My Musical Influences: [IVY]

Meet [IVY], an exceptional producer at the forefront of the next generation of Drum & Bass, challenging any attempt to pigeonhole her music under a single label. Embracing the art of the mash-up, she effortlessly weaves together elements of all-out house euphoria, slamming techno, riotous donk, mid-noughties floor-fillers, and signature jungle wobbles, capturing the imagination of the rave scene and beyond. Hailing from Brittany but now based in Bristol, this turbo house pioneer is gearing up to captivate audiences with sets at esteemed events like Balter Festival, The Warehouse Project, and Hospitality. Her latest single ‘looking 4 me’ released on Sony Music today, adds to a stellar collection of viral-ready bangers, including the sensational ‘Moving’ from Deep In The Jungle Records, which ignited the TikTok community and soared to the top spot on Juno‘s tracks chart last year.

Her rise to underground prominence began when UKF named her one of their “Ones To Watch” in 2021. Her bootleg treasure trove caught the attention of acclaimed artists such as DJ Hybrid, Goddard, and BBC Radio 1’s Charlie Tee and Sarah Story. This year started on a fast-paced note for [IVY], as she earned a prestigious mentorship from Hospital Records and received the honor of being named one of BBC Radio 1’s “Essential Artists for 2023.” Amidst this whirlwind, she also managed to nurture her festival fashion brand, Jazzy Garms, and made memorable appearances at El Dorado festival, Motion, and Mungo’s Hifi. Additionally, she curated a show on the newly relaunched Kool FM.

[IVY]’s affinity for European “core” music stems from her formative years in rural Brittany, where she frequented free parties and later immersed herself in the vibrant hardstyle raves of The Netherlands. Upon arriving in Bristol for university, her passion for Drum & Bass deepened, and she found inspiration in the city’s underground scene, with its playful, lighthearted charm, a stark contrast to the darker tones of European counterparts. Transitioning from a spectator to a performer, she honed her skills with a humble USB Numark mixer and gained the confidence to play in front of an audience, landing her first booking at the renowned Blue Mountain venue in Bristol—just before the pandemic hit.

During the lockdown, [IVY] shifted her focus to production, learning the ropes of Logic from her partner and receiving invaluable tutorials from the minimal Drum & Bass label, Overview. Sharing her creations on social media, she steadily built a devoted following, landing coveted bookings just as clubs and festivals started reopening. [IVY] is now determined to push the boundaries of the traditionally male-centric Drum & Bass scene, blending influences from across the dance music spectrum. Drawing inspiration from Drum & Bass pioneers like Sub Focus, Dimension, and Mandidextrous, she has even joined forces with the latter for a remarkable b2b set at Leeds’ Freedom Mills.

This year, [IVY] is set to make waves with her electrifying festival appearances and eagerly awaited releases. Following her appearances at Hospitality‘s Croatia, London, and Bristol festivals, she will make her debut at Manchester’s The Warehouse Project in September. As if that’s not enough, her fashion brand Jazzy Garms has teamed up with Boomtown Festival, designing its official merchandise for 2023. Look out for her upcoming remix on the iconic dance label Armada Records and her latest release ‘looking 4 me’ on Sony Music, destined to dominate your playlists this summer. Grab ‘looking 4 me’ here!

We caught up with [IVY] to delve into her past and find out a bit more about the music that has influenced her musical production and career so far!

ATB – 9pm (Selector Spinach Bootleg)

This has to be one of my all-time favourite hardtek songs. The original by ATB is a masterpiece but Selector Spinach’s take on it is next level and I play it in all of my sets. It is such a clean, approachable and fun tek record and I can only dream of getting my kick/basses to sound as good on a right as these do.

Particle – Fall 2 Fast

I’m a sucker for a good jungle tune and Fall 2 Fast might be my favourite. I love a think break and a modern approach to jungle and I think this song encompasses that perfectly. All of the elements in this song work perfectly together – beauty in simplicity.

September – Cry For You

Cry For You is an absolute classic and from my personal “golden era” of music. I take a lot of inspiration from early noughties songs including a lot of the Clubland, Basshunter and Cascada catalogues. They used to focus on the “euphoric” element of music a lot more than they do now and if I can help bring that back in any way I would be honoured.

Brustalismus 3000 & Yung Hurn – Alleine

If you know me, you know that I love a good bootleg/remix and this is such a fun take on “Thank You” by Dido. Hard techno is something that I grew up with in France and led me to listen to hardcore, frenchcore, and then hardtek once I moved to the UK. All of the influences have essentially created my love for a 4×4 beat. Brutalismus 3000 are also amazing artists and I love their unique approach to techno.

Elley Duhé & Wethan – Money On The Dash (Sped Up)

Even though I am essentially a drum and bass producer, I draw a lot of inspiration from house and this song from Elley Duhé encompasses all of the elements that I love about the genre. The melody, the vocal and the “sped-up” nature of the record just hit all of the right spots in my mind and I’d love to try to bring similar themes over to my drum and bass productions.

Sub Focus – Timewarp (Dimension Remix)

Okay, so this blew the socks off the drum and bass scene when it came out and was the first instance where I had come across the merge of 4×4, psytrance and drum and bass in commercial DnB. This song is one of a few that gave me the courage to pursue my genre fusion. Sub Focus and Dimension are visionaries that massively helped create a path for 4×4 drum and bass to come to the forefront. I probably wouldn’t be where I am without them!

Donnay Soldier – I Like U

Donk is where my happy place is and is probably my favourite genre to produce. I love cheesy, nostalgic songs with good vibes and if you’ve ever been to a donk set you would have seen the entire crowd light up and sing along. I love the way that music can influence your mood and if I can make people happy with mine in the same way that Donk does I will have achieved my goal.

Inna – Déjà Vu

As I grew up in France, I take a lot of inspiration from europop as it was always playing on the radio! Europop usually focuses on happy, upbeat and “summery” themes which are also the base for a lot of my songs. The Romanians have mastered it!

Gonzi – Drop It

Gonzi is one of my favourite producers of all time. Some of the cleanest underground production I’ve ever heard while also pushing the boundaries of progressive trance and genre-bending. I take a lot of inspiration from his production style and love playing his songs in my sets.

Mandidextrous – Heads Will Roll

How could I make a list of music that inspires me without including Mandidextrous? Mandidextrous is an absolute pioneer of the UK tek scene. Having created Amen4Tekno and Kiss My Kick Drums, I have no idea where the British rave scene would be without them.

Mandidextrous’s music is what introduced me to the fun and lighthearted UK hardtek/jungletek scene, having come from a quite serious and dark hardcore scene in Europe. My music would probably be very different if it weren’t for them! This Heads Will Roll edit is probably one of my
favourite Mandidextrous songs.

Make sure you grab yourself a copy of [IVY]’s latest release ‘looking 4 me’ here!