June 2 sees the debut release of a very significant new label: Run Da Riddim.
The release is a VA entited Sounds Of The Jungle. Stacked with six tracks – including a collaboration with Euphonique and a whole host of new-gen talent such as OP Breaks, Scuffed, H3, TOFA and Marns – the EP is a pivotal launch release from Run Da Riddim, an established South West collective formed by Leighton, an artist who tragically died in a car crash on August 21 2022, aged just 18.
“Calum loved life. And to Calum, life was his friends and his music,” explains Andy Leighton, Calum Leighton‘s father who now co-runs the label alongside the rest of the collective. “There are many things we have learnt about Calum over the last eight months. We knew he had fallen in love with drum & bass and discovered what he wanted to do in life, but we didn’t know quite how driven and passionate he was to succeed, and how this had inspired others to follow their own dreams. He was such a huge ambassador for drum and bass, taking many friends to their first ever rave, inspiring others to take up DJing, and even continues to do so today; his younger sister Darcey being the latest convert.”
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Leighton‘s story is one that any dedicated young D&B head will relate to. Cutting his teeth at Revelations 16+ events in Bath, BIMM and dBS student Leighton invested every bit of his time into both mixing and producing during lockdown and came out of the experience ready to tear-up any dance in his vicinity.
Following a debut at Bristol’s legendary Lakota, momentum built with every show and Goat Shed radio session and the collective officially registered and launched the Run Da Riddim label at their own Summer Day event on August 20, the day before Leighton passed. His track Masterpiece surfaced weeks later instantly getting support from Laurie Charlesworth on DNB Radio and playlist support from Drum&BassArena.
Masterpiece has now been given a vocal refix from fellow Bristol music student and friend Marns, it’s one of three posthumous tracks from Leighton on the Sounds Of The Jungle EP. Other Leighton productions on the VA are Jungle Mayhem (with Euphonique) and Stop It with OP Breaks, both tracks reinforcing his soul that will forever be at the centre of Run Da Riddim.
“There are few comforts to losing a child, especially one so young, but knowing Calum had spent two years doing what he loved, and the realisation that Leighton as an artist will live on for eternity does help in some small way,” Andy tells us. “That is why I am so determined to continue what he started, to make a success of his label, and to help get all of his music completed and released for all to enjoy. He had so much more to give, but we are thankful that he left behind a treasure trove of original tracks, bootlegs and mixes that we will be able to release on his behalf for months to come, keeping his legacy alive. This starts with the debut album that Calum had already planned, Sounds of the Jungle, out on June 2.”
Leighton‘s legacy love for the music will never die and many more exciting releases on Run Da Riddim can be expected in the future. To mark the moment, the collective are hosting a launch party at Attic Bar, Bristol on June 1. Join them and help them celebrate the launch in the same full-strength way Leighton would have done.
As Run Da Riddim state themselves – from the darkest times comes the brightest of lights. The way Leighton‘s friends and family have come together to realise his vision and put his passion into action is an inspiring snapshot of the drum & bass at its most empathetic and kindest hearted. Please follow them, support this release and give them all the boosts you can. Leighton RIP!
