The Phase 2 announcement brings even more heavyweight talent into the mix. Drum & Bass powerhouses Netsky, Friction, K Motionz, Turno, Clipz and Serum join the bill, alongside rising stars A Little Sound, Sota, Kleu, Katalyst and Kalia. Flava D brings the bassline energy, while the electrifying DRS Live adds a special touch to an already stacked lineup. With over 30 more acts locked in, the vibes are guaranteed to be next level.

They join an already monumental lineup featuring Andy C, Hedex, Bou & Wilkinson, and Knife Party, Pendulum’s legendary side project. Expect hard-hitting sets from Joey Valence & , Caspa & Rusko, and jungle favourites 4am Kru, while the one and only Flowdan delivers his unmistakable lyrical fire.

Renowned stage hosts UKF, Fantazia, Fabric Live, and Breakin Science are curating immersive experiences that bring together the biggest names in bass music with the freshest breakthrough talent. From drum & bass and jungle to dubstep and hip hop, each stage will have its own distinct energy, ensuring an unforgettable journey through underground sounds.

After last year’s sold-out debut, Tribes Unite 2025 is levelling up with more stages, more artists, and an even bigger fusion of live and DJ performances. This isn’t just a festival—it’s a movement, uniting music lovers from all corners of the scene in one epic celebration.

PRICE INCREASE INCOMING!

Final £52.50 Second Release tickets are selling fast—once they’re gone, prices rise to £57.00 Third Release at 6:00 pm GMT on Wednesday, 19th February (unless they sell out sooner).

With Early Bird and First Release tickets already snapped up in record time, don’t wait—secure yours NOW before the next price jump! www.tribes-unite.com

The post Tribes Unite 2025 Unleashes Huge Phase 2 Lineup – Final Tickets Selling Fast! appeared first on Data Transmission.

Granted, the presence of lyricists within Drum & Bass is by no means a novelty. Traditionally, the culture has always relied on the skills of MCs, especially in live environments, but what we’ve seen in recent years is different. With grime artists joining the scene for the first time, the majority are releasing fully produced songs, with written lyrics throughout. By contrast, MCs have typically improvised live in the rave, giving a different feel to their collaborations with producers.

The single best, and most exciting example of this is Chase & Status’ newest release ‘Backbone’, with Stormzy, arguably the UK’s most famous rapper. Having been teased and rumoured for months, the single was eventually released in early August 2024, and performed, by the rapper himself, in front of 45,000 ravers for the producers’ biggest ever headline show, at the Milton Keynes Bowl the following weekend. The song serves as a showpiece, the pinnacle of the fortunate, developing marriage between Drum & Bass and Grime. Because Stormzy is not the first Grime artist to dabble in Drum & Bass.

The relationship between the two has developed in the space of the last few years, driven by pioneers like P Money, who is now one of the most established rappers in the Drum & Bass world. Gaining notoriety in the early 2010s as a grime MC, P Money first jumped on a Drum & Bass tune in 2019, collaborating with Kanine on ‘Point ‘Em Up’. He went on to team up with British producer Whiney, with whom he has now released a whole host of songs, including October 2023’s collaborative album ‘Streets, Love & Other Stuff’. Consisting of 14 songs, the album represents the coming together of the two influences beautifully – the lead track ‘175 x 140’ is indicative of this clash of cultures, beginning in the tempo typical of Grime and building seamlessly into the faster tempo of Drum & Bass. Throughout the song P brags of his multi-genre ability, and the success of the new sound developing out of the two influences. “175 or 140 I’m a Grime MC on DnB”, he raps. “They ain’t got this sound boy, this is one of a kind. They ain’t ready for this, this is D&B and Grime”, he repeats throughout. The pair have taken their album around the world, touring with Hospitality in Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia. 

And P Money seems to have paved the way for other grime artists to follow. Within the same album, high-speed rapper Ocean Wisdom features on ‘Junkyard’, while P appeared on stage with JME, Dizzee Rascal and D Double E during Turno’s Drumsheds set back in November 2023. Clips circulated from the set showing grime legend JME spitting lyrics from one of his biggest songs That’s Not Me (2014).

