10 Artists Who've Not Had a Metalheadz Release... But Should

Don't get DAD wrong: We definitely love and understand the course that Goldie took with the Metalheadz imprint, and figure that each release is holds

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Complex Original

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Don't get DAD wrong: We definitely love and understand the course that Goldie took with the Metalheadz imprint, and figure that each release is holds a special, important place within the drum & bass scene. And while we're not trying to say that Goldie has missed anything while curating the Metalheadz catalog, there are producers who were coming up during Metalheadz' reign that would have fit perfectly into the Metalheadz camp.

Mind you, Metalheadz is firmly set within the drum & bass canon, and even adding releases from these artists NOW would not change the label's importance and track record, but check out these artists and ponder what could have been.

Krust

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Arguably the deepest producer out of the Reprazent crew, Krust's tracks rivaled some of the mid-1990s tunes that Metalheadz released. Cuts like "Soul in Motion," "True Stories" and others could've found a proper home on 'Headz. He had a number of outlets for his material (Talkin' Loud, V Recordings, Full Cycle), but he shared a mentality that it seems Goldie did as well.

Dom & Roland

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This one is a shock to many. Dom (and his Roland) have released tracks on Moving Shadow, Doc Scott's 31 Records, Commercial Suicide, and Saigon, and his breakbeat-heavy sound is one that many junglists have seen as the pinnacle of the scene. Dom's running his own label, and seemingly putting all material out on there, but if he could churn out something like "Thunder" for Metalheadz?

Technical Itch

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Tech Itch was creating some really thought-provoking material in 1996 for Moving Shadow (fun fact: Moving Shadow was ran by Rob Playford, who engineered a number of Goldie's albums and work from Timeless and his other albums). Technical Itch has even been rumored to have engineered a number of Rufige Kru tracks, including "Rhythm Killa." The styles of the latter-portion of Tech Itch's career are a bit more aggressive, but we imagine he still has tunes that would sit beautifully as a Metalheadz release.

DJ Trace

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Trace has been around as long as Goldie, Doc Scott and other original Metalheadz members, with tunes coming out with LTJ Bukem, Ed Rush, Bad Company, and others, as well as being the man behind another important label, DSCI4. He has some certified classics under his belt; you can't listen to a "Sonar" and not hear Metalheadz.

Calibre

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Calibre's another artist who has his own label (Signature), but has released tunes everywhere, from Fabio's Creative Source to Liquid V. He's part of the more "soulful," liquid funk style of drum & bass, but he can create some epic numbers when he wants to.

Gridlok

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Early Gridlok might not have made it onto 'Headz, but he's spent years honing his dnb craft. He was the first American dnb producer to get tunes signed to Stakka & Skynet's legendary Underfire imprint, ans has since had tracks signed to Playaz, Ram, C.I.A., and Bad Taste, and it'd be a pretty ill notch in his belt if he had an epic Metalheadz single.

Logistics / Nu:Tone

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Their affiliation with Hospital probably hinders them from getting tunes signed to Metalheadz, but their love of the musicality of drum & bass (as well as their sneaky, heavyweight basslines) could sit well on a Metalheadz release. These brothers also have a knack for creating huge, important tunes, tracks that you just can't get out of your head/record bins.

SPKTRM

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SPKTRM's catalog of releases is small, but his most recent work (including his awe-inspiring Android Dreams album) is a direct decedent of that classic Metalheadz flavor. It'd be a completion - the influencee being released by the influencer.

Fierce

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Fierce came up under Ed Rush & Optical, releasing tracks on their Virus imprint, Grooverider's Prototype Recordings, Matrix's Metro imprint, and other like-minded labels. His productions have always seemed to be top-notch, although his output has been pretty sporadic. He also runs his own label, Quarantine, and doesn't seem to release a lot of solo material. His darker, moody vibe does feel at home on 'Headz, though.

Nookie

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Nookie is a producer of the atmospheric/"intelligent" drum & bass sound that has put out a lot of material with Moving Shadow, Good Looking, and Reinforced, and Goldie has even cited Nookie's output as being inspirational and important to his development as an artist. His career has been critically acclaimed, and it'd be interesting to see what Goldie would've released.

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