Hard to believe it’s been two years since the original Ten Thousand Feet & Rising album dropped from The Prototypes. Known for their upfront approach to the dancefloor that holds nothing back, the album was a godsend to those fiending to get back onto the dancefloor in the midst of the pandemic.
Now, exactly two years on, things have changed and we’re out raging in festivals and clubs and the follow-up to the chart-topping album couldn’t come at a better time. This time around, the entire album gets the remix treatment from a wide range of heavy-hitters including Black Sun Empire, Danny Byrd, Drumsound & Bassline Smith, Phibes, Audio, Salute, Tantrum Desire, Toronto Is Broken, Gydra, Franky Nuts & Oliverse, and Mal Madson.
It’s a bass music bonanza as the diverse range of tempos, vibes, genres, and subgenres all come together in what is an epic masterpiece that stands on its own.
To celebrate the release of the Ten Thousand Feet & Rising: The Remixes album, we thought we’d check in with Nick and Chris for a quick chat about their own journey over the course of the past two years, the remix album project, and of course, an exclusive premiere of one of our favorite cuts from the album, Toronto is Broken’s take on The Prototype’s “Enter the Warrior.”
It’s the perfect send-off for the weekend and the perfect intro the full remix album project so check the premiere and Q&A below before locking in your own copy of the full album here.
Two years since the original LP dropped and a whole lot has changed in the world as well as in the scene. What’s been your journey these past few years as we’ve emerged out of lockdown into what is looking like one of the most exciting times to be a drum and bass music fan!
Nick: It felt like the most frustrating thing ever when everything got pulled from under our feet during COVID but actually it really put things into perspective for me personally. I found that although I missed performing I absolutely didn’t miss anything else – I needed a break for a while before and this one finally got forced on me. After a while the love started to come back but its been really difficult to get back into it full throttle – so many artists have said the same… Now its back and its fully firing its been crazy getting back into it – there’s so much happening and everything is catered for. Its exciting but slightly daunting at the same time.
Chris: It’s been interesting talking to people about their personal journeys over the pandemic, everyone’s story is so varied from each other but all have one thing in common: life changed drastically, some for the good some for the bad. For me, it was a journey into myself, definitely did not want to step off the wheel for that journey to happen but I’ve eventually started to unravel things I had been putting off for years. Its been an interesting time for dnb, its bigger now than ever and great to be a part of it.
In many ways this album picks up where the last one left off – the vibes are all still intact and yet every single remixer gives each tune (and therefore the album) a fresh perspective. From OGs to new-school faces and even non-dnb fam like Franky Nuts & Oliverse and Mal Madson all step up and represent. How did you guys select the remixers and was it intentional to have a diverse range of producers representing various sounds and subgenres?
Nick: We picked the people we fucking rate – pure and simple . I looked at the lineup the other day and thought, man that would tear a rave apart.
Chris: Most were intentional picks of artists we respect or were dreams for us to have remix our tunes. Some artists, for example the Toronto Is Broken and Franky Nuts & Oliverse remixes, asked to remix the tracks and little did we know how much we needed to hear their fresh takes on them! Really apprecated hearing how much work all the artists have put into it.
Last but not least, give us a sense of where you’re headed next and what we can be expecting from you guys release/project-wise as well as on the touring/performance front.
Nick: Well we have a huge top secret project with Bassrush lined up, once again with a load of artists we love and want to see do well. We’re also off to America for a big tour in October and all over Europe – its full throttle once again.
Chris: We’ve also got a collab with Koven and a remix we made in 2014 being released so keep an eye out for those as well!