Within the scene as a whole, there are already a healthy number of well-established lyricists, including some who deviate from the traditional role of an MC. Rappers like Duskee, Bru-C and Degs have strong foundations in the Drum & Bass world, and new artists like Songer (with his recent collaborations with K Motionz, Issey Cross and Bru-C) are joining the fold. But the introduction of those coming from the world of grime is contributing to the development of something special. An aggressive yet skilful twist on the up-tempo beats of Drum & Bass is being produced by adding the Grime flavour to the Drum & Bass recipe: the hard-hitting lyrics of grime laid over the heavy-hitting sounds of DnB is evidently a match made in heaven. It remains to be seen how far this crossover will be taken. While it’s unlikely that a world-famous rapper like Stormzy will double down on his successful DnB debut any time soon, there is certainly the opportunity for this developing sub-genre to grow. P Money will certainly continue to carry the torch as Grime’s ambassador to Drum & Bass, and it’s not out of the question that more artists of his ilk might be tempted to join the movement. Whatever happens, the future of Drum & Bass is exciting and inevitably diverse.

The post The State of the Scene: A Match Made in Heaven – Drum & Bass Meets Grime appeared first on Data Transmission.

Now bringing all acts together for one almighty birthday party from midday to 11pm on Saturday 3rd August in The Digbeth Triangle in the heart of Birmingham, MADE’s 10th delivers a mouthwatering lineup for all fans of drum & bass, bass, UK rap, garage, house, disco and more.

Midlands party people can explore the huge, multi-venue inner city, 10-stage site to enjoy headline sets from Bru-C, Dizzee Rascal, and Bou, and an array of talent including Ewan McVicar, K Motionz, Holy Goof B2B TS7, Jaguar Skills, Skepsis, A Little Sound, Window Kid, 24hr Garage Girls, 4AM Kru, Serum, La La, General Levy, Issey Cross, DJ Q and many more.

Check out last year’s official MADE Festival aftermovie below:

Independent promoters, Weird Science, run club events for over 150,000 people annually and MADE Festival began as their passion project in the creative hub of Digbeth. The intention was to provide a platform for local artists and an opportunity for local businesses. MADE expanded and outgrew Digbeth’s multitude of evolving spaces, moving across the city in 2018 to the greenfield site of Perry Park, where 20,000 festival fans helped put MADE firmly on the national map. After enforced moves to Sandwell Valley, then Wolverhampton Racecourse, MADE Festival made a triumphant return to its spiritual home of The Digbeth Triangle in 2023 and laid the foundations to celebrate 10 years this summer.

Saturday 3rd August sees the perpetually rising star and multi-platinum-selling MC and rapper, Bru-C take over the MADE Stage. With a slew of underground cuts and crossover bangers including his UK top 15 smash ‘No Excuses’ and Nathan Dawe collab ‘Oh Baby’, Bru-C drew huge crowds at his last MADE appearance in 2022 and earned his invite back to headline the 10th edition. 

BRIT, MOBO and Mercury Prize-winning MC and rapper, Dizzee Rascal is another MADE fave, tearing it up on his last appearance in 2018 for the 5th edition of the festival. Dizzee led the way for generations of UK rap scoring 5 UK Top 10 albums, 5 UK no.1 singles including ‘Dance Wiv Me’, ‘Holiday’ and possibly the biggest festival tune of all time ‘Bonkers’. He remains as relevant as ever with new album ‘Don’t Take It Personal’ crashing into the charts this year.

Trailblazing star of drum & bass, Bou, steps up to MADE main stage and undoubtedly deserves his slot. With one of the biggest tracks of the year ‘Baddadan’ with Chase & Status to his name, a major label deal, and a slew of massive DJ sets under his belt, Bou can confidently stake a claim as D&B’s next-gen superstar. His big USA / Canada tour will warm him up, just in time to get MADE crowds bouncing.      

