Choosing just ten emerging drum & bass producers to look out for in 2012 is no easy task, there are so many talented people out there. This isn’t meant to be a definitive list, we know there are plenty of equally worthy producers we could have mentioned. We just wanted to give you the heads up on some people we’re particularly feeling and if you think we’ve missed someone then let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Some of the people here have been around a few years but we feel 2012 will be a breakthrough year for them and some are relative newcomers we think are going to make an instant impact. Without further ado, in alphabetical order, here are our ten drum & bass producers to look out for in 2012.

Billain
Hailing from Sarajevo, Billain (pictured above) represents one of the neurofunk scene’s most talented producers. Influenced by war in his home country as well as the films of Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg and John Carpenter, Billain began producing minimal techno, but after hearing Ed Rush & Optical’s Wormhole, Billain made the inspired jump to drum & bass.

Known for his prolific use and creation of custom sounds, Billain is now in heavy demand for sound design work for major companies working on material for films, documentaries and advertising, but he continues to produce the wildest dnb.

Initial track signings came from Breed 12 Inches and C2D and, after further developing his own unique sound and style, more signings started coming from Dutch labels Syndrome Audio and Citrus. This year sees Billain release on Blokhe4d’s Bad Taste Recordings, one of the UK’s most innovative labels. Set up by Bad Company’s Vegas, Bad Taste has a reputation for clever, techy music with a hard edge and will see Billain release his long-awaited Batbots /Manifold in early 2012.

Command Strange
Liquid funk wunderkind Command Strange has been around for a few years now but he’s definitely a talent to take notice of this year. His sweet melodic productions, full of positive vibes and equipped with beautiful soul, jazz and funk samples, have already acquainted him with lovers of the musical side of d&b. 

Releasing his first tunes on Liquid Brilliants at 16, he also has releases on Fokuz, Influenza Media, Allsorts and Digital Colours. Command Strange continues to experiment with sound, somewhat deviating from the usual liquid funk and bringing jump-up and tech into his music. His album release on Fokuz Recordings at the end of 2011, Episode 91, beautifully demonstrates the skills that this producer brings to d&b, making it hard not to pay full attention to what’s going to come next.

DJ Chap 
Brazil has given drum & bass some great DJs and producers over the year such as Marky, S.P.Y., Bungle, Drumagick and more recently, Crytical Dub, Level 2 and BTK. Another name to add to that list is DJ Chap. His sound can be broadly defined as liquid funk but don’t think it’s lightweight, much like his compatriot S.P.Y. his music is heavy and tough yet deep and emotional at the same time.
 
Chap first started DJing and producing D&B in 2005. We first took note of Chap’s talents with Tell Me in 2010, which Bailey even rewound on his 1Xtra radio show. In 2011 he had two big tracks on the Liquid V Club Sessions 4 compilation, Midnight Love (a collaboration with vocalist Iriann Joyce) and Sky Is The Limit with Level 2. Into 2012 and his track Seven Lines has just come out on Marky’s Innerground label and look out for more DJ Chap releases this year on labels like LuvDisaster, SP Breakz and Digital Blus.

Frederic Robinson
19-year-old Swiss producer Frederic Robinson appeared from nowhere last year, dropping the amazing Laughing At Clouds on Diffrent. The lush, lucid track, with its agile percussion, twinkling synths and just a tiny undercurrent of “grrr”, became one of the surprise hits of 2011, and heralded the arrival of a deft, idiosyncratic new talent. Characterised by intricate drum programming, subtle arrangements and a keen melodic sensibility, Robinson’s thoughtful productions dance just out of reach of categorisation, and with excellent remixes of Pedestrian and Melo under his belt, 2012 promises big things from this talented producer.

Gerra & Stone
Gerra & Stone have been making waves along the south coast for a while, but it’s since the circulation of the downright dirty Droneheadsthat the Southampton lads have got the rest of the country standing up and taking notice, gaining DJ support from Hype, Kasra, Basha, Xtrah, Ulterior Motive and Octane & DLR to name a few.

Both started out on their own but the pair have been friends for years. Both working within the same local scene, they began to notice similarities in their tastes and ethics. After being booked together for a few B2B sets, it became clear to the boys that their joint talent and enthusiasm could really produce something exciting.  

Gerra & Stone’s intoxicating sound has been distilled to perfection, unleashed on the world at the optimum time. Deliciously dark, yet destined for the dancefloor, delicately smooth, with punchy little glitches, this exhilarating amalgamation of textures and flavours is sure to hit the spot.

