In a groundbreaking move that has sent ripples of excitement through the electronic music world, two titans, Monstercat and Hospital Records, have joined forces to champion the next generation of drum & bass artists.
This groundbreaking partnership kicks off with a week-long rollout of singles, culminating in a full compilation release on 31 January. The excitement begins with ‘What Are We Proving’ by the electrifying duo hayve and producer-songwriter DRIIA. This single sets the stage for an epic collaboration. Followed up by DNMO and SOLAH teamed up for ‘Find Peace’, a track that showcases the diversity and innovation within the drum & bass scene. Anaïs and hayve deliver ‘IDGAF’, a clash of high-energy big room drum & bass and Anaïs’s deep, roller sound, straight from her Bristol roots. Bensley, BOP, and Degs join forces for ‘Starchild’, a sonic journey that pushes the boundaries of drum & bass. The full compilation finally drops on Friday the 31st of Jan, spearheaded by ’99 Octane’ from London’s acclaimed MC P Money, Whiney, and hayve. This grime-infused drum & bass banger is designed for pure adrenaline.
Monstercat and Hospital Records have built unparalleled reputations for their contributions to electronic music. Monstercat, founded in 2011, has become one of the most influential independent record labels globally, championing artists like Marshmello, Kaskade, and Virtual Riot. Known for its genre-diverse releases and presence at festivals like Tomorrowland and Rampage Open Air, Monstercat has also formed groundbreaking partnerships with gaming brands like Fortnite and Rocket League.
Hospital Records, established in 1996 in South London by London Elektricity and Chris Goss, is an iconic name in drum & bass, representing artists such as Metrik, Danny Byrd, Fred V, High Contrast & many more. With its award-winning events brand, Hospitality, and a history of innovative projects, Hospital Records has become synonymous with pushing the boundaries of drum & bass on a global scale and bringing the melodic liquid sound into the mainstream.
This historic partnership between Monstercat, renowned for its diverse catalogue of EDM, and Hospital Records, a cornerstone of the drum & bass scene, marks a pivotal moment in the respective genre’s evolution. The two labels have long shared a close bond, from casual team outings to supporting each other’s events at the Amsterdam Dance Event. Recognizing the global resurgence of drum & bass and fueled by fan enthusiasm, they embarked on a mission to shine a spotlight on the genre’s rising stars.
Central to this project is a four-day writing camp held at TYX Studios in Tileyard London, back in February 2024. Twenty-three talented artists from both labels converged to create an impressive 24 demos, the best of which will be featured on the compilation. With artists from both labels collaborating under the guidance of both A&R teams, the result is a truly international sound that pushes the boundaries of drum & bass. This compilation not only celebrates the vibrant diversity and innovation within the scene but also underscores the strong connection between these two powerhouse labels.
The Monstercat and Hospital Records drum & bass compilation is not just a collection of tracks; it’s a statement of intent. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration and a celebration of the genre’s bright future. With its diverse range of artists and sounds, this compilation is sure to have something for every drum & bass fan, but will definitely hit hard with those of use whose musical palette was curated on YouTube in the 2010’s.
To celebrate this transatlantic compilation, we have an interview with Anaïs and hayve. Anaïs is a Bristol-based drum & bass DJ and producer known for her incorporation of 4 to the floor sound and high-energy performances, representing the Hospital Records team. While hayve, AKA Omar and Aaro, a production duo based in Finland whose hard hitting productions has garnered them praise from the likes of Metrik, Kanine, Fred V and more, represented Monstercat. UKF sat down with the collaborators to get to know them a bit better and to get an insight of what went down in the writing camp.
So where are you guys from?
hayve (Aaro): I’m from Finland.
hayve (Omer): And I’m from Tel Aviv, Israel but I’m staying in Finland now.
What’s the drum & bass scene like in Finland?
hayve (Aaro): Drum & bass Is definitely growing in Finland! There were a few events back in the day which would only have like 40 or 50 people at them. But now we’ve seen bigger acts in the festival scene like Kanine, Metrik, MUZZ, Delta Heavy, and Freaks and Geeks playing here recently.
That’s great to hear! What’s the most popular genre in Finland at the moment?
hayve (Aaro): I think techno is still the most popular EDM genre, especially in the live event scene. We like our hard techno in Finland.
Anaïs, where are you from?
Anaïs: I’m from Bristol, so lots of sick drum & bass here.
You were both recently part of the Monstercat and Hospital Records writing camp in London. How did this collaboration between these two labels come about?
hayve (Aaro): I just think that Monstercat respects a lot of labels that have been supporting a certain genre from the early days, not trend-chasing. Hospital’s been around for ages, and they’ve had some of the most legendary drum & bass artists. And Going Quantum, the guy we work with the most at Monstercat, is our main A&R and a good friend of ours, and he’s an artist as well. He’s been a big fan of drum & bass forever, and he’s a massive fan of a lot of Hospital artists. I think it was a good idea, two powerful labels in America and the UK.