The MADE Stage also sees quality garage vibes from 24hr Garage Girls, infectious bars from Bru-C collaborator Window Kid, UK jungle from 4AM Kru, sweet vocals from breakout ‘Bittersweet Goodbye’ star Issey Cross, and more.

The house heads are fully catered for on the Raw Stage with in-demand talent, Ewan McVicar dropping a funked-up headline set, while La La is sure to up the tempo and show why she’s recently delivered mixes for Feel My Bicep, Boiler Room, and Radio 1. Look out for some other big artist announcements coming soon for this stage.

Weird Science presents a stage full of drum & bass stars, hosted by Inja, SP:MC, IC3, Carasel, and Comma Dee. Birmingham’s fast rising star K-Motionz headlines as one of the genre’s most exciting artists, in high demand across the globe. His productions including ‘Only You’, ‘High Note’ and last year’s banger ‘Vino Bandit’ have seen his stock rise even higher. Serum is ⅓ of Kings Of The Rollers and knows how to get a crowd jumping. He’ll be dropping his summer anthem ‘Spray Tan’ for the MADE massive. DJ and vocalist A Little Sound is carving her own lane in D&B and going from strength to strength. She lands at MADE as part of a packed summer schedule. Drum & bass legends Dillinja and Randall step up for a special MADE 10th Anniversary B2B set, while rising star Kara shows she deserves her Drum & Bass Award for Best Female Producer.

The 02:31 Stage sees another very special B2B, this time between the mighty Holy Goof and TS7. Expect major sonic fireworks. Skepsis performs, continuing his rise after slamming into the UK charts with ‘Rave Out’ and ‘Green And Gold’. This stage is guaranteed to be jumping as DJ Q, Girls Next Door, and Burga Boy all line up for turntable duty.   

A real treat is the House Of Legends & Thirty Present Fish Tales Stage where some bonafide legends of the scene are ready to showcase their skills. Bringing the positive vibes from TikTok, Fish56Octagon plays alongside hard dance pioneer Fergie for a world exclusive back to back set. Very special guest Jaguar Skills brings his ‘tribute to The Prodigy’ set to MADE – this one should not be missed. When Utah Saints step up to the decks the crowds know that something good is going to happen. Plump DJs land at MADE with their unique brand of beats and breaks mixing old school with the new. 

There’s plenty more jungle and D&B as RCE Presents 10 Years Of Jungle Cakes. Headlining this stage is the one and only General Levy who never disappoints. Another highlight is the 10 year B2B special – Deekline B2B Ed Solo B2B Benny Page. This trio guarantees the highest quality tune selection. Special guest Bryan Gee will dig deep into his coveted record collection to drop a massive jungle set.

MADE Festival continues to heavily support local promoters and talent, providing opportunities for stage takeovers and connections to local clubbers. The 10th edition of MADE sees a range of styles and genres with something to get everyone dancing. The 2Tekky x Serious Selectas Stage brings a host of UKG, wobbling basslines, and breakbeat NRG. There’s a mix of house, tech, and minimal goodness at the CNTRL x ESVDRA x SHUBZ Stage, while the RE:CORD x Discotech Stage takes an underground trip into house. Duck DnB x Selecta bring some scorching drum & bass with a selection of up and coming local stars.

Digbeth Dining Club are on hand to ensure a quality selection of delicious food options from local traders, and expect some seriously talented graffiti artists from the region to be on hand to create art live throughout the day.

MADE Festival knows better than anyone how to make the most of The Digbeth Triangle’s unique mix of outdoor and indoor spaces. From midday through to 11pm, the whole area will be alive with music, arts and the sound of people having a good time. MADE Festival turns 10 and everything is ready for the celebration of a decade. 

The post Complete Lineup Unveiled for Spectacular 10th Edition of MADE Festival appeared first on Data Transmission.

You go to the gym, DnB.

