Essential Chase & Status

It's great to know that some of the most important dance music acts of today spent years honing their craft in the drum & bass scene; it's even better

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Complex Original

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It's great to know that some of the most important dance music acts of today spent years honing their craft in the drum & bass scene; it's even better when you hear them big up that time spent as drum & bass acts in being vital to where they are as artists today. Chase & Status is one such group; they've spent the last 10 years moving from strength-to-strength, rubbing elbows with some of the best in the drum & bass scene before becoming an important part of the growth of Ram Records over the last six years. They have since become more than a drum & bass duo, and in looking back over their catalog, you can see the gradual growth from a big fish in a niche pond to one of the most vibrant acts in the dance music scene. Take a look back at their best work via this trek through the first 10 years of their career.

Chase & Status - "Wise Up"

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Label: Bingo Beats
Year: 2003

Would Chase & Status' career even have been anything without DJ Zinc giving them that first push? It's a fair debate. It was on his Bingo Beats imprint, back when Zinc was still following and signing drum & bass, that Chase & Status got their first release, dropping the high-energy "Wise Up," featuring what we now know as signature dancehall/dubwise vocal samples over a very Playaz-esque rowdy bassline bouncer.

Chase & Status - "Love's Theme"

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Label: Bingo Beats
Year: 2005

Heads in the know will remember this tune dropping, highlighting early on that Chase & Status was way more than dancefloor destroyers; they had a satchel of soul waiting to be unleashed, and "Love's Theme," with his liquid bass and amen breaks, was just a sneak preview.

Chase & Status ft. Capleton - "Duppy Man"

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Label: Breakbeat Kaos

Year: 2005

If there is any true "breakout" single from Chase & Status, it has to be the Capleton-sampling "Duppy Man." Heads who knew nothing about the past two years of quality Chase & Status output couldn't deny this one, and for good reason. That dancehall-lean, with the unconventional drum work? With Capleton's "SLEW DEM" rants? Pure "drop and reload" business. And it's so dope that an even more massive VIP was done.

Chase & Status - "Ten Tonne"

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Label: Renegade Hardware
Year: 2005

Not to discount what they did over the course of 2004, but their first major drum & bass coup was the 2005 Renengade Hardware Ten Tonne EP. Hardware's been an institution of drum & bass, especially the more rugged, darker sounds, so hearing Chase & Status really step up to the plate and belt out some heaters? Murderation in the clubs!

Chase & Status - "Dumpling Riddim"

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Label: Ram Records
Year: 2007

It was sometime after their explosive 2005 that we learned that Andy C's Ram Records snapped Chase & Status up, making sure that the future of the dnb scene was being properly cultivated. With a huge nod to Shabba Ranks, "Dumpling Riddim" picks up where "Duppy Man" left off in a huge way.

Chase & Status - "Hurt You"

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Label: Ram Records
Year: 2007

Chase & Status proved any naysayers wrong with "Hurt You," which is nothing short of a modern drum & bass classic. An anthem of epic proportions... and Chase & Status were just getting started.

Chase & Status - "Eastern Jam"

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Label: Ram Records

Year: 2008

With their signing to Ram came word that Chase & Status would be dropping an album, but not too many were ready for the duo to come correct with some dubstep. Ram dropping this as the b-side to the huge single "Pieces" was funny, considering that "Eastern Jam" ended up being the more talked-about record. The move makes sense, as Ram at the time was a dnb institution, but "Eastern Jam" set the tone for Chase & Status' next phase, as well as where Ram would be heading over the next five years.

Chase & Status - "Smash TV"

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Label: Ram Records
Year: 2008

Axl Rose can show you better than he can tell you, but that quick snippet of audio before the monstrous drop on this one was well worth it.

Chase & Status - "Saxon"

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Label: Ram Records

Year: 2008

Similar to the release of "Eastern Jam," the massive dubstep sounds of "Saxon" were relegated to b-side status for the "Against All Odds" single, which in and of itself was a throwback hip-hop jam. This tune was actually so sought-after that on the re-release, it was an obvious inclusion. Randomly, Nicki Minaj committed bars to this one.

Chase & Status ft. Tempa T - "Hypest Hype"

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Label: Vertigo
Year: 2010

With No More Idols, it's like Chase & Status made sure to show the world that their career isn't just as "those dnb producers who know how to make solid dubstep," and linking up with Tempa T to combine a fast-paced dnb/breakbeat tune with huge rock guitars? His energy on this one is perfect for the Chase & Status live show, highlighting that they're really more than what the aura of a producer can be portrayed.

Chase & Status and Sub Focus ft. Takura - "Flashing Lights"

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Label: Mercury / Vertigo
Year: 2011

This was one of the first tunes from No More Idols that really told the tale of Chase & Status' next chapter, and it's great to know that it was produced alongside Sub Focus, their Ram Records labelmate. Both entities were going through transition periods, incorporating more non-dnb into their productions than ever before, so to hear them drop a huge dubstep beast together? Unheard of, but it worked so well.

Chase & Status ft. Liam Bailey - "Blind Faith"

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Label: Ram Records / Vertigo
Year: 2011

See what we meant when we spoke about the dubstep highlighting the next phase of Chase & Status' sound? Their No More Idols contained a number of dubstep gems, including the huge "Blind Faith," which has a great lean to the diva vocals that rode through the rave scene in the '90s.

Chase & Status ft. Delilah - "Time"

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Label: Ram Records
Year: 2011

Know that Chase & Status never abandoned breakbeat-heavy beats, though. They could still knock out an epic number like the Delilah-vocaled "Time," which combined some emotional vibes atop a cascade of amens.

Chase & Status ft. Louis Mttrs - "Lost & Not Found"

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Label: Ram Records / Mercury
Year: 2013

Two years removed from No More Idols, the duo is still experimenting with their sound, showcasing now more than ever that they wear their early '90s rave influences right on their lapel. "Lost & Not Found" is an impressive addition to the Chase & Status canon, with Louis M^ttrs delivering a great vocal performance over this beautiful arrangement. An important step in the third chapter of Chase & Status' story.

Chase & Status ft. Pusha T - "Machine Gun"

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Label: Mercury
Year: 2013

Could we ask for anything iller? Chase & Status grabbing Pusha T to lend voice to their apocalyptic trap/dubstep heater? We don't envision Chase & Status being the next to go full trap on us, but to hear them craft such a charged-up rave killer with one of the most talked-about MCs in the game? It just makes sense, and is as thunderous as you'd expect it to be.

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