Interview: Diving into Heavy Drum & Bass via ‘I Want You’ with Magnetude and Burr Oak

Step into a realm where four minds unite, representing two of the most dynamic duos in recent Drum & Bass history. Anglo-Russian duo Magnetude and French duo Burr Oak come together on Evolution Chamber to deliver the much-anticipated track, ‘I Want You’.

This isn’t just your typical dance floor anthem; ‘I Want You’ is a blend of artistic expression and collaborative synergy. This compositional masterpiece goes beyond genre boundaries, inviting listeners on a journey, combining Magnetude’s classical roots and Burr Oak’s technical prowess.

Marking a significantly large release in the ever-expanding Evolution Chamber release catalogue, we’re delighted to welcome James and Rustam of Magnetude and Burr Oak’s Julien and Niko as we dive into their respective worlds in this all-encompassing b2b interview: 

Hey guys, thanks for joining us. Can you start by telling us about how you got to know each other and your relationship?

Niko: Julien and I have known each other for around 12 years now, and to be honest, it’s nonsensical to be friends with this man. The relationship between us it’s totally broken, and we’re only in Burr Oak for the money… Only joking. To be honest we’re like brothers, so everything is really easy between us. Both our personal and professional relationship is just perfect. 

Rustam: Me and James have known each other for 14 years. We met on the Russian website vKontakte. He was the first person who I spoke to when I finally got the internet in my village. With me being from Russia and James from the UK, it was almost impossible for us to meet in person. And it took 7-8 years for us to finally meet in person!

James: Yeah, our friendship is like a movie! We started our Magnetude project in 2016. Being really close friends, and having a synergy, it just felt right and we haven’t looked back since. Our friendship comes first, our project second. Rustam to me, is my brother, my best friend. We’ve been through so much together, and I am very grateful that we crossed paths on our life journey.

Julien: About how we all managed to meet and connect, I have spoken with James since around 2010, but we met for the first time in person in Switzerland in 2017. I also had the pleasure to meet Rustam in 2017 in Moscow.

Niko: I met James during a Virus night in London 4 years ago, just before the Covid lockdowns. It was one of our first shows as Burr Oak. It was really cool. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet Rustam, but with the way the world works, I am sure that it will be some time in the future, no doubt.

You’ve just dropped your first collaboration. What can you tell us about that?

Rustam: It’s something that we had seen a lot of people speaking about as their dream collaboration, and with us all being friends, and both being into each others music, it made sense that we did something together.

Julien: I think we began this collaboration around 2 years ago now, so we’re all really excited to finally release it. It was a long journey, but it was well worth it . 

Did you face any logistical or other challenges when working on ‘I Want You’?

Niko: Not really. I think the main factor why it took us some time to finish the track was the geographical locations between us and Rustam and James. Plus, we were deep in focus on our album when we started the collaboration. So yeah, time and distance were maybe the only difficult things we faced. 

James: Yeah, with all of us working on separate things, both me and Rustam also relocating to different countries and also our work on a video game OST, on top of what Niko mentioned too, the logistics of manoeuvring our time to work the track was probably the only challenging factor, but we got there in the end.

What is the one standout element in the track for you?

Julien: Me and Niko personally don’t feel that any part of the track stands out in its entirety. We wanted to narrate a story with the guys that was like a cosmic euphoric journey through space and time, and we feel we nailed every part.

Rustam: Me and James feel that if you favour any part of the track over another, then the track is not finished. Presenting a track to the world is like dressing for a big first meeting. Everything needs to be presented in a way that makes a good first impression.

There’s a lot of commercial focus on Drum & Bass right now. Do you think that has helped or hindered the scene?

Julien: It varies depending on one’s perspective. For my part, coming from an alternative scene, I never thought that a super democratisation of a musical style would help it creatively. But on the other hand, it pushes it into people’s ears and helps the scene grow for parties and festivals. I believe it’s the equilibrium between alternative and mainstream elements in Drum and Bass that sustains its resilience and authenticity over time.

Niko: Yeah, I agree. As the scene continues to expand year by year, I see it as a positive development for everyone involved. However, echoing Julien’s sentiment, my hope is that amidst this growth, the scene maintains its strength and authenticity.