You go to the supermarket, DnB.

You go to the football, DnB.

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Drum & Bass is starting to breach the limits of sub-culture and is moving dangerously close to the mainstream. For better or for worse? It’s hard to say.

Certainly, for the DnB community, it’s a nice surprise to finally see the genre we love get some recognition, particularly given that, historically, DnB has always been the younger sibling within the bass music family, seemingly bound to reside in the shadow of House and Techno. But with the current trajectory of DnB, all might be set to change.

It’s been hard to keep track of the growing popularity of Drum & Bass over the last few years – it’s always difficult to quantify such a subjective thing as ‘popularity’. But one undeniable measure has been the number of tracks reaching the heights of the UK Charts. Over the last 24 months alone, we’ve seen the genre strongly represented by tunes like Luude’s ‘Down Under’ (5) and ‘Big City Life’ (8), Chase & Status’ ‘Disconnect’ (6) and ‘Baddadan’ (5), goddard. & venbee‘s ‘Messy in Heaven’ (3), without forgetting the most popular of them all, Kenya Grace’s ‘Strangers’, which spent three weeks at number one last October thanks to its widespread usage on TikTok.

This rising trajectory of the genre in recent years has not gone unnoticed. Artists from a variety of different scenes have identified its potential and have taken the opportunity to invest in the rising stock that is DnB with rappers being perhaps the best example.

While Drum & Bass has relied on the vocal talents of MCs from its very beginnings, we’re now seeing a trend of lyricists with few previous links to the genre jumping on the bandwagon, convinced either by its lucrative potential, or by a genuine musical passion driven by the quality of the genre itself.

Who can say which is the more powerful motivator.

Last summer, for instance, K Motionz teamed up with Reading rapper Songer to produce ‘Vino Bandit’ – a hugely popular song within the community which itself reached number 47 on the UK charts. Higher profile examples include ArrDee, who collaborated with Hedex and DnB legends Chase & Status to create ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’, and Tion Wayne who recently released ‘Lowkey’, also with Hedex. ArrDee was also seen performing with K Motionz at Drumsheds in London teasing a tune reportedly called ‘Heavyweight’, which the DJ later posted on his Instagram.

For context, these two rappers currently total 11 million monthly listeners between them on Spotify. Even triple Brit-winner Stormzy is rumoured to have a collab with Chase & Status in the works, with clips circling on social media.

But rappers are not the only high-profile individuals aligning themselves with the growing genre. DJs, singers and celebrities are also seeing the opportunity that Drum & Bass now presents, some taking it less subtly than others.

Indeed, just this week, Martin Garrix, perhaps the definitive example of a mainstream DJ, played Arcando’s DnB remix of The Chainsmokers’ ‘Jungle’ at Miami’s EDM festival, Ultra.

One more baffling example was the appearance of Vikram Singh Barn (who you’ll more likely know as Vikkstar123 from the extremely popular YouTube group, The Sidemen) on stage with Bou at Studio338 last month. What’s more, the most famous individual of the same group, KSI, released ‘Not Over Yet’, a DnB track produced by Digital Farm Animals, in August 2022.

And, believe it or not, in October of last year, Jess Glynne of ‘Rather Be’ fame released ‘Friend of Mine’, a poppy, 174-bpm track produced by none other than DnB icon Sub Focus, right as ‘Strangers’ sat at the top of the UK charts. Appealing as the song is, you have to question how well Jess Glynne and her track really fit into the world of Drum & Bass. It’s rather a challenge to imagine ‘Friend of Mine’ being played to a crowd of dedicated ravers at a well-respected venue like Manchester’s Warehouse Project, for instance.

The same goes for KSI and ‘Not Over Yet’. Which really begs the question: who are songs like these for? Realistically they belong at the gym, the supermarket and public events.

With this in mind, you have to consider the implications of such a trend on the future of the Drum & Bass scene.

To what extent is the mainstream affecting the scene in a positive fashion?

Without throwing around accusations of cultural appropriation, it is certainly clear that such individuals are gaining more from associating themselves with the genre than they are giving back. By now, it is clear that the size of the audience to be captured is significant.

With Drum & Bass becoming the trending genre in mainstream music, releasing poppy, palatable tunes at 174bpm is becoming a reliable way to get your song heard on the radio and in public, making it a lucrative option.

This opportunistic approach to the genre presents quite the dilemma for those already within the scene. For many years, the Drum & Bass community has prided itself on its inclusivity, welcoming people from all sorts of backgrounds. Indeed, this is one of the factors that has contributed to the strikingly special, communal feeling almost all ravers experience, as well as the growing variety of subgenres developing within the scene.

It’s thanks to the variety of influences being brought to the genre that new and exciting sonic palates are being pushed forward. Diversity is undoubtedly a positive influence.

As a result, it’s particularly difficult to say who should and who shouldn’t be making Drum & Bass or publicly associating themselves with the scene. But when it comes to online celebrities, something certainly doesn’t sit right.

Many ravers would argue that DnB’s rising popularity will finally bring it the recognition it deserves. For many years and within certain circles, revealing your love for Drum & Bass felt like confessing a sin. Even now, a large proportion of people misunderstand the genre, focussing on its largely negative stereotypes.

Certainly, it’s refreshing to have an increasing number of positive reactions now that awareness of the genre and its complexities is growing. But the problem with this is that the Drum & Bass that hits the mainstream is generally of a certain type. Perhaps with the exception of ‘Baddadan’, the Top 10 tracks listed earlier lean generally more towards the influence of pop music. A great example of this was Becky Hill’s performance of ‘Disconnect’ at the Brits last month. I can’t have been the only one who found the X-Factor-style staging with the groups of ‘raving’ back-up dancers slightly off-putting.

Despite the genuinely significant achievement for Chase & Status of winning the award for Best Producer, and their sincerity in their pride to “represent Drum & Bass music”, the staged production of the song felt distinctly disingenuous. Instinctively, Drum & Bass simply does not belong in this world. It belongs in clubs, festivals and warehouses.

The greatest fear going forward, then, is the dilution of our culture. While there are undeniably a great number of benefits to the rapid growth of DnB, if things continue in this way, it’s a worrying possibility that the music that we love will be wrested from our grip by popular culture and repurposed to fit the mould that already exists.

Fortunately, the underground community is unlikely to be affected: intimate events will undeniably continue. But large-scale events are realistically the most at-risk. It’s not impossible to imagine an influx of unknowing ‘fans’ to the festival scene as it meets popular culture.

If Drum & Bass does indeed continue to grow at its current pace, the coming years will be particularly interesting as to how the scene develops and, while there is no one right way of doing things, no way of controlling the movement, there are undoubtedly elements of pop culture to be avoided. While it’s by no means time to panic, it’s certainly cause for concern: the celebration of the genre’s growth must be balanced with caution for its effect on the culture that is special to so many.

The post The State of the Scene: Drum & Bass Meets the Mainstream appeared first on Data Transmission.

Starting off with Sam-E and Rumour kicking off before lunchtime, you got a feel for the area, exploring the three different areas, taking in the bunting and lanterns hidden amongst the branches of the enchanting forest, with footpaths lined by trees and immersive stages in vast fields, leading you to the two stages, both standing proud and lit up. The Cru-Cast stage held a worldly aesthetic, floral decorations weeping down from the ceiling of the stage and bunting framing and joining the trees. The main stage where Mollie Collins was kicking things off, was the big boy of the festival, joined with its army of sound systems and light shows, it lived up to its electric name.

By 1 pm you could bounce between infamous DJ Hazard and Royal Hustle over on the Enchanted Forest stage – Foreverland‘s contribution to the party – and K Motionz B2B Turno Feat MC IC3, who stormed the Big Top Stage and really set a wicked energy for the day. The light show illuminated the stage, reining down colour beams onto the artists was a vision.

