One of the most surprising collaborations released this summer was single release on Blackout called “Metal & Blood.” While both producer groups of Drumsound & Bassline Smith and Teddy Killerz are known for being diverse in their styles, when they all signed up to create this slammer of a track, they turned more than a few heads in the drum and bass world. Add the fact that it was released on Blackout rather than Bassline’s own Technique Recordings or one of the labels TK release on more often like RAM or Eatbrain, and you really have a marriage of styles and sounds that’s had everyone clamoring for the track all summer.
“Metal & Blood” is a heavy, sort of neuro-inspired track that is also quite steppy and has a lot of fun twists and turns. Fans of all six(!) producers will be able to recognize how all the styles came together, but it also has a style and a finish all its own, which is what is so great about collabs like this: the track has created an entity which is part of but also separate from the people who worked on it.
Since this was such a special project, Your EDM decided to sit down with Andy and Simon from Drumsound & Bassline as well as Greg and Anton from Teddy Killerz and see what the experience of making this track was about. It seems they found it even more interesting to work on than fans did to hear it, and there may have been a very tiny allusion to working together again. More is revealed below.
The biggest question of course is how did you guys all come together to work on this project?
Greg (Teddy Killerz): We’ve met each other on shows many times and I think it was matter of time. We’ve been discussing music we like, the sound we like and one day we decided to make something together.
What is the overall concept of doing a collab like this with so many producers, and also involving Blackout?
Anton (Teddy Killerz): I think the concept is to make a good tune. It’s all about music here never mind how many people involved. But yeah, Drumsound & Bassline Smith together with Teddy Killerz are quite a lot of people! As for Blackout, I think it is perfect home for tune like “Metal & Blood.” We like their vision and the way they cooperate & work with artists is highly professional!
Is “Metal & Blood” going to be the first in a series with Blackout and the six of you?
Anton: Right now this is the only tune we made together so no certain plans for future yet. We deffo would like to work more together!
With so many producers on the track, who did what? Was there a division of labor in terms of what parts of the track each of you was going to do? How did you create the framework?
Simon Bassline Smith: As we (myself and Drumsound) live in England and the Teddy Killers live in Europe, the internet was integral part of the collab and it was one of the easiest ones we have done to date. We initially sent over a couple of rough ideas we had done and gave the guys the option.
Andy (Drumsound): Once the guys (Teddy Killerz) had chosen which one they preferred we sent over our stems which included drums, lead, atmospheric pads and effects all laid out in a rough structure. Ours initially had a speech at the beginning but the guys swapped it with the “Metal & Blood” vocal and then added a new speech later in the process to fill the gap.
What was each of your favourite part of working on the track? What did you enjoy about working with the other team?
Andy: The best thing about doing collabs is seeing how other producers work and comparing notes and swapping tips et cetera so it’s a shame we didn’t actually work together with the Teddy Killerz in the studio at all during the process as they live so far away.
Simon: The final tune turned out, as any good collab should: as a perfect amalgamation of both artists’ styles and has been one of our favorites to date.
How long did it take to agree on a final track? Was it easy to agree when it felt done?
Greg: Actually, it was very easy to agree on a final version. The original demo we got from Simon was really great so the work process was really easy and enjoyable. It took some time to release it because both our projects had quite busy release schedules. But it happened and we are extremely happy.
Simon: These collabs can sometimes take a lot of going backwards and forwards but once the Teddys added their magic it was virtually done. A few more back-and-forths and we had a version we could test in the clubs.
Audiences who know both of your work will definitely hear each of your individual styles on “Metal & Blood” but it also turned out to be a really cohesive track which became sort of its own style. How did you make sure that blending was so seamless?
Anton: Studio magic? (Laughs)
What’s next up for each of you with other projects? Who’s touring what this summer (if any)?
Greg: For Teddy Killerz, we’ve spent a lot of time working on new music in spring so summer gonna be more shows and festivals like Let It Roll, Beats 4 Love and others. As for music, we have our next release in the end of summer on Get Hype. It’s gonna be more pretty unexpected collaboration releases!
“Metal & Blood” is out now on Blackout Music and is available on Beatport or Soundcloud to stream. Keep and eye on Teddy Killerz and Drumsound & Bassline for more releases later this year. Teddy Killerz also did a Blackout Podcast recently. Check it out below:
