From the heart of Bristol, something big is cooking. Get ready to rinse some Dr Meaker through your bass speaker!
We have one aim: “To take Live Drum & Bass across the World, Bristol Style!”
Dr. Meaker started their musical journey as a Bristol-based sound system comprising of electronic and acoustic musicians. The band soon built up a strong following and quickly gained the attention of BBC Radio 1, who gave their track ‘Rubber Gloves’ it’s debut.
As outright winners of Glastonbury Festival Unsigned Competition (Dance Category) they won a prime time slot in the infamous Glasto Dance Village. One killer set later, a flurry of gigs and festivals followed and the band released their debut single, ‘Moving And Grooving’.
By 2008, Dr Meaker had dropped their first ever studio LP, ‘A Lesson From The Speaker’. The album received much critical acclaim and won airtime from BBC Radio 1, 1XTRA, BBC6, XFM and Jazz FM.
Dr Meaker played a BBC Radio 1Xtra ‘Live Lounge’ for Trevor Nelson performing their single ‘Fighter’ and covered Adele’s ‘Skyfall’. This ended up going onto the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge album and landed a number 1 spot in the UK charts.
By 2014, the band released a hugely successful single with Circus Records, which led to a full album record deal. ‘Right Back’ propelled the band into mainstream success, with a UK top 40 dance hit and bags of commercial airplay.
On 2016 they dropped their second studio LP, ‘Dirt & Soul’ in 2016. It went straight to No. 3 in the iTunes Electronic charts (only kept off the top spot by James Blake & DJ Shadow) and it was the No. 1 selling Drum & Bass album in the world!
The band have since been touring non-stop and recently they have entered new international territories including debuts in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Los Angeles & Ghana. Their mission: “To take Live Drum & Bass across the World, Bristol Style!”
How ya doing?
Doing good thanks and you?
Bangin! Thanks. What’s cooking?
Musically, Right now I’m putting the final finishing touches to the album, the artwork, the videos and also rehearsing hard with the band for the live album tour.
How did you first get involved in the drum and bass music scene?
As a kid I was into all sorts of music including, funk, reggae, hip hop, rave music and hardcore. The natural evolution of lots of bass music came from all that music and so it was a natural progression as Jungle and then Drum & Bass flourished and I was onboard.
What attracted you to DJing and producing drum and bass specifically?
I started DJing as a 12 year old for an old lady who owned a pub and she had a mobile disco. She used to pay me a tenner a night to DJ for her. Then by age 14 I built my own modest sound system with some mates and started putting on parties in the fields of the Somerset Levels and halls etc. DJing was my first love. I then bought my first piece of music fest around age 15 and became obsessed with creating sounds. I was The Prodigy’s biggest fan and my initial music was making breakbeat and then naturally I started creating Jungle & DnB.
How did the band get together?
The Prodigy inspired my want to create a live band after i saw them at Glastonbury Festival. By age 18 I had put together a bunch of gear (keyboard, sampler, sequencer, drum machine and mixer) and was starting to play at the free parties with that gear. We then formed a 3 piece group called “Chemical Frequency” which added another producer and drummer. We quickly signed to Emcee Recordings around 1999 but got sat on until we left around 2003.
So by 2004 I left that band and started my own act Dr Meaker (Live). The band has evolved and come together organically in the old school way, with me meeting people locally in Bristol at live music events and just by being out and about. Friends of friends and things like that. Natural.
You’ve recently done your first tour of Asia, how was that experience?
It was really cool. Lovely promoters, everyone of them. They are fully into their music for the right reasons and was great to see that part of the World. The crowds were really on point too. Good vibes.
Since winning an unsigned competition to play at Glastonbury, you’ve become regulars, how far away is that main stage now?
The main stage is really sewn up by huge international artists and bands. It’s actually getting further away rather than closer as I can’t see myself writing the type of music that I would need to to become super famous in todays world of pop music. But you never know. It’s been an ambition to play main stage. West Holts would be awesome too. We have nailed the biggest Dance stage in Silver Hayes and also The Glade and mainstage Shangri La. This year we are headlining the Greenfields area. Always happy to play Glasto as it was one of my main sources of inspiration when growing up.
We caught the live act a couple of times at the Fleece in Bristol, is there any crowd like a hometown crowd?
Our home crowd in Bristol is particularly special. It’s amazing to sell out those shows and have people cheering for us before we even get on stage. To know they are our hardcore fans and all the happiness in the room. You can’t really beat that energy!