DJ Q B2B Jamie Duggan lead us to Flava D on The Clearing stage for some lunchtime tunes, and both sets were as lively as the other. You could taste the excitement of all the party-goers in the air and the energy was electric already. Harriet Jaxxon and Richy Ahmed‘s sets were both filled with high energy as you would expect from them and the excitement shared between both artists and audience could be clearly seen.

DnB Allstars wouldn’t be the DnB Allstars we know and love if we didn’t see the notorious Kings of the Rollers with Inja repping it on their stage, and we were in no way let down. Their signature sound blasted through the sound system, carrying the cries of the audience. With the décor and all the production, this set held an enigmatic tone for the rest of the day – and as more of the crowd entered, the festival had definitely begun!

Kanine featuring MC AD was as big and bad as you would hope, and moving from that into the intimate woodlands where Lewis Tala was delivering some extremely tasty treats for the forest creatures was an excellent display of the variety of music the festival was offering. At the same time, the sun started to get a bit lower and the space was filling up, Alcemist B2B Goddard took over from Kings of the Rollers and gave us a real good spout of drums and bass – as a personal fan of this young DJ It felt good to be able to see live performances artists we love again – long live the dance!

Zero lead us into the afternoon on The Clearing which was starting to irradiate with colours reflecting off the leaves above the stages, creating its own sky of seemingly psychedelic movements. As the colours of the uplighting started to get a bit brighter in the trees, the sky was getting closer to dusk which seemed to fit ideally with Darkzy and Window Kid’s exhilarating performance.

The one set I know I had been waiting all day to see and can no doubt speak for many as well is Chase & Status. With so many festivals cancelled I felt lucky to be out in the fields dancing and to see Chase & Status as well felt like a present. They sent out so many energetic and irresistible tunes, the whole set was one huge ball of dynamism. From big sounds to big flames it was the highlight of the evening and lured you into the night. Every tune sang through the speakers into our ears and it was fantastic to hear the familiar favourite and remixes, it was a big show on its own and the hour didn’t last long enough!

As it started getting darker, the forest was coming to life, with all the bunting reflecting the lights creating an ultraviolet tapestry within the trees. There was a different colour everywhere you looked, electric rainbows dancing alongside nature – it was an extraordinary vision. Alisha‘s sounds fitted this mystical and otherworldly vibe perfectly. Sammy Virji B2B Higgo played into the evening on The Big Top with Lazcru FT MC AD hosting another set over in The Clearing.

Bad Boy Chiller Crew switched it up for us on the main stage, and over in The Clearing Skepsis with MC AD doing a double shift on stage was at no lack of oomph! John Summit, another personal favourite on the other side of the spectrum of music was a perfect fit for the setting – with his summery festival made beats and charisma on stage he was genuinely so much fun to watch and dance to, perhaps getting up there with one of the best sets of the night!

Dimension (DJ set) wasn’t one to miss, playing all the signature drops and blends many had been craving over our dance deprived lockdown! Cajama was doing what they do best as they took over from Skepsis‘ set.

Closing the incredible event was Tsuki in The Clearing, who ended on such a high you could hear the cheers of the crowd from all around. Trying to soak in as much as we could, we bounced over to Detlef B2B Latmun who was treating us to a serving of some cosmic flavours. They both took us on a couple of space journeys through beats and bpms!

Lastly, but in no way or means least, the magical Hybrid Minds left us wanting more with such a euphoric set, I could feel smiles from a mile off and the vocal appreciation from the audience must have been overwhelming. It was magnificent to be a part of such a happy crowd! Leaving the woods felt a bit sad as festival season was coming to an end, but I was grateful to have had the experience and being able to dance away in woodlands and fields is all we could have asked for!

Thanks for the dance Electric Woodlands. Until next time…!

Keep up with news from Electric Woodlands and sign up for tickets for 2022 here

The post Reviewed: Electric Woodlands Festival 2021 appeared first on Data Transmission.