Driver

1 More Mix: Driver

From personal driver to mixing all subgenres of drum & bass

At 1 More Thing, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries of bass music, and one artist who is doing that in his sets is Driver

Risen out of the Belgian jump-up scene as Danger’s personal driver (can you tell where he got his DJ name?), he loves all subgenres of drum & bass. So, you can expect him to mix dancefloor with jump-up and neuro with some liquid. Nowadays, Driver is not only busy preparing allround mixes, but he also throws drum & bass events now and then. Next up on the calendar is his birthday bash in Breda (NL) and a Driver & Friends edition near the seaside.

For this 1 More Mix, Driver gives us some insights into what made him the DJ he is today. 

 

This is a diverse mix! How did you get started on this?

I usually look for a cinematic intro, preferably with good vocals, and then I start looking for mashups from there. I do think it’s essential to have a good buildup. Usually, I do get good feedback on it. I think you have to put enough breakdowns in the set to keep the attention and build back up to a high.

What does this mix tell you about yourself as an artist?

Since I’m not a producer, I try to think and play out of the box as much as possible! I would say that mixing multiple subgenres in drum & bass is my speciality because most DJs often focus on one subgenre. 

There are a lot of subgenres in this mix, for sure!

I don’t have a favourite subgenre, so I try to focus on as many as possible when I mix. Since I don’t really focus on either one, I’m grateful that I can still prove myself in the jump-up scene, but thanks to Teezer from What-U-On-About, I did manage to prove myself at the other, deeper end of our scene as well. 

Can you remember when you started spinning? 

My first booking was in 2017 at an event called “Beta Sessions” hosted by the Beta Brothers. I knew the scene already quite well because I was Danger’s driver back then and the driver at all the big jump-up events back then. They thought putting me on a line-up once might be nice since Danger had taught me how to spin. When I started my set, I played a mashup and got my first crowd reaction. I absolutely loved it, so I decided to continue with it. I haven’t looked back since! 

Back when you started mixing, who did you look up to the most? 

Danger will always be a great role model for me. We’ve been best friends since we were ten years old, and he taught me everything I know about drum & bass. Beyond that, I’ve always admired Camo & Krooked and Upgrade. With Camo & Krooked, I’ve always been fascinated by their sound design and with Upgrade, I find it fantastic how full of energy his music is.

Do you remember your first rave?

My very first rave was Suburb Soundz Invites Stealth Bombers at the Entrepot in Brugge (BE). When I heard a double drop for the first time in my life, I thought it was such a special thing. It was amazing to me that you could play two songs simultaneously and for it to sound so well. I instantly fell in love!

Nowadays, I try to visit every rave where artists are booked whom you don’t often see in Belgium. For example, What-U-On-About?! has booked Mefjus and Halogenix for their next edition. Other than that, Rampage Open Air is on the planning every year, and hopefully, Let It Roll, too! I’m always open to discovering something new.

What do you have planned for 2024 as an artist? 

My fantastic agent, Ashley, is in talks for specific events, so I can’t say anything about that yet. I can say, though, is that Bass Unity and I are doing a joint birthday bash on April 12 in Breda and that there will be a Driver & Friends Open Air this summer! 

The birthday bash is something experimental. My agent Ashley from Bass Unity and I have birthdays very close to each other, so we decided to do a Belgium/Netherlands clash. As the headliner, we booked Arcando, a promising and upcoming artist who already has some solid releases. I’m very curious about him. In addition, we have invited some friends to come and play, like Danger, Ryllz, Parra Mier, Dynasty, and others.

After a successful edition of Driver & Friends in January of this year, VJOC De Kim and I are considering giving an edition in the summer at Ostend skatepark. I always have a lot of fun throwing these events, so I look forward to the next edition!

Any last thoughts?

I’m really thankful for all the chances that I’ve gotten so far. I have already managed to get international bookings in Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France & Germany. Belgium has some fantastic events, like Rampage Open Air, Sunrise Festival, M&T, Invaderz, Inceptionz, Criticalz, and many more. 

I can’t wait to see what the future holds! 

Follow Driver on SoundCloud | Instagram

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