Macca
Portsmouth based Macca has only been putting tracks together since 2010 but he has already built quite some reputation. He cites his influences as Netsky, Camo & Krooked, Sigma and Calibre, but he’s managed to take these reference points, and somehow take his music further outward, into new and exciting territory.

In describing his style, some might say chilled. We would expand this to challenging, adventurous and downright beautiful. He, like S.P.Y. for example, makes music which is both cinematic and intimate in turn. With clean, minimal lines, his music evokes calm and ease whilst pushing our music forwards into the future. Macca has touched both drum & bass and dubstep with the same meticulous approach, and incorporates both genres into his live sets. 

Macca has not only made an impact with his own work. Remixes in 2011 included Johnny Jack’s Wide Open (with ParaDigm), and the quite moving remix of Rameses B’s Memoirs.
His original recordings have been released on Soul Deep, Lifestyle, Project 7, with others due to drop on Soul Deep and LDNB but next up is the single Love Is Tender on Nu Venture.

Mind Vortex
Norwich-based duo Mind Vortex have been steadily carving their way through the ranks of drum & bass producers of late. The guys music could be fairly described as heavily dancefloor-oriented with a liquid bent – names like Wilkinson, Hamilton and Loadstar spring to mind (coincidentally stablemates in the Ram Records camp). 

Mind Vortex gained sufficient notoriety with their first release on Plush in 2009 (That Good Feelin / Silent Dream), to result in some of their more tear-out tunes subsequently being picked up by Ram. Their releases on Ram to date (notably Onslaught and Generatorwhich featured on last year’s massive RAM 100 release) have been straight-up dancefloor smashers, but their upcoming single Now It’s Time (originally heard on Andy C’s Nightlife 5) is steeped in funk, a solid liquid anthem that is sure to see their profile grow further. 

The guys obviously have a huge amount of talent - both musical and technical - and with the support of one of the leading labels in the scene at the moment, Mind Vortex are up for a big 2012.

Pessimist
The economy is in bits, no-one can find a job, Cameron’s still in power, wars continue to rage across the globe and it’s bloody cold. What could be a better soundtrack to these dark times than the menacing, industrial productions of a young man calling himself Pessimist? 

This young Bristolian, real name Kristian Jabs, is only 19, but he’s already carving out a very respectable reputation in the scene with strong releases on Renegade Hardware, Commercial Suicide, Ingredients and Kasra’s phenomenal Critical stable, who put out militant, clunking cyber-roller Niche in 2011. He’s also been remixed by S.P.Y and Med School golden boy Joe Syntax, and his DJ skills aren’t to be sniffed at either. 

Hard-edged and twisted, with a knack for detail and some seriously disturbing low-end, Pessimist is set to rapidly rise through the ranks this year. If you like your drum & bass to sound like it’s come straight out of a dimly-lit car park in some dystopian future city, Mr Jabs should be right up your alley.

Roygreen & Protone
Austrian producers Roygreen & Protone only met in August 2010 but they’ve come a long way in that time. 2011 saw tracks like Other Song released on Think Deep’s Selective Soul compilation but you’ll be hearing a lot more from them this year as they have releases lined up on labels like (deep breath) Soundtrax, Innerground, Fokuz, Celsius, BluSaphir, SP Breakz and Director’s Cut and collaborations with BokaBoka, Tokyo Prose, Duoscience, MsDos and Skepticz.

“Our approach to making music is quite simple; we tend to produce as we feel,” says RoyGreen. “We think this gives us a widespread variety from deep and mystical to uplifting and soulful. We like to draw outside of the box!” 

Particularly look out for their release on Marky’s Innerground Recordings with the equally talented Monologue and their remix ofChanges by Big Bud & DRS. Big Bud, who is releasing a Roygreen & Protone EP on Soundtrax on January 30th, says of them: “Ain’t been this excited about a signing since I grabbed a release off Spectrasoul in their early days.”

High praise indeed!

Safire 
Safire has been steadily moving from strength to strength over the last 18 months. The Melbourne-based producer has been making music for the last seven years or so, and also running the long-standing Broken Beat Assault, which has been touring international artists and putting on quality parties in Melbourne for about five years now. 

Since his first releases in 2008 - Dream Carrier / Shadows(Climate) and Heatstroke with Mindscape (Resolute), Safire has continued to rise. He has collaborated with a number of well-known producers, including Octane & DLR, Ant TC1, Cern, and Dabs. His deep, techy tunes have been gaining well-deserved recognition across the dnb landscape, evident in his recent string of releases on Ant TC1’s much-respected Dispatch Recordings. 

