Knowledge

63 (Jul 2004)

DJ vs Drummer

Take a DJ and a live drummer, throw in a MC, mix in some drum & bass and hip hop, shake it all up and what do you get? The DJ vs The Drummer and one hell of a live show.

"The one thing you can't do with a live band," says Chris Polglase, otherwise known as the Jungle Drummer, "is play what's happening on the dancefloor. That's what makes this project such a challenge because that's what we're trying to do. It's a big deal when you go up there on stage, it's a big risk, and it's always at the back of your mind that you've got to make it work."

Don't be surprised if The DJ vs The Drummer have changed into something else by the time you read this article. It's early days for this exciting new concept and the parameters are still being tried and tested - in fact, they may even have a different name - but one thing is for sure, these guys mean business. Almost by accident, they've created a musical phenomenon that has drum & bass at its core but can also push out a whole lot further. What's more, they put on a live show that after only a couple of appearances has got tongues wagging.

The main protagonists are L Double and Jungle Drummer, the DJ and the drummer respectively. L Double is steeped in drum & bass history with an encyclopaedic knowledge and love of music across the spectrum. One of the UK's most respected and well-liked DJs, he's been spinning since the early days. From his origins as part of Unique 3 through to his current weekly drum & bass show on 1Xtra, he continues to rock clubs both in the UK and overseas on a regular basis. His Flex Records imprint has a pretty impressive pedigree too and Double is no slouch in the studio himself. In fact, you can expect to see a whole set of releases from new artists on the revitalised Flex over the coming months.

Chris Polglase, meanwhile, is the Jungle Drummer. Widely acknowledged as the finest drummer in drum & bass, he plays with London Elektricity as part of their live band as well as working with human beatboxer Killa Kella's Spit Kingdom, the Scratch Perverts and the Mixologists. Quite simply, seeing is believing when this man gets behind the drums. Together these two form the nucleus of The DJ vs The Drummer and although their name may conjure up the image of a soundclash, they are, in fact, close collaborators in creating this unique musical experience.

Another important part of The DJ vs The Drummer is the role of the MC and so far Rodney P, MC Trip and IC3 have joined them live on stage with young gun MC Wrec recently assuming pole position. As well as regularly manning the mic at parties put on by the Hospital Records crew, Wrec is also part of the Pickpockets hip hop outfit and it was through working with Chris as part of London Elektricity that he was introduced to L Double.

Knowledge recently caught up with all three at their east London rehearsal studio to find out a bit more about what The DJ vs The Drummer is all about. These guys do pretty much what it says on the tin, so how did it all get started? "Other people have done similar before," explains Chris, "but when Double and I set the whole thing up we wanted to do something different to me just drumming along to records. That's got too much of a novelty factor.

"We wanted to mix records over drums, put hip hop drums over drum & bass drops, that kind of thing. We've chosen records that the drums fit perfectly over and with the MCs over the top it fuses the whole thing together rather than them just running in parallel. At some points during the show the MC will be control where we just have a hi-hat loop going on underneath it. It's something different for the crowd to get their teeth into. Basically what it's all about is live remixing."

Never ones to be shy, The DJ vs The Drummer made their stage debut with a baptism of fire back in February when they played at the Sheffield Foundry with Rodney P and MC Trip (the show was broadcasted live on 1Xtra and is on our cover CD.) Another successful date at Cargo in London soon followed with the MCs taking on a more prominent role.

"When we got together we had all seen how live drum & bass can work," says Double, "and this way we can control the pace of the music. Reading between the lines, it also makes us more of a theatrical experience. As we've been getting really into it we've come up with loads more ideas like incorporating live samples from a laptop and enhancing the records with special effects."

"Double can be EQing a beat out and I'll be playing the exact same beat," explains Chris, "then he'll bring the beat back. It creates something really different for people watching and hearing it."

"We come from drum & bass," continues Double, "but the ability to do other things and play other styles is really what brings me out here today to rehearse! We like to think the possibilities are a whole lot bigger."
Hip hop, ragga, breakbeat, hard jungle and drum & bass have all become part of the mix now that The DJ vs The Drummer have really got into their stride. There's nothing random or slipshod about their sound either; it's something they have put hours of practice and planning into as Knowledge can bear witness seeing them at rehearsal. Precise timing is of the essence and if ever the expression about the total being greater than the sum of the parts is relevant, it's to these guys.

