Octane & DLR (otherwise known as Chris & Jay) have been plying their trade in dancefloor-damaging dnb since 2010, beginning with their home label, Ant TC1's Dispatch Recordings, as well as Renegade Hardware, Run DNB and Sonorous Music . After a busy year in the studio, the lads are ready to launch their album, Method In The Madness, on Dispatch, which will featuring guests like Gusto and Kemo and fellow producers EBK and Script. We're also please to announce we're hosting an Octane & DLR album launch party at our monthly FREE Kmag Presents event on Friday September 28th. Joining Octane & DLR on the night will be Cern, EBK and MC Gusto. We spoke to Chris and Jay for the inside track on the LP. 

 

 

What's been the method, and the madness, in putting the album together?
We didn't really start out with a master plan for an album as such, we sent a small collection of tunes more on the straight up dancefloor vibe we're known for to Ant and he really liked them. We discussed working towards an album and that’s where some of our more experimental additions came in so there goes the method. The madness is us 3 working with each other - we are driven towards madness daily!

 

 

What's been the process for writing and producing the set? Do you guys tend to share things out, or have set roles?
All shared out, we've found the track can start off with a different vibe based on who starts it off, we finish almost all of the tracks together though where we can.

 

 

Tell us about some of your stand outs from the album.
We're probably the worst people to ask! I think we've all heard it too much now but it’s nice to see people buzzing so much over "Murmur" a track we co-wrote alongside Break. Friction's really got behind that one as well as Andy C, Marky, Goldie and Hype so we couldn't really ask for more than that, we're really pleased. I think "Set Up the Set”'s looking like it’s gonna be a big one but there’s a good many we've kept back fresh for the full release in September.

 

 

 

 

A track called "Cometh the Horde" is, we feel, something pretty unique and one we've worked on for a while - to us personally it’s our vision of a proper 'album track'. We've also done one with Kemo on vocals too which is completely different to anything we've done so we're looking forward to see how people react to that one.

 

Do you have any funny or off-the-wall studio stories that you can share?
'Men in hats' from start to finish; but we'll say no more! Just think Right Said Fred with a modern twist, the track will smash it one day, we're just not sure da mans dem are ready yet!!

 

 

17 tracks is quite a few - how many tracks or ideas has this total been worked down from?
To be fair Ant is such a horrible boss and treats us so badly that most days he would wait outside mid-production threatening to 'beat us up after studio' unless we got the absolute best we could out of every track that was "unfinished / "crap" or "worse than Guetta" so in a nutshell every track that was up for consideration in the end always got to the 'creme-de la-Dispatch' through Ant's "management" of us as artists. We hope our fans cry a tear for us on listening to the album knowing what we've had to go through.

 

 

What's the vibe like working with Dispatch and Ant?
See above! Plus last words from us: Many thanks to Ant label boss extraordinaire / Nate at Southpaw for the outstanding artwork he’s done for us / our friends / family and each other (for putting up with each other) throughout this whole process which has been tough but hugely worth it! We hope you all enjoy it when it drops.

Related Links:

• Octane + DLR Sample Pack Competition
• Octane & DLR Guest Mix
• Dispatch Recs' Transit One Competition
• Dispatch Recordings Release Schedule
• Dispatch Recordings' 50th Release

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