His collaboration with Octane & DLR, Peel Street, featured on the Dispatch #50 release at the end of 2011 and he has an upcoming collaboration with Borderline on Dispatch, as well as a number of other drum & bass releases slated for the next few months. Add to this his forays into the 140 BPM world (notably a collab with 3RDEYE, Embryonics, on Requiem Audio), and you have the picture of a well-rounded, versatile and extremely skilled producer. Safire has a couple of shows lined up in Europe in the July to October period, and has proved himself as one to keep a close eye on in 2012.

Tokyo Prose
A deep and soulful producer from Auckland, Sam Reed, aka Tokyo Prose, has been just beneath the surface of the d&b scene for some time now. Signed to Samurai Red Seal, 2011 saw the release of Introducing Tokyo Prose EP that included the beautiful sounds ofSaving Grace. This firmly rooted his place within the intelligent side of things and was championed by many of the scene’s creative forces, such as Calibre, dBridge, Lenzman and Spectrasoul. Late last year he demonstrated his virtuosity even further working alongside Phil Tangent, releasing Parity and Rearview. 

With a firm focus on musicality and groove, the Tokyo Prose sound always has a polished aesthetic which suits both the dancefloor and easy listening time. It’s clear to see that the future for this talented producer is a bright one.

(Source: kmag.co.uk)

Russian born Queensway is an upcoming experimental force set to run rampant around the deep, experimental bowels of the electronic scene. A very versatile artist by his nature, the young (now) Ukrainian let forth with his first four track abomination of moody calm, “The Sixth Race EP” on ABSYS DIGITAL.

Utilizing a variation of styles, including downtempo, trip-hop, half-step, and minimal, this album is a rainbow of many flavors to keep listeners on edge and wondering what’s coming next. Emotional yet uplifting, complexity is key in the composition of these masterpieces; and QUEENSWAY’s future is definitely shining bright as one of the genre’s future superstars. Angelic pads, chords and a euphoric male vocal introduce Queensway’s debut album on Sync:Saphir with AUTOMATIC LOVER.

Children are heard playing in the background while a male vocal lulls the listener into the futuristic melodies of DARLIN. Both tribal and ethereal in nature, the vocal cuts through before coming to a tranquil breakdown of pads and exuberance. The main vocal comes rollin’ through as the drop hits. FEEL SEXUAL employs the vocal from Amber’s well known hit from 2000, “Sexual”, although in a much more somber mood here. Elegant melodies layered exquisitely personalize the tone as MAN WALKS ON THE MOON. The heartbeat increases, putting the listener in a meditative state as the narrator directs this soulful journey. Full bass pushes through the speakers as abstract canvases are constructed of layered instrumentation. Touching back down to our planet, PATH TO THE SEA, brings sounds of children playing in majestic waters as a pager beep leads to the rush of rolling, thunderous bass and a moving male melody. Flutes accent the harmonic ballad as ST. VALENTINE steps through the next door. As if in a movie sequence, serious-mattered female vocals ask the questions while morose basslines lay under a field of sound design, ironically resembling cocked guns and slamming doors. STAY follows in the path of its predecessor, again creating a cinematic picture. Saintly spoken lines rest atop simplified drum hits and powerful lows. STUTTER brings the melodic side of QUEENSWAY back, once again brilliantly layering each set of arpeggios on the keys. Marimba glissandos echo throughout the backdrop as blips and pads lead into SUMMER JAM. Very danceable and intense, the Ukraine transplant utilizes a very spiritual, legato male to inspire this earthly piece. Sax riffs are heard at points, and QUEENSWAY’s very deep style is meticulously apparent by this point. THE SAD STORY OF NATIONS drips tears where all man stands. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech sparks inspiration in the listener. Muted trumpets and synthesized strings create the orchestration. THINKING ABOUT YOU picks up the pace, leading out of that dark tunnel. Uplifting female vocals make their identity while a pumping bassline leads into this dance-inducing number. MESSAGE finishes out this tremendous tour de force. Anyone not inspired by this work of genius should really go back and listen to this album again. One last dose of melody, magnificent layering and a heart-woven female vocal carry the downtempo vibes out to the ending.