"We've got to stress that there hasn't been a plot though," says Wrec. "It's all been about a vibe and what can we do to enhance that vibe. If you come see us live you'll see what it's all about."

"With Jungle's drums it's like having a third deck," continues Double in full stride now. "As a DJ you can't match mixing two phat tunes mixed together and then live drums over the top of it. There's a dynamic to it that properly smashes up the clubs and in Jungle I've got the best third turntable in the scene!

"The music can stop and start but it's all still synchronised. It's not random. There might be a bit where it's focused on the MC or focused on the drums or focused on me but we're all still ultimately following the records. Drum & bass has always been about technology and producers getting new bits of kits and software and tweaking it, but there's nothing wrong with us then aspiring to take something of that sound back into the mainstream. If we can use elements of that done well, then let's do it!

"We wanted to create something that we could take on the road to all kinds of different venues but we still wanted to get a pat on the back from the drum & bass world because it works for them too. It was after the Cargo gig when it really clicked that we knew we had something that was bigger than your regular drum & bass club."

"We want to be able to play hip hop clubs, breakbeat clubs, eclectic clubs, whatever," confirms Wrec. "We can gear our sound to wherever we're playing. It can see us supporting big hip hop acts, and even rock bands too."

Despite not yet being fully formed, word has quickly got round that The DJ vs The Drummer is hot property. More dates are already being lined-up across the UK and Europe, while a tour of Australia and New Zealand is on the cards for September. These guys are tailor-made for the summer festival circuit too and a set in the dance tent at this year's Glastonbury festival is already in the bag.
"We want them all," exclaims Double, "because we know we can smash them up. It'll be curtains!"

Recorded live at at The Foundry, Sheffield, L Double gives you the low-down on The DJ vs The Drummer mash-up...

Supadark - Loose Grip (Flex)
"A new artist I'm bringing through on Flex - don't sleep on him in the coming months."

Jonny L - Let's Roll (Piranha)
"A tune I love and it just rolls... always helps a mix!"

Muffler - Space Lab
"The man from Finland."

Weva - TNT (Flex)
"New artist on Flex - I love the swing of the Amen break on this one and with Jungle on top swinging in the trees it creates a sick third element. A mad groove."

Roni Size - Fassy Hole (V Recordings)
"Roni on one."

DJ Hype - Foundation (Majistrate remix) (Ganja)
"A fresh counteraction to Roni's anthem."

Tali - Blazin' (Dillinja remix) (Full Cycle)
"Carnage."

Breakage - So Vain (Bassbin)
"Ruff Amen break that worked wicked with Tali, so I thought, sod it!"

Shock - Helms Deep (Wide Open Music)
"A little bubbler from Darren Jay & Special K."

Noreaga - N.O.R.E. (Penalty)
"Some hybrid stuff we're cooking at the moment - original business."

Dillinja - How Dare You (Valve)
"Jungle's party piece... wicked to see live and he can do it tighter too."

Supadark - Smak Ed (Flex)
"Wild style 'Amen' break from my new general at Flex. I've told you about him already! I'm telling you, don't sleep on Supadark - straight."

Generation Dub - Freak Show (Formation)
"The wobbly freaks freaking it in a style that few get right... I'm into it - it's one of those!"

Future Prophecies - Dreadlock (Breakbeat Kaos)
"I've loved this track since first hearing it - it's 21st century dub with old skool flavours. Cold."

P-Funk - P-Funk Era (Moving Fusion remix) (True Playaz)
"One of my all-time favourites getting a remix that truly deserves praise. A difficult anthem to change but I feel Moving Fusion are on this one. A bad re-lick - 2004 style."

Calibre - Feeling Happy (Signature)
"A track that haunted me on first hearing it. I was unsure when playing tracks to Jungle if he'd be feeling the mellow side of drum & bass and this was one of the first I played him on that tip and thankfully he was as into the groovin', mellower tracks as I was. From then on in it was always going to get played somewhere. A deep one."

Keaton & Hive - Bring It On (Violence)
"My favourite track for a long, long time by a long, long way... right up my street! The fusion on this track is ugly and with Jungle on top... It's curtains!"