A DRUM 'N' BASS IN OUTER SPACE

Rip It Up, Issue 224, 1 April 1996, Page 27

A DRUM 'N' BASS IN OUTER SPACE

Okay, here’s the scenario: I’m on the dancefloor at Bob, getting low down and funky to the serious sounds of one of the drum ’n’ bass-wise parties. I don’t know who is deejaying and don’t really care, ’cause the sub bass has me hypnotised and swooning in rhythmic pleasure, while the chopped up breaks make my arms lace the air in machine gun rhythms. Yeah, baby, this is the sound of the underground and it’s time to get the fuck down. Through the haze of dry ice and strobe light I spot three guys hunched over a rack of keyboards, samplers, and associated digital hardware. They are cautiously observing the crowd while they furiously work their machines, conjuring up the sound of the feared mutant alien Insectatrons engaged in cyber warfare against the noble guardians of the Delta Quadrant. It is indeed a live performance by possibly New Zealand’s only live junglists — step up, the enigmatic Baiter Cell. Fast forward to the place I know as reality, and it finds me back in my favourite cafe (it’s the bitchy staff I guess), sitting with a certain DJ/promoter/junglist who goes by the name of D-Rave. Yo’ D, just who are Baiter Cell? “Baiter Cell are myself, Chris and Patrick.” You’re a trance DJ and, without putting to much emphasis on it, I understand Chris and Patrick are in a death metal band. What the hell are you three doing writing drum ’n’ bass? “Well, I used to be a break beat DJ, but at the time the music was very raw, and I somehow metamorphosised into a trance DJ. We thought we could take the break beats of hardcore, bring in more melodies and atmospherics, and hopefully arrive at a fuller sound.” What do you think of the current sounds of drum ’n’ bass?

“Awesome. The melody is back, there’s a lot more going on in each track. Jungle seems to have split up into different styles; some rely on the break beat while others concentrate on the melody. I must say, though, the jungle I prefer is the darker stuff.” In the UK jungle has gone mega. What do you think of the state of New Zealand’s drum ’n’ bass scene? “Well, not to be negative, but there’s too many people dissing different styles of jungle. There are a lot of people who moan about people not listening to jungle and being close minded, but who, at the same time, are close minded themselves to other forms of jungle, which is just hypocritical. We’re at such an early stage of development of the jungle scene that it’s just pointless to be dissing people.” Back to Baiter Cell, you are primarily a live act — where do you play? “We’ve done over 15 live gigs at lots of underground parties that don’t get promoted, we played at a lot of the Great North Road parties, the drum ’n’ bass-wise events, some of the Stomping parties, and the first gig we ever did was as support for Reel 2 Reel early last year, although we did more of a ravey techno set that night.” What’s the future for Baiter Cell? “Well, we would like to release something on vinyl. We’re fairly casual about it, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but it would be good to see the Auckland jungle scene get bigger and stronger so there are more parties, because we all love the music.” You said it D, we surely do. Stay tuned for more jungleicious parties coming your way — chances are Baiter Cell will be on the bill. They intend to tour the South Island late May, early June, and seriously, they are not to be missed.

ANDY PICKERING