Laurent John’s vocal on the next single (Try) is pretty epic (and soulful), how pleased are you with the final track?
Yes really pleased. Laurent has a unique voice and smashed this one. We actually recorded this back in 2015 and I wasn’t happy with the mix so I’ve removed it for 2024 and it’s sounding wicked.
You’ve got an album coming out later in the year, how’s the music developed on from ‘Dirt and Soul’.
To be fair it’s pretty similar. I’ve continued to work with amazing soul vocalists and mixing that dirt and soul. I guess that’s my sound. It has developed in that I have collaborated with some new vocalists including a collaboration with some artists from Ghana where I visited them in 2018/19. Pretty sure I was one of the first people to merge those two cultures and styles together.
Being based in Bristol, do you feel you have your finger on the pulse of DNB with labels like Born on Road and Lockdown Recordings on your door step?
Yes I do. I have released a few records with Born on Road (Born Inna Babylon, All You Did, Little Sound Debut EP, Chronic etc) and Ben at Lockdown originally hooked us up with MC GQ way back in 1999 so I go back with both those camps.
What role do you think Bristol has/had in shaping electronic music culture?
It’s had a huge roll. Pioneering artists and genres came out of Bristol as a result of the different influences of cultures from punk to reggae and loads more. The history is deep. There’s loads out there to read about it if people look.
Who’s on your current playlist?
Air and Steve Reich.
How do you stay inspired and innovative in your music production?
By listening to music, the music and art forms. Exploring new studio techniques and music gear. Chatting with other musicians. and artists. Going to open mic nights. Trying to experience things that I haven’t before.
Who’s been your best collaborator so far? (Voltage, Serum or Macky Gee)?
I did enjoy working with all those producers. There’s not really a nest but there are loads of amazing experiences. The most exciting was maybe Howie and Ferg Peterkin in Miloco Studios back in 2007. It was so cool to be in front of a huge Neve desk in a “proper” studio. Probably my best vocals collaborator so far is Yolanda as she has such a gift for being able to write on the spot and deliver the fire in her vocals. And being in Ghana collaborating with Xrusade and Teshie boi was an out of this world experience that I will treasure dearly for the rest of my life.
How do you see the future of drum and bass music evolving?
I’m honestly not sure. It could go anyway. That’s the beauty of not knowing the future. Can you talk about any challenges you’ve faced in your career and how you’ve worked through them? I got to a point where i losing valued contacts and relationships by having agents and a manager and then realising it often wasn’t in my best interests to do this, so I went back to doing things DIY and things have never been better in terms of gigs and doing what I really want to do. It’s more work but it’s more satisfying.
Are there any particular tracks or albums that have had a significant influence on your style?
The Prodigy’s first 3 albums, Air Moon Safari, Massive Attack’s first 3 albums, loads of old school rave and jungle compilations had a big impact too, as well as my mums record collection of music. How do you approach DJ sets versus producing music in the studio? DJ sets evolve over time and i have my favourite mixes that i like to repeat and also throw in new tracks and also improvise and go off how the crowd are reacting. Producing music is similar in that a track often evolves over time where I make the initial vibe and then sit with it for a while and then scratch some parts away and then re-work parts and add things and take things away…it’s like drawing an acrylic picture over time, if you get me. Sometimes it’s like trying to figure out a Rubik’s cube.
How do you balance staying true to the drum and bass sound whilst also pushing boundaries and experimenting?
I don’t feel the need to stay true to the dnb sound. i make what i feel. I’m heavily influenced by dnb but that has never been the whole picture for me as I make lots of styles and bring many influences and styles into my music when I approach songs.
What impact do you hope your music has on your listeners?
To touch their soul and make them feel something deep that either fires them up or soothes them. Or both.
Is Spotify killing music or is it a necessary devil to take to bed (metaphorically).
It’s not really killing music but it’s certainly dominating the spaces where music is being pushed and listened to. And I think that is perhaps not such a good thing. Record shops were special places and each one had its own identity and (human) personalities vending and recommending the music. I think the algorithms are losing that human touch. Spotify pay is also very shit and, for smaller, independent artists, it’s fucking things up for sure.
If you were a book what would it be called?
Complex.
What’s on your toast?
Butter. Butter and marmite. Butter and Jam. In that order.
What’s the summer and rest of the year look like for Dr Meaker (The band and the DJ)?
