m-Atome Records has been part of the French drum & bass scence since back in 2000. The label, lead by the duo Kantyze, have built up an impressive array of releases from some of the biggest names out there. Recent release the Friends From All Over EP saw tracks from Jade & Chris SU and State Of Mind. We got the inside track from label boss Igor, who delivers a mix which you can download below.

Hi Igor, thanks for taking the time. Please let us know about the history of the label, and more about the guys behind it.
M-Atome was created back in 1999 in Tours in France. All started off with a bunch of local dnb heads, influenced by the techy / ravey side of d&b. The label only had a local output and and minor distro that spread it out in France only, with not many connections, so all these tracks remained unknown, until 2005. It featured people like Youthman & Brooks (Audio Unit), Random, Dresden Codex or Feubo (one half of Kantyze), and of course was vinyl only!

I and Fred (Kantyze) took over the label direction in 2005 and sorted a distro deal, from there we signed worldwide artists, which lead us to where we are now in 2012 with Triple Vision.

 

 

We’re talking m-Atome018, your latest release. Tell us about it. What’s the importance of the title of the release?
Jade, Chris and the SOM guys have always supported us and the label, we have also played together and we definitely like their musical output. It really represents what we aim for at mAtome - pacey, dynamic d&b full of energy but keeping a melodic soul.

 

 

Break down the individual tracks on the release.
“Digital Mind” is a rework of a track Jade and Chris SU did a while ago. When I said that I wanted it for m-Atome , they felt the need to give it a 2012 rework, for the better. It contains all the elements and vibes we like in a good tune - a dark intro, a neuro-esque growling bassline, punchy steppy beats and a catchy hook.

 

 

 

“Spastic Audio” is a classic SOM tune. We 've always liked their style with proper dynamics, slick mixdowns, bouncy subs and great melodies. I think this tune has it all!

 

 

 

Both tunes pair very well bringing out proper dancefloor vibes in different but complementary styles.

 

 

 

M-Atome is a long-standing, important label in the French scene – what do you put your success down to ?
It's true that we 've been among if not the first to gain international recognition in France. D&b wasn't and isn't as big as in the UK or USA so there aren't many d&b labels, which is weird because there was a fair amount of d&b djs back in 97-98. The early days of m-Atome belong to this era. Having now onboard people like Rregula, Sunchase, Nphonix, Jade, Axiom ,Future Signal & more definitely helps to get a name built. We also have put effort in the design of the vinyl labels that were hand-drawn for some releases. We managed to do some nights for the label promotion, which helped a lot as well. We've always been hardworking in terms of promotion and connections to have our music known and recognized by international d&b artists. But now we have great labels that rise properly in France like Mindtech or Im:Ltd.

 

 

You’ve also branched out into some subdivisions – tell us about these.
Yeah we created m-Atome LTD at the time (2007) when the techier and harder side of d&b was very big, there was a real need to put out some great tunes at that time with people like Proket and Nphonix, and more recently the Sect. We will see how this section turns out now, we plan to extend it to the abstract or eerier side of d&b, as we 've been seduced by many tunes in that vein recently.

 

M-Atome Digital only came up to produce the new names or people that sent us great demos, it also appeared when vinyl started to decrease a bit, now it's a regular section we use for all releases and all types of artists , as vinyl releases are really tough now and need to be thought over properly .We have a release every month or so on it.

 

 

 

What are the next steps for the label?
We're hoping to sign and try to continue to release tracks on vinyl, bring out more quality artists to the d&b scene, make a various artist album ,it's been a while! We have plans and ideas to open a new sub section, but nothing confirmed right now. Oh and we need to get some more label t-shirts done, they've all gone !

 

 

And what do you see as your long term goals?
Our long term goal would be a regular label night in our hometown of Tours in France, and being able to bring as many artists of the label as we can to play out .That's a major focus for us.

 

 

Give us the names of some artists to watch out for – maybe some on the label and some others you like?
Jade, Dose and State of Mind are the big ones we always support and like, there are now people like Kantyze (shameless self promotion!), Disphonia, Bionic1 or more recently the duo Altered Beats that will surely make waves in the near future. We wish that our Morebeat friends get back in the studio too! As for other artists that we digg heavily ,it ranges from Mako & Mute to Break, S.P.Y or Prolix. Having these onboard would be huge for us.

 

 

What do you have for us in the competition?
You can win a vinyl copy of m-Atome 018 and some m-Atome stickers by “liking” the release on the m-Atome Facebook page and we will randomly pick 3 people and announce them here.

 

 

Finally, you’ve prepared a mix for us. What can we expect?
M-Atome past, present and future beats, some classic tunes we always rock out in our gigs and some of our current favorites in 2012.

Tracklist:

 

            Kantyze ‘s Kmag m-Atome Special

 

1. Kantyze – We’re not alone (m-Atome dub)
2. Break – Authentic (Quarantine)
3. Kantyze – Protocole 10 (m-Atome Dub)
4. Kantyze – Marauder (m-Atome Digital 011)
5. Safire - Consciousness (Mindtech dub)
6. Kantyze – Summit Grinder (Suspect Device dub)
7. Bionic1 – Sick ‘n twisted (m-Atome Dub)
8. Disphonia – Headfirst (SOM Music) 
9. Qo & Hostile Mc – Distress signal (Disturbed dub)
10. Kantyze –Juggernaut (C2D dub)
11. State ofMind– Spastic Audio (m-Atome 018)
12. Altered beats- Hot keys (m-Atome Digital 013)
13. Jade & Chris SU – Digital Mind (m-Atome 018)
14. Misanthrop – Strange planet (Catacomb remix) (Shadybrain)
15. Spl & Triage – Blood cuz  (dub)
16. Kaiser – The ark (?)
17. Dextems- Radium (Rise audio dub)
18. Kantyze – Breathe again (m-Atome Digital 007)
19. The Sect – Turning Force – (m-Atome LTD 005

Related Links:

• Download Free Kantyze Album
• Jade Interview
• Adapter Audio Release Debut Single
• Subculture Guest Mix
• Dose Interview

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