Features

Methodus

Bassdrive resident DJ Methodus tells us all about the future plans of this leading internet radio station and gives us a top class deep drum & bass mix to boot.

Ten years ago a small project called Bassdrive Radio launched with the idea of exposing drum & bass music to people online.

Since then, Bassdrive has emerged as one of the leaders in the world of internet radio and broadcasts over 50 live shows per week from DJs all over the world, not bad going for something which was started as, "a bit of fun".

Sunday afternoon resident Methodus was keen to highlight the ambitious nature of the station's success.

"Given that most shows are actually live, it's like running an event with multiple DJs from various parts of the world, all in a virtual venue," said the US based DJ.

"Like any smoothly run event, we have to make sure we are technically sound, book good talent and do whatever it takes to help that talent perform to the best of their abilities."

Since joining Bassdrive four years ago, Methodus has seen it grow from a tiny experiment to a global phenomenon and envisages even more success for 2010.

"We have seen a huge increase in listeners and it continues to grow daily," he says. "Hopefully we will get even closer to reaching our long term goal of having live shows around the clock by adding more programming.

"We're also doing two events at WMC this year: the Bassdrive WMC Showcase and the return of Metalheadz vs. Bassdrive, along with continued sponsorship of Sun & Bass Festival and events all over the world."

As if that wasn't enough in the pipeline, the website are taking their quest to provide the world with the best drum & bass to the next level by launching a digital label to make some of the tracks aired on the show, and produced by the Bassdrive team, available for purchase.

Methodus speaks very highly of his colleagues producing ability, and has used his exclusive mix to showcase exactly that.

"To put together a mix for Kmag is a real honour for me," he stated modestly. "I really hope to grab the world's attention to not only showcase my DJ ability and track selection, but to also feature the incredibly talented group of producers that make up a good proportion of our staff. Every tune in the mix has been produced in some way by a Bassdrive DJ, and these guys are the real deal."

As the Bassdrive brand is set to grow even bigger in 2010, it is important not to lose sight of what has been achieved in the journey thus far, a point Methodus was keen to drive home.

"It has truly become a worldwide radio station," he said. "We find that we have many listeners from the UK, the US and Russia, but we also have a huge following in countries all over Europe, as well as Australia and Asia.

"Bassdrive is producing drum & bass without limits, more and more each day. It's really hard to say how big we can get. Our main goal is to spread good drum & bass to as many people as we can.

"The internet provides a unique opportunity for anyone from any part of the world to share the musical experience happening live on Bassdrive at that very moment.

"As long as we continue to do our bit, and put the best drum & bass programming on the internet, the possibilities are endless."

And who could argue? With an ever-increasing global fan base and dedicated team of talented DJs and programmers behind the project, this could be the year to really drive the project forward.

Words: James O'Connell

Download Methodus' Bassdrive Guest Mix

Tracklisting