James: Both me and Rustam echo Julien and Nikos view and we think the increased commercial focus on drum and bass has definitely helped to raise the profile of the genre and introduce it to a wider audience. At the same time, though, we believe that it’s important to maintain a balance and not lose sight of the underground roots that make drum and bass special.

Rustam: Yeah, it’s great to see drum and bass getting more recognition in the mainstream, but it’s important to remember the underground culture that birthed the genre and continue to support artists and labels that are pushing the boundaries and keeping the scene alive.

Neurofunk and Heavy Drum & Bass almost feel like a separate world compared to the more commercially focused stuff. Do you think it will ever be as big, and how do you see the sound developing going forward?

Julien: I don’t believe Neurofunk needs widespread popularity to thrive on its own merits. Across Europe, the scene remains vibrant and dynamic and is very much alive. Of course it’s not comparable with Techno or Urban music etc. But does it really need it?

Niko: Almost every weekend we’re travelling across Europe and playing Neurofunk at packed venues with a whole load of different artists, so I think it works well and I hope it continues.

James: I totally agree with Julien and Niko. I love that our niche is on the “underground” side of the spectrum. I feel that our pocket of DNB has one of the most die hard and supportive and nicest army of followers. It feels like our own mini community. Artists and ravers alike, we all feel connected to one another and it’s awesome.

Rustam: In Russia, Neurofunk is the main Drum & Bass sound. There are events with mainstream headliners from Europe, such as Pirate Station and World of Drum & Bass, but the majority of the lineup is Neurofunk. The main Drum & Bass Podcast and Label in Russia is Neuropunk, which is a Neurofunk label, and around 95% of Russian Drum & Bass producers are Neurofunk producers. It really depends on where you view mainstream. In the UK from what James tells me, Neurofunk is not mainstream and very underground, but if you go outside of the UK, the Neuro scene is very much alive and kicking.

What other artists and labels are standing out for you at the minute?

Julien & Niko: Broma (SKS & Tryst Temps), Redpill, Screamarts, Eluun…

Rustam: In terms of labels – Hoofbeats, Hanzom Music. Artists on the other hand, there are so many – A.Way, Tantron, Finalfix, Omneum and of course, Ekwols.

James: We’re also really feeling Skrimor, Hrspx, TNTKLZ and the collaborations of Volatile Cycle, Dropset & Konquest. There’s a ton of talent coming through, and we’re here for it!

Do you have any plans to collaborate further on future releases?

Julien: We don’t have anything planned at the moment, but we’d love to work with Magnetude again.

Rustam: As mentioned before, we are friends and have a mutual and shared respect for each other’s music, so we’d love to do more music with the guys in the future.

Niko: We all have a lot of things going on, but we’d never write off working together again when we have a more clear schedule.

James: It’s been such an awesome experience to share minds, and we’d definitely love to do more work together.

What can fans expect from Magnetude and Burr Oak over the rest of 2024 and beyond?

Julien: We have a lot of original tracks and remixes incoming this year. Our next track will be on Eatbrain next month, and we’re already working on several new EPs and the following chapter of our album. 

Niko: We also both have a lot of solo stuff coming too. I have some new EPs in the works under my solo project Opsen, Julien also has an LP and some remixes coming under his solo alias. And we also have something coming out on Blackout under our alias Forum with SKS.

Rustam: We, too, have a lot of music that we’re currently finalising, including our next release, ‘Still There’, which is finally ‘There’. We have some collaborations in the works with Ekwols and Task Horizon, plus some other solo bits we’re working on.

James: I also spent 2 months in Georgia with Rustam at the start of the year and we knuckled down on a ton of new and very promising ideas too. We’re also working on several multi genre Video Game soundtracks, which will be released through Evolution Chamber in the future, and have a mountain of shows starting in April.

Rustam: I’m also looking forward to finally getting back to playing shows in Europe again this year. It’s been a long process, but we’re getting there.

Lastly, pick your favourite closing track to end this b2b interview.

Julien & Niko: “The Tide” from Noisia could be a great ending.

Rustam: For me, it’s Joe Ford – “Where Is The Sun”. It’s my alarm, the ringtone when my love calls me and just such a great tune.

James: It would have to be a track taken from the first ever Drum & Bass vinyl I bought when I was 15 years old – Mampi Swift – “Feedback”.

Magnetude x Burr Oak ‘I Want You’ is out now and available to download/stream via Evolution Chamber here.