Darren White AKA dBridge is a character of unparallelled proportions in the UK Drum & Bass scene, with a mind solely focused on musical evolution and personal development, his career spans nearly two decades now. Initially receiving the lime light as part of the legendary production group ‘Bad Company’ who were responsible for some of the most famous tracks from the first golden era of Drum & Bass, including ‘The Nine’ and ‘Nitrous’, dBridge has gone on to carve a way as a successful solo artist.
Releasing a slew of original classics like ‘True Romance’ and ‘Twilight’ before founding Exit Records and playing a pivotal role in the Autonomic movement, his new project under the moniker ‘Velvit’, promises to be an appealing change of pace and palette. Getting pressed on Jon Convex’s label, ‘Convex Industries’, and sighting Afrika Hi-Tech, Jimmy Edgar and 90’s Jungle as influences, it’s safe to say were riding the zeitgeist of modern electronic music.
White noise hats and chord progressions usher in ‘Passing Encounter’ until de-tuned squeaks and pop’s signal the impending drop. Sparse drum patterns and tribal percussion carry a hypnotic rhythm for the 808 Bass parts and wistful vocals to casually overlay. There is something age old about the elements and its progression, yet still feel comfortably new in its present narrative. ‘Scarlett’ has already found support from the likes of Martyn, Benji B and Jimmy Edgar, and there’s no surprise it starts as it means to go on. Restless high end sounds and a solid 4 X 4 kicks pave the way for intimidating reece bass lines that make this a floor shaking affair. Releasing a collection of well-pitched conga’s over this heady mixture quickly builds this into a solid dance floor anthem.