Dan Havers and Chris Page, aka DC Breaks, have been making waves in the d&b community with an impressive archive of strong releases on some of the most prolific labels in d&b, including Viper and Frequency. The duo have gone from strength to strength and exclusively signing to Andy C’s Ram at the end of last year. We caught up with the pair to find out about their next upcoming album, how they met and what their all-time favourite d&b labels are.

Example : You’ve teamed up with Rox for a couple of tracks and have recently mentioned you’re trying to organise some collaborations for the new album. Can you tell us anything about these plans?

Chris: Don’t want to say too much at this stage as the album is in quite a fluid state and things will almost certainly change! We have got some great vocals from a number of singers and we have some tracks that need vocals that we’re putting in front of a few people at the moment.

Example :   25 April saw the release of ‘The More I Want’ featuring Rox. Is there anything you particularly want more of in life?

Chris: Right now the thing I need most is more time to write the album!

Dan: Bigger TV. And Battlefield 3!

 

Example :  Some of your VIPs of tunes have now become even bigger than the originals, including ‘Pickett Line VIP’ and ‘Mankind VIP’. How do you go about making the VIPs? Do you make the tunes first and then the VIPs just after, or do you hear the tunes go off in clubs and edit them to become VIPs?

Chris: It’s generally a case of us never being quite satisfied that we’ve nailed a tune 100%, so even after it’s finished we tend to play around with ideas, sometimes these turn into ‘VIP’ edits or sometimes whole new tunes, Mankind itself was like the tenth version of a tune that started off completely different.

Dan: It’s easier to VIP a vocal track as you have the vocal as a starting point, and then do the opposite of whatever the original was. But in many cases the VIP is just a fatter edit of the original. Watch out for some new VIPs coming soon by the way ;)

Example :  So you met at Edinburgh University before getting into production together. Any competition before you two joined forces?

Chris: Not really, I had been writing Drum and Bass for about 2 years at that point and was really only just getting to a point where the tunes sounded OK. I met DJ Kid who signed a bunch of tunes to a label he was starting called Restless Natives and from there I met Dan and Kid ended up signing some of his tunes as well. It wasn’t long after that that we started producing together. At that point I think we were both just happy to have something released on vinyl.

 

Example : In 2007 you guys had your own label, DC Breaks. Have you ever thought about starting it back up again or was it a platform to get your music out there before signing to some bigger imprints?

Chris: DC Breaks as a label came about really because we had quite a big backlog of tunes sitting around and it was a way for us to get them out. It was effectively a sub-label to Ram, like Frequency, but really just for us. It worked for a while and we had 2 releases but what we needed at the time was a release on a better established label and it was around then that we had releases on Viper and Frequency. It could be something we go back to one day but we’ve got our hands full with the album project for Ram so I’d say its unlikely any time soon.

Example :   You’ve had a wealth of releases on many labels including Ram and Viper; what are your top three favourite labels of all time and why?

Chris: Number 1 is definitely Ram, it was the label I always liked the most when I first got into DnB and that hasn’t changed. Being part of Ram now is just incredible and if someone had told me when I started out that one day I would get a tune out on Ram I wouldn’t have believed them! There’s a lot of great new labels around now like MTA and Never Say Die but for all-time favs I think I’d put Virus and Good Looking.

Dan: Same. Except I'd throw V in there too!

Example :  You’re pretty famous for your innovative six deck mixes. What is the most hilarious or cringe thing you’ve encountered during a live set so far?

Chris: I had to DJ sitting down recently, I’m kinda tall and the decks were on a low table on a stage. After about 5 minutes my back was aching from being bent double so I pulled up a chair! Bit weird at first but at that level I was getting high fives off the ravers at the front so it was kinda funny.

Dan: We found our agent asleep under the decks at Cable one time. That was a crazy one! Not even Babylon would wake her up!

Example :   Your DJing schedule is looking pretty stacked at the moment. Have either of you got any weird habits that spring up when touring and where are you off to next?

Chris: Australia & New Zealand is up next in August, which I’m super excited about, Dan was over a couple of years ago and loved it. Can’t think of any weird habits…

Dan: Not sleeping is the only thing I can think of. It’s pretty annoying.

Example : Have either of you ever had to have a particularly awful job to pay the bills while you continue with music?

Chris: Yeah my current job! Haha! No joking aside I do still work outside of music, but it’s web-based so I can do it from wherever I am and IT’S A REALLY GREAT JOB (Ryan if you’re reading this).

Dan: Yup, I delivered wine for a bit. Come to think of it though, it really wasn't that bad!

 Example:   You’ve been enjoying a lot of radio airtime recently. Can we expect to see you guys get your own show?

Chris: Maybe! I love Radio, its great fun and was something I looked into as a career whilst at Uni. 1Xtra have been great and we’ve enjoyed filling in for Crissy Criss over the last year or so. If a slot became available it would be hard to turn it down.

Dan: Yeah we've had a couple of discussions about this, but it’s about timing with the album, doing a show like Crissy's is a far larger commitment than you'd think!

 

Example :  If you were stranded on a desert island with only five records, which records would you choose and why?

Chris: If I was literally stuck on a desert island I think I’d have to go with something fitting like:

    •    Eric Coates ‘The Sleepy Lagoon’ (better known as the Desert Island Discs theme) – lush piece of music and I’d dig the irony

    •    LTJ Bukem ‘Atlantis’ – just love this and it always reminds me of a sunny day on a remote beach somewhere

    •    Bob Marley ‘Three Little Birds’ – In case I needed cheering up

    •    Jakatta ‘The Other World’ – I defy you to find a more chilled track and great use of John Barry samples, one of the best composers of all time!

    •    Something by Vangelis, Drum & Bass producers always say that don’t they? Haha!

Dan: Mine are gonna be quite weird....

    •    The Lonely Island – Jack Sparrow

    •    JJ Cale – Sensitive Kind

    •    Jose Gonzalez – Far Away

    •    Burial – Archangel

    •    Schubert – Death and the Maiden

Example : Any Final Words ?

Chris: Check out our next single on Ram, its out in September and it’s kinda dirty.

Dan: Ram 100 – BIG!