D-bridge (exit Records)

A veteran producer and one of the most experienced artists in drum and bass, Darren White aka D-Bridge is taking his music to new heights with Exit Records. Numerous collabrations with the likes of Calibre, Commix, A.I., Concord Dawn, D-Kay, Jenna G and others stand testament to his reputation and form part of a diverse and inspirational release catalogue of truly enviable proportions. Having set the drum and bass scene alight as part of Bad Company, D-Bridge stepped forward once again in 2003 reintroducing himself as a solo artist and unleashed a barrage of releases across top labels Metalheadz, Soul:r and Creative Source. More recently he’s turned his attentions to his label and has big plans for Exit Records in 2007 including singles featuring Rufige Kru, Survival, Break and Steve Spacek. Extended biography: Although his love of music dates back much farther, Darren’s career began in earnest in 1992 when he moved to London to make music with and produce for his brother Steve (himself a successful solo artist and front-man for the group ‘Spacek’). Catching the buzz of the nascent rave scene along with his brother, he ventured out to club nights such as Roast and the Astoria and drew inspiration from the deep dubby tones of the Jah Shaka soundsystem. Darren soon found himself working with UK hardcore group Armshouse Crew, the production posse responsible for Lennie De Ice’s proto-jungle anthem ‘We are IE’ and began to master the synths and samplers that were the source of this new sound. In 1995 he linked with the Trouble on Vinyl camp, who released his first solo production as D-Bridge, ‘Bring Da Flava b/w Keep it Real.’ It was here, amongst like-minds and contemporaries, that he met fellow producer Jason Maldini and the pair went on to form Future Forces. Their early productions stood apart from rest and so a new imprint, Renegade Hardware, was established to cater for the tougher, grittier sounds they were creating. A steady string of releases followed, including the classics ‘Dead by Dawn’ and ‘Triton’ and drew the attention of another production duo, Fresh and Vegas. This meeting of minds was to result in the birth of Bad Company and the beginning of a new chapter in drum and bass. Their debut single ‘The Nine’ was already an anthem before it’s release on the group’s eponymous label in 1998. Bad Company fast became a household name and, over the course of 3 full length albums and numerous singles, set about fine-tuning a new template for others to follow. After years of touring, the natural progression was to realise the group’s collective aspirations in the shape of a live project, Digital Nation. The project was short-lived but a prestigious studio session at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios highlighted both their talent and potential. After more than 5 years with Bad Company, D-Bridge moved on driven by his own ambitions and announced his return as a solo artist in 2003 with ‘Libra b/w The Bride’ on his own label, Exit Records. ‘The Monochrome EP’ on Bingo followed (the title a nod to an old moniker he used for Renegade Hardware) and demonstrated the depth and versatility of D-Bridge’s fresh new musical sound. In 2004, he teamed up again with old spar Maldini for the massive single ‘True Romance b/w Bellini’, released on Metalheadz Platinum which went on to be one of the biggest selling drum and bass singles of the year. A series of well-received singles for Quarantine, Soul:r and Creative Source have since followed and, alongside the collaborative work for his own Exit Records, earned D-Bridge a solid reputation for both quality and consistency. Exit Records is not only a platform for his own music, but the fruition of a lifetime goal for Darren and he has developed the label to encompass styles beyond strictly drum and bass. Exit Versus plays host to D-Bridge’s collaborations with other artists and the first three singles have seen him cross swords with the likes of Commix, Concord Dawn, A.I. and Fierce. Exit Aptitude by contrast focuses on individual artists at the top of their game, as shown by the sell-out success of the first volume, featuring tracks from Calibre and Lost in Shadows. The next installment, due July 2007, sees the mercurial Survival pair up with Break this time for ‘Cronk’ and go solo on the flipside with ‘U457’. Set to follow shortly after will be a single featuring tracks from both Rufige Kru (‘Is this Real?’) and Instra:mental. Proving that Exit is much more than simply a drum and bass label, the first in the Black Pocket series was released early 2007 and features the combined talents of both Steve Spacek and D-Bridge. More deep space soul grooves are due with the release of Black Pocket Volume 2 in July and an album scheduled for late October. To coincide with the releases, D-Bridge will be taking Black Pocket on tour across Europe and the UK. Further plans include the release of a solo EP of brand new D-Bridge tracks before the release of a compilation LP, drawing together the best moments from his enviable back catalogue. For 2008, D-Bridge plans to release his first artist album and take his music and Exit Records on to new heights. D-Bridge loves to draw from the range of diverse music he’s so passionate about when playing a live DJ set. Seamless transistions from rough to smooth are his trademark although his sets always deliver for the dancefloor, making him equally at home whether representing Metalheadz or Soul:r for example. Having honed his deck skills with over 10 years of DJing experience, D-Bridge brings the same quality and style to a live show that he does in the studio. It’s no surprise then that demand for D-Bridge is high and can surely only rise as the success of Exit Records continues to grow.