Matrix & Futurebound: Worldwide Sound Killers
Written By: Curtis Moldrich
Two irreplaceable names in the drum and bass world, Matrix and Futurebound have been at the forefront of the scene since the very beginning. From the early days of releasing on legendary labels Metalheadz and Prototype Recordings to the now well established Viper Recordings, Matrix and Futurebounds sub-ethics and new sounds within drum and bass may have changed as the scene developed – but some things remain certain - namely their dedication, love and respect for the scene that has so beautifully set them up as go-to producers.
They’ve recently released new compilation Worldwide 001 through the Viper and Metro imprints - owned by the duo respectively and now fused together to form a powerhouse stable after they were championed as a duo after releasing the American Beauty EP – the new compilation is a gathering of melodic, but heavyweight drum and bass rhythms from some of the world’s finest heads currently doing the rounds. The duo took chunk out of their studio time for a chat on their history, the direction of their own labels and the birth of the new Worldwide compilation series...
You are now known as one of the most enduring duos in the drum and bass scene, but how did you two meet?
FUTUREBOUND: “We’d known each other for some time, and crossed paths at places like Music House (where we used to cut acetates) and playing at the same shows. I think we first hinted at the idea of getting in the studio whilst playing a club in Brussels around 2004 and worked in some studio time later that month. The result was our first single, ‘Strength 2 Strength’ which was very well received from our peer’s in the scene. Shortly after that we got in again and came up with ‘American Beauty’, which obviously blew up in the clubs and had amazing radio support from the likes of Annie Mac & Zane Lowe etc. All of a sudden promoters where booking and billing us together as a duo and that was the start of everything.”
MATRIX: “Yeah, it was really ‘American Beauty’ that set the tone for most of our early stuff together and after that track, we just thought we had a bit of a sound forming so we just ran with it and decided to make an album which turned out to be ‘Universal Truth’.”
What made you work with each other, and why do you think your working relationship is still strong after so many years?
MATRIX: “I think first and foremost we just get on very well and we also have similar taste in music so we’ve always found it very easy to work together both in the studio and as DJ’s.”
Can you explain the story of Viper and Metro and the reasons you decided to start the label(s)?
MATRIX: “Between us both, we’d released our music on a lot of different labels in the scene going back to the mid nineties, such as Moving Shadow, Metalheadz, Virus and Prototype and it was just a natural progression to start our own labels. I started my label Metro in 1997 mainly because I wanted to be able to release my own music and then it just expanded from there. There were quite a few of us from the same part of London making similar stuff at the time, like my brother Optical, Ed Rush, Fierce and Dom & Roland so I ended up signing quite a few tracks from those guys in the early days. I guess we were all trying to combine techno and electronic sounds with breakbeats and that’s where the Metro sound originated.
FUTUREBOUND: “Viper was launched around 2003/2004 and I always had a plan to sign up artists who had their own unique sound and could go the distance of making albums and to help them develop as artists. We currently have the likes of ShockOne, Metrik, Smooth, Furlonge and InsideInfo who have really established themselves in the scene over the last few years. We also have some new guys who we’re bringing through such as GeneticBros, Magical Gravity, Kerupt, Silent Code and Raw theory and these guys are showing great potential.”
Since your last album "Universal Truth" in 2007 you've been remixing some pretty high-profile people including Moby, Justin Timberlake, Ian Carey and Swedish House Mafia to name but a few...
MATRIX: “We’ve certainly done a lot of mixes over the years and it’s something we really enjoy doing. It’s a different challenge to making an original record because you have to work within some boundaries rather than having a completely blank canvas. You’re also usually up against quite a tight deadline from the record company but in a way that can actually be a good thing because it forces you to make quick decisions and to go with your gut instinct. At the moment though, we’re taking a break from remixing so we can really focus on making the next Matrix & Futurebound studio album.”
FUTUREBOUND: “Yeah as Jamie said, it’s time for us to concentrate on our own new material and to take our sound to the next level.”
Viper Recordings has now become one of the most prestigious labels in the d’n’b scene, where do you see it as fitting into things?