(Source: soundcloud.com)

We spoke with Brighton based DJ and producer Foreign Concept. After exploding onto the drum n bass scene last year with dance-floor smashers including “Mob Justice” and “Jaipur”, we talk future plans, influences and top tips for 2012.

(Source: maxumi.co.uk)

There’s so much new talent emerging in the bass music scene right now selecting just ten for this list was no easy task, but here, in alphabetical order, are our top ten bass producers to look out for in 2012.

Artifact
He is another producer from the South West who is starting to make people stand up and take notice. Following a couple of digital releases, his first physical release is dropping on Deadplate this month and feels like his proper introduction into the fold, one which will undoubtedly put his name firmly on the map. 

Archaic Line andDeserted show a rhythmic mastery and deft melodic touch that immediately raise the tracks above those of a lot of his contemporaries. Sitting loosely around house foundations, the bass-led drive and skittering percussion belie heavier sonic touchstones – early dubstep and grime come to mind – that give his tracks a unique edge on the dancefloor, jumping out from the tide of inoffensive house that characterised most of 2011.

Blackwax
Having just released their debut EP (the outstanding Offkey EP on Tube10) towards the end of last year, the Blackwax duo are already garnering plenty of plaudits. Informed by the full spectrum of the UK’s rich heritage in underground electronic music, their dark, rugged productions are built to shake soundsystems. From the chopped breaks and rhythmic intricacies of jungle to the sonic power of grime right up until the upfront dance floor propulsion of UK funky in its morphing strands, Blackwax embody the experimentalism and pure power that these genres have pioneered. Already getting support from like-minded contemporaries such as Visionist, Dark Sky and Epworth, they are currently working on their next EP, and it will be exciting to see where this year takes them.

Graphics
At just 18 he is already starting to make something of a name for himself. The second half of 2011 saw him garnering serious attention following quality releases on Well Rounded Individuals, Granholme and GetMe! Not settling on any predictable sound or formula, his tracks jump around touching upon elements of house, techno, garage and electronica while always boasting intricately crafted detail and progressive arrangements. The Mama Grizzlies single out on Jesse Rose’s Made To Play label on January 27 should serve to boost him further into the limelight yet. What is most exciting about Graphics is that you get the feeling that he still hasn’t found his stride yet. Hopefully 2012 will have some of those answers.

Palace
Palace may be a new name to some, but you can most definitely expect to be hearing more from him soon. The young producer has already carved a sound that is all his own, referencing an untapped array of influences that bolster his tough tracks. He has just dropped the Mandy / Armageddon single on Unknown To The Unknown which has already been getting support from the likes of Fantastic Mr Fox, Hudson Mohawke and Mumdance. His tracks amalgamate the glacial sonics of classic eski productions with a dark 2-step shuffle and the bump of bassline’s darkest recesses. With more releases in the pipeline for 2012, he is most definitely one to watch out for this year.

Pedestrian 
Pedestrian’s recent release Hei Poa on Push & Run was one of the outstanding singles of this year. Bringing a melodic delicacy and emotional poignancy to the constructs of dance music, he makes tracks that journey beyond the confines of the dancefloor. Letting organic layers of texture and atmospheres pull against the electronics, Pedestrian crafts a sound that is as nuanced as it is arresting. Recent remixes of Emelie Sandé and Tropics have served to further confirm this with Pedestrian’s lush treatment of the originals. With new releases in the works for a couple of labels, expect to be hearing a lot more from him in 2012.

Pedro 123

At just 17, he is possibly the youngest of all the artists here, but don’t let that fool you into any preconceptions because he is also possibly the producer here with the most unique sound. When you hear one of his tracks you will know it! With a sound that references classic grime productions and new school bass music in equal parts, his sparse tracks are built for those stop-you-in-your-tracks moments in the dance.

Often jarring and never predictable, his leftfield vision of grime is starting to gain a lot of support.  Remixes of Trim, Numan, MIK and, most recently, Sines have showcased some of what he can do. With an EP set for release on B.Yrslf Division later this year, it sounds like this is just the start for the young producer.

Preditah
2011 was a good year for grime. While ex-proponents continued to peddle a watered down version to a mainstream that was craving urban music, focus shifted back to producers in the scene (thanks in no small part to the Butterz label). One of the most exciting producers to emerge from this new generation of grime artists is Preditah. Relatively unknown at the start of the year, his rapid ascent through the grime scene is only matched by the impact of his productions. EPs on Stay Fresh and Earth 616 as well as remixes of Trim and Marger amongst others have showcased his dark, synth heavy productions.

