underground drum & bass scene that influenced them so much.

Since then, Carbon has established itself as the forward-thinking night in Brighton's every expanding drum & bass scene, but Insight thinks the time is right to take a step back.

"We can call it a day and focus on other things safe in the knowledge we've had an impact on the Brighton we know today," he said. "We know we've brought representation to the areas of drum & bass that we love, and contributed largely to the scene down here, but I think we've done our bit now.

"With residencies from labels such as Hospital Records, Renegade Hardware, Shogun Audio and soon Ram Records, the Brighton scene is healthier than ever, so we're happy to take a step back," he added.

In its heyday Carbon gave opportunities to the likes of Breakage, Instra:mental and Martyn when they were largely unknown producers, and with over 100 events under their belts, this is an achievement Voytek was keen to focus on.

"People sometimes forget that it's us who breathe life in to the music," he said, "we're the ones who take the risks, and get the tunes heard in the desired environment.

"We've never done it for money, simply for the music we believe in, we've never walked away with more than £120 from a single event, most of the time we just about break even.

"Having said that, it's been well worth it, we've gained more out of the last six years than any amount of money could buy.

"Hopefully what we've done in Brighton has strengthened the following of artists we respect, adds to their longevity and encourages them to keep making the music they love."

After a highly successful stint in promotions, Insight and Voytek are set to focus on the production side business. Insight already has releases under his belt on Commercial Suicide, Horizons, Inneractive, Progress, Outsider, Vampire Recordings, Levitated, Audio Buffet and 13 Music/Vibez.

With more lined up on Commercial Suicide, Broken Audio and the re-launch of Flight's Play:Musik, as well as music signed to Warm Communications and Shy FX's Digital Soundboy, keep your ears open for him in forthcoming months.

The versatile producer has kindly offered to put together an exclusive mix for us, so be sure to check that out as soon as it's available.

Words: James O'Connell

 

INSIGHT-BOMB FACTORY-(forthcoming COMMERCIAL SUICIDE) by Insight

Related Links:

• Carbon Bows Out With A Bang
• Insight Guest Mix
• Carbon Logic Dubstep Competition
• Sickboy's Insight Screen-Print
• Shogun's new London residency

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