FUTUREBOUND: “That’s nice if people think that because a lot of hard work goes in to what we do, but we just try to keep our eye’s on the ball and release the music we believe in and that will help DnB to continue to sound fresh. We have a lot of very exciting projects on the cards starting with the release of Worldwide:001 which has just dropped and following this we have great singles from ShockOne & Phetsta ‘Crucify Me Parts 1 & 2’ which will be the first single from ShockOne’s much anticipated debut album, then we have a new single from GeneticBros in July and this will be followed by “Summer Slammers 2011” which is a digital only comp series which we started in 2010. Moving into September, we’ve got an amazing piece from Furlonge entitled ‘All you ever knew’ which features Franklyn Gaye, who is a relative of legendary singer Marvin Gaye.“
How would you describe the Matrix & Futurebound sound, and what do you think sets you guys apart from the other artists?
MATRIX: “The Matrix & Futurebound sound has always been about combining lots of melodic elements with big heavyweight drum & bass production –that’s what we love but ultimately, we just make music for ourselves and then we hope that other people will like it too. That’s the only way to do it. The minute you start trying to cater for what you think is in demand or you start trying to fit in with any trends, it just doesn’t work and funnily enough, I’ve found that it’s often been the case that some of our tracks that we’ve thought people might not get have actually turned out to be some of our biggest records. ‘American Beauty’ was certainly in that category where we thought the drum & bass scene really might not go for it but we were pleasantly surprised by how well it went down. I think we also like to take our influences from lots of stuff outside d&b so that plays a big part in our sound and listening to people like Pink Floyd, Human League, Depeche Mode whilst growing up has certainly helped shape our music.“
Where would you like to see the labels in five years time
FUTUREBOUND: “We’ll always maintain our d&b focus but I can definitely see the sound of the label developing into other genres which is something we’ve already begun with a couple of dubstep tracks on our EP’s recently.”
MATRIX: “Yeah, that’s one of the great things about dance music in general at the moment… people are a lot more open minded in terms of DJ’s playing different genres within the same set. That’s kind of how it used to be in the early days and it’s definitely something that we’re embracing. I’ve always made house records over the years and have recently been doing some stuff for Roger Sanchez’sStealth Records. I’ve also just released my first dubstep track, ‘Thin Ice’ which features on Worldwide 001 so that’s something we’ll be doing more of in the future both with our labels and with our Matrix & Futurebound productions.”
What was the thinking and concept behind new record ‘Worldwide’?
MATRIX: “’Worldwide 001’ is the first in a series and it’s really one of our live sets on a record –that was the plan. We just found that we had so much good music within the Metro/Viper camp that it was a great time to showcase what we’re doing with the labels. We’ve got 36 tracks in the mix and then another 13 exclusive tracks on CD2 with music from artists such as ShockOne, Metrik, Nero, Furlonge, Eric Prydz, InsideInfo, Moving Fusion and of course some brand new tracks from ourselves.”
Worldwide features some big Viper names, including Metrik, InsideInfo, and Phetsta, as well as the return of Moving Fusion. What can you tell us about them?
FUTUREBOUND: “Well we’re definitely really proud to be releasing the first Moving Fusion records in over five years. Their track ‘Lost Without You’ is an amazing piece of vocal drum & bass and it has to be one of my favourite tracks out there at the moment. InsideInfo’s track 'Honey Bee' is definitely another big track on the album and is more on the dark side of things. It’s a really twisted amen monster of a tune that has been absolutely smashing it in the clubs and the great thing about it is that DJ’s from all corners of the d&b scene have been playing it.”
What’s up next for yourselves? Is there a new album in the works?
MATRIX: “Yes, that’s the next big project from us two, a new Matrix & Futurebound studio album. We’re working on it at the moment and it will be out early in 2012. We’ve got a few tracks down already and a whole load of ideas that are in the works. We’ll definitely be stepping outside of a pure d&b album this time so that will set it apart from Universal Truth. We’re both just really loving being in the studio at the moment.”
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