Tessela
He has been bubbling on the underground for a little while now, his name popping up in mixes and name-checked in interviews with increasing regularity. Building support for his robust, heavily percussive productions. His release for All City last summer was a bold statement of intent. In terms of individual style and straight up dancefloor impact, he is up their with the best and will no doubt be winning over fans of Pearson Sound, Blawan, Randomer et al.

With another impressive release coming on Punch Drunk imminently in the form of the searing D Jane / Channel this year, it looks like he is finally set to start getting the attention he fully deserves.

Visionist
He’s fresh brand of deadly 808 bass music has made him a name to watch, and one listen to his releases on 92 Points, Left_Blank and the Tokyo-based Diskotopia imprint will be all the explanation you need. His scattershot rhythms, coarse vocal samples and eerie atmospheres bear the unique mark of a producer crafting his own sound and this will undoubtedly win him the attention he rightfully deserves. The hypnotic, breathless draw of his rhythmic construction is what really puts him ahead of the pack. A series of free giveaways in the run up to Christmas had the blogosphere alight with chatter about his nebulous grime productions, standing him in good stead for the new year. With further releases scheduled on Blackdown’s Keysound Recordings label and Oneman’s burgeoning 502 imprint, his stock is undoubtedly going to continue rising.

Young Echo
Okay, so this isn’t one producer, but the Young Echo collective from Bristol houses a number of this year’s most exciting prospects. The group made up of Zhou, Kahn, El Kid, Vessel, Jabu, Baba Yaga and B-Lam are unwilling to attach themselves to any one scene or sound, pushing some of the most refreshing and original underground bass music around at the moment for labels like Punch Drunk (Zhou, Kahn), Left_Blank (Vessel, El Kid), Astro:Dynamics (Vessel, El Kid, Zhou) and more. Re-igniting the excitement to be found within 140 bpm, as well as exploring house, techno and some more leftfield electronica, it is there open-minded and forward-thinking approach that has started turning heads. With Vessel having just signed to Tri Angle, Kahn’s release schedule picking up pace and the collective as a whole making their mark, 2012 is set to be a good year for them.

(Source: kmag.co.uk)

Break - They’re Wrong (Symmetry)
D-Bridge - Cornered / The Little Things  (Metalheadz)
NFR & Exit 9 - Refuse 2 Loose (dub)
Dub Phizix & Skeptical Ft. Strategy, Marka / Rags (Exit)
Need For Mirrors - METHXX01 EP (Metalheadz)
Mystification - Show Me How To Cry (Acoustic Version) (Black Hoe LP CD)
Mr Joseph - Don’t Know Why (Telluric) 
Chase & Status - Blind Faith (Loadstar Remix) (Ram)
Sonic & Silver - The Box (Image)
Level 2 - Murder On The Dancefloor (Innerground)
Sam KDC - Peace By Piece (Free)
Nauge, Thrn - Don’t Exist (Anile Rmx) (Translation)
Subwave & Enei - Rainbows (Metalheadz)
NFR - Bristle Theme (dub)
Chris.su - FATE LP (Subtitles dub)
M-Zine - Endings (dub) 
Munk & Falkon - Stretch (dub)
Incident & Command Strange - An Evening With Her (Celsius dub)

Forthcoming releases all already in the 2012 schedule……..

Octane & DLR + Survival “The Others” / Arkaik “Gumshoe”
Dispatch LTD 005: 30/01/2012

Skeptical & ‘Mc Fokus’ “Fluctuate / The Truth”
Dispatch 53: 20/02/2012

Dabs ‘Subsidiary’ EP
A. “Subsidiary”
B. “Time Carrier w|Safire”
C. “Oh The Horror w|Cern (Survival & Ant TC1 rmx)”
D. “Stendhal w|Amoss”
Dispatch 52: March 2012

Need For Mirrors “Donuts” / Need For Mirrors & Kiat “Badfellaz (2012)” 
Dispatch 54: March / April 2012

Hybris “The Blinds” / Safire & Borderline “Rebellion”
Dispatch LTD 006: March / April 2012

Silent Witness “Potty Mouth / Things are Bad”
Dispatch 55: April 2012

Hybris “Crumbled / Ender”
Dispatch 56: April / May 2012

Following this we have more music from Ant TC1, Cern, Teknik, Silent Witness & Survival, Halogenix, Spinline, Amoss, Skeptical & Dub Phizix as well as an album from Octane & DLR