As another year of underground sounds have begun, we have an album release that will be sure to make waves in the jungle and hardcore world. Grassroots label Militant Music have been curating releases and organising events for over 3 years, with a back catalogue of projects to show including progressive EP and single releases within jungle and drum & bass, as well as providing some of London’s most authentic raving experiences.
The wider scene wouldn’t be where it is today without the likes of Militant Music putting in tiresome work with an array of local artists and venues. With releases from talented up-and-coming artists such as the likes of Glinks, Seretonin, Worsley, and Greedy G over the years, the label side of the brand holds an abundance of innovative tracks that are heavy-hitters within the jungle community. Incoming is a hotly anticipated album ‘Not Your Average Station’ by rising producer Aerbreak who is also one of Militant’s main resident DJs. With euphoric and hard-hitting tracks such as ‘Gravity Trap’ featuring Tom Oakley, ‘System Overload, and ‘Not Your Average Station, this album will undeniably teleport old school ravers back to the 90s, whilst also introducing this gleeful sound to a new generation of hardcore junglists. This well thought out project takes you on a video game-like adventure, a futuristic, yet compelling piece of artistry that holds no boundaries within the high-tempo world of hardcore and jungle. There is no doubt that this 12-track album will be played out in raves up-and-down the country throughout 2025.
We caught up with Krash Dubz, head honcho of Militant Music to find out more about this unique underground platform dedicated to showcasing the most authentic high tempo sounds in London. Whilst also getting a word from Aerbreak himself on the intricacies of putting together his first album.
Let’s go back to the beginning. Talk to me about how Militant started?
Krash Dubz: It started as a label in 2021. But it was initially an idea that I had for a music journalism platform going back to 2018, way before we were making any music. I focused on hip-hop events. I’ve always loved hip-hop since I was a kid. Hip-hop, jungle, and drum & bass had so many crossovers in my mind, I wanted to use Militant Music as a way to explore that fusion more in rave music. The first lockdown during covid was when I started to get the ball rolling in that sense. It’s quite hard to carry out feeling and personality in music without drawing inspiration from a lot of different styles of music. That’s what we aim for with Militant Music releases.
Why the name Militant Music?
Krash Dubz: The name goes back to my dads Armenian heritage. My dads family emigrated as Armenian genocide survivors and they had to be very militant in the way they persevered to escape to make new lives for themselves across Europe. This embodies this because I feel our music is hard-hitting whilst we try to carry the feeling and personality throughout the raves we put on.
Stand out projects?
Krash Dubz: The stand out past projects to date have to include the ‘Militant Minds’ which was a very special project to me. It brought a lot of artists together. Encouraging a more open conversation about our mental health. Also, something that was quintessentially Militant Music is the ‘Militant Tape’. This was exactly the direction I wanted to go in with the label right from the start. That would’ve been nowhere without Glinks, who’s an absolute visionary. When I first discovered him he was sampling memphis rap in his jungle tracks. It was a given from then we could make this amazing fusion project. We had to put this on cassette tapes as it was the right thing to do for the culture. I felt it stayed true to the sound this way.
How did you get to a place where making an album with Aerbreak was on the cards?
Krash Dubz: We’d never met in person up until 2024. We’d been exclusively chatting online for about two years. We’d done a lot of singles together. We got to the point where Aerbreak had a recognisable sound. People were feeling his sound through our Militant projects. As soon as we met, we got brainstorming. His music encapsulates the golden age of hardcore and rave euphoria. He puts this modern, sci-fi twist to it. He brings a lot to the Militant blueprint. His sublime and versatile production within the genre is inspiring and has the power to inspire a lot of people. This album will give us the chance to showcase that. This is undoubtedly going to be a special project and we hope everyone enjoys it as much as we do.
I’d love to get some insight into this truly authentic album. What was the process like to make it?
Aerbreak: I wanted to create a world listeners could get absorbed in – and hardcore, drum & bass, and jungle tend to lend themselves really well as a medium for that. The whole process has been a blast. I’ve tried to fuse a lot of my influences – from late 80s acid house to early-to-mid 90s breakbeat hardcore – with a nostalgic, euphoric, video game-esque feel. You’ll hopefully be able to feel essences of artists like The Prodigy & Altern-8, as well as many of the other pioneers of the era, but with a respectful new twist. At the time the project began, I wasn’t hearing much in the way of 91-94 hardcore in the scenes I was involved in – it was more modern breakbeat and jungle – and I wanted to bring light to these euphoric old school sounds that undoubtedly have a place in our scene today. I hope this inspires other people to try their hand at making some hardcore themselves! In regards to collaborations on this, I got my friend and talented producer Tom Oakley on one of the tracks ‘Gravity Trap’. Tom captures the classic UK rave sound so well, and his production just keeps on getting better. We’d been talking for a while about making a tune, and the idea came together so smoothly and really quickly! It’s had a wicked reception so far, so I’m looking forward to including it in the album.
I’d love to know what some highlights for the events brand have been over the years.
Krash Dubz: The first one would be an event we played called Off Grid presents: Momentum. In the summer of 2023 we travelled alongside the Da Demolition Squad to Kaunas in Lithuania where we converted a go kart racing track into a rave. We put on the biggest showcase of UK rave music in the city. We’ll remember that forever as one of the craziest parties to date. You can’t really do these types of events here in the UK. Secondly, our recent sell out halloween show in collaboration with Jungyals and Gays at Venue MOT. That was probably our first big collaboration event we’ve done with another brand. There was so much variety of artists, a real family affair. Lastly, meeting everyone we’ve welcomed in as family, we wouldn’t be where we are today without our residents. The dedicated team that pushes the boundaries. Big shout outs to our team Glinks, 50Cal, IXN, Sleazebag, Aerbreak, Arfboy, Seretonin, Deselecta, Greedy G, Mina, Kippo, and Defekt.
Do you have the tea on any future projects?
Krash Dubz: There’s one we’ve been brainstorming that’ll be based around a funky breakbeat project with Greedy G and Aerbreak on production. It’ll start off with hip hop and make its way through 120 bpm breakbeat and follow through into faster sounds such as jungle and drum & bass. Fusing these two artists together will no doubt create a wicked album that we can expect towards the end of the year. We have a couple other EPs we want to drop this year too. We’re going to be dropping a dark side drum & bass project with an amazing producer called Blah. We’ll also be working on an EP with Seretonin as well. He’s one of the most talented jungle producers around.
Do you have any future goals you’d love to achieve?
Krash Dubz: The scene is way more of a community than it used to be. More and more collaborations with brands would be ideal to grow that even further. That’s how we’ll lift each other up. We’d love the opportunity to play more festivals and also go abroad doing more Militant takeovers.
What are some platforms and brands doing great stuff for the community?
Krash Dubz: One that’s really important to mention who’s enabling so many more artists to be discovered is Killahertz. There’s no other live stream around that showcases such a wide range of truly underground DJs and artists. It’s so important and you can discover so much talent as a result. All of the Jungyals and Gays crew and NRG CRU. All doing great things for our community. I could mention so many others, but these platforms really fit with our ethos.
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