Music
The Blue Hour promises to be one of the most innovative d'n'b records of the year, taking in jazz, classical music and hip-hop. Red Bull speaks to the duo spinning drum'n'bass into new forms.
Going right back to the '90s, jazz has long been a core component of the drum'n'bass sound, artists like 4Hero, Photek and Roni Size infusing their breakbeats with samples and live instrumentation.
The genres have seldom been blended quite as ambitiously as on The Blue Hour, though. A new collaborative LP by LSB and MC-vocalist DRS, its 14 tracks feel rooted in d'n'b styles and production techniques. But there's much more here, too – from the rolling live drums and classical strings of Jazz Arps to the loungey jazz trumpet and hip-hop grooves of Umbrellas. And throughout, DRS pushes his vocals into new territory, exploring rich soulfulness and deep introspection.
The Blue Hour drops on LSB's Footnotes label on November 29, but you can hear three tracks now in the player above. Then read on as LSB shares a little about how the record came together...
How long have you guys been working together, and what are the musical touchstones that you share? Obviously you have a mutual history in d'n'b but I get the impression your interests go further...
We’ve been working together for around five years, maybe a bit longer. Marcus Intalex introduced us around 2014, when I sent some instrumentals for the DRS album being written for Soul:R. Beside drum'n'bass, we share a lot of mutual musical interests. We share a love for listening to Drake when travelling – particularly Drake's purple patch from Take Care to Views. We both love a lot of guitar-based indie music, and the album is inspired, in part, by music from our childhoods in the '80s. The artwork is inspired by those eras, too.
We share a love for listening to Drake when travelling
When did the music for The Blue Hour start coming together? Did you have an idea for what it would be before you started writing, or did it come together quite organically?
Very organically. It was an EP to start – then formed the basis of an album. The album idea become quite liberating, as we could both explore new territories musically. It’s a d'n'b album. All tracks but two are 170-175 bpm, even if they don’t always sound it – High As She for instance. However it explores jazz, indie, hip-hop and classical. We’re trying to push out from the constraints of d'n'b without ever losing sight of it being a d'n'b album. D'n'b has always been a melting pot – and that is what we wanted to explore.
Jazz has recently seen a bit of a resurgence, with a new generation discovering it anew. Why do you think the genre has this cross-generational appeal?
I think because this melting pot exists within a single scene, with loads of influences and cultures played out through a single music. Although the divergence of sub-genres exists, it’s perhaps not as prominent in other scenes so it provides an in-built resilience. Plus there continues to be good, sincere music. I’m not sure many come to d'n'b because it’s trendy. They come because they like what they hear and it creates a community and loyalty.
Now watch the Red Bull documentary Current State Of Jazz: London