For 15 years, Delta Heavy has proudly championed the drum & bass genre. Their ongoing global tour marks the largest North American stretch of their career, and the world seems to be catching on to the infectious rhythm that has inspired them since their youth.
“Nightlife, clubbing, raving, and festivals provide the perfect escape—it’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true,” says Ben Hall of Delta Heavy in an interview with EDM.com.
Hall and his bandmate Simon James recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of their first record deal. Coincidentally, Hall was just 15 when he first encountered drum & bass. While today’s electronic dance music festivals showcase immense scale and cutting-edge technology, Hall’s early experiences were much simpler.
“I attended a rather posh boarding school in the UK,” he recalls. “A group of us went to a small club called Bar Rumba… it hasn’t been around for years. Nestled in London’s West End, it had a capacity of about 250. You’d go down steps into a cramped basement. We caught sets from Bryan Gee, Shy FX, and DJ Marky’s first-ever show in the UK.”
Armed with makeshift fake IDs and youthful determination, Hall and his friends plunged into London’s underground rave scene.
“We managed to sneak in with some pretty questionable fake IDs,” he continues. “The bouncer would pull us from the crowd to inspect them. Somehow, mine passed. I honestly don’t know how, especially since we all looked really young. There’s no way we appeared 18.”
While it’s unclear how many times Hall had successfully navigated these raves, he was already passionate about electronic music. He had been spinning vinyl on his Technics 1210 turntables since he was around 12 or 13. However, nothing could have prepared him for the frenetic pace of drum & bass.
“I started with trance, progressive house, and new school breakbeat, which were all the rage in the UK back then,” Hall said. “But when I attended that night, the energy and rawness completely overwhelmed me. I never really looked back after that.”
Delta Heavy released their third studio album, Midnight Forever, on August 23rd, achieving their highest chart position to date. This album serves as a “cathartic” homage to their roots, capturing their youthful experiences and presenting them through a contemporary lens.
This same philosophy influences Delta Heavy’s visual approach. Their global tour introduces a new visual experience designed to connect different generations of ravers.
“When we first started going out, it wasn’t really about visuals. It was dark, sweaty, and underground,” Hall explains. “We wanted to encapsulate that vibe in the album while also crafting a unique visual world.”
Drum & bass is increasingly becoming a highlight on North American festival lineups. Artists like Delta Heavy and Chase & Status are consistently drawing large crowds. Hall notes that more people are starting to understand the genre, much like he did years ago.
“In the last 18 months, a broader audience is engaging with it and embracing its rhythmic identity,” he says. “In the past, at major festivals, audiences often didn’t know how to respond to drum & bass.”
He adds, “In terms of BPM, genres like dubstep or trap have a tempo that aligns more closely with rap music. Drum & bass, at 172 to 175 beats per minute, is distinct within electronic music. Initially, many in the US were perplexed. ‘How do I dance to this? What do I do?’ It’s tough to head-bang at that tempo. But it’s one of the most energetic styles to dance to, and people are finally catching on.”
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