Anaïs: True. I think Monstercat is the opposite of greedy. They want people to succeed. They don’t really care about the money aspect or the competition.
hayve (Aaro): I feel like Monstercat is like a tight family too. A lot of the artists who are there are releasing consistently, the same with Hospital. I feel like a good way for them to bring new artists for their fanbase to see is to do a label collab and get both of the artists exposed to another kind of fanbase.
You love to hear it. Both of you have been doing bits in the drum & bass world. Have you guys ever met or worked together before?
hayve (Aaro): We’ve actually never worked together before or even met before this. The first time we met in person was at the writing camp. It was interesting, the session was very spontaneous. We didn’t have any rough demos or anything. We didn’t even know each other’s styles either. We spent the first part of the session listening to each other’s tracks to get used to our individual sounds. Then we just threw in some drum samples, bass sounds, and figured out some riffs in Ableton. It took us a while to wrap up the tune, but I think it was, like, two or three sessions in a voice call, and we were done with the tune.
hayve (Omer): Yeah, the first session we met with Anaïs . We got the original drop idea, the first drop idea, and a bit of a build-up idea. But then we did a Discord session later on, and that’s where we kind of made the whole rest of the tune in one go.
Out of all the acts from both teams, how did you decide who to collaborate with? Were you familiar with each other’s work or was it a “pick a name out of a bucket” situation?
Anaïs: The A&R teams did a really good job just putting together names that they thought would fit with each other.
It seems like a good combo! So, tell us about the name ‘IDGAF’. Why did you guys land on that provocative name for the track?
hayve (Aaro): We’re usually not very good at coming up with names for our tracks.
Anaïs: We didn’t really care. We just did what we thought would be fun.
hayve (Aaro): It was a ‘we don’t really care what happens with the song’ kind of vibe. I feel like that was also why it came together so quickly, and it was such a fun experience because it was very easy to make this tune. Usually, drum & bass is super technical and nitpicky, and you end up spending hours and hours just on an eight-bar loop, perfecting that. We just kind of made the whole track in a few hours, and then ended up, afterwards, trying to perfect every element. So, the name fits perfectly, the vibe of the session and how the song came together.
Can you tell us a bit about the production side of things? ‘IDGAF’ sits right on that line between that Bristol sound and Belgium Jump Up. What did you use for the synths?
hayve (Aaro): We’ve been using a lot of Minimal Audio’s Current and Kilohearts Phase Plant recently. For ‘IDGAF’ we did most of the stuff in Current. We’ve been heavy users of Serum for years and years, and now maybe a couple of years of Phase Plant, but Minimal Audio dropped this synth, Current, maybe one and a half years ago. We were just playing around with that. This synth has a feature where you can randomize all these effects, the presets and everything, and you can get very interesting and quick results without thinking about anything.
Anaïs: I think I used mostly Serum for my sounds for this one.
UKF: Tell us a little bit about those rich pads used in the intro?
hayve: I think there might be a bit of Current. There is probably some preset that we made earlier, or it might be even out of one of the synths. I have a Sub 37 at home, and I have some other synths as well.
Anaïs: I recorded one of my friends who plays violin, and we used some of that for the intro. There are definitely some parts out of synths, but there are some actual real recorded strings as well.
Interesting. And what about the drums? They’re super crunchy. They’ve got that big room sound. It’s fantastic.
hayve (Aaro): We had a session with Waeys before, and he had some really sick drums, and he actually recommended this one drum kit but I can’t remember the name right now. I just heard the drums, and I was like, ‘I really need these drums.’ I think I did some extra layering with some synthesizing, adding some noise and textures to the drums. But yeah, I think they’re mostly just out of this one drum kit that Waeys recommended.
Don’t fix what’s not broken. Can you tell us a bit about the relationship between Hospital and Monstercat? Why do these two labels get on so well?
hayve (Aaro): Yeah, they’re both very community-driven, and they also have a lot of crossover in terms of their listenership.
What’s been your experience working with Hospital and Monstercat?
Anaïs: I think it’s been great. Hospital, they’re all like my family, so working with them is easy. And then as soon as I was in the studio with these two, it was like everything clicked. I’m not necessarily the techiest producer, but I like melodic stuff, and I think my sound is quite UK, so the two of us working together, we created something pretty amazing. And I would have never made that if I was in the studio by myself. That’s why it’s so good to collaborate.
Since all three of you seem to have grown up with both Hospital and Monstercat tracks on your playlists, let’s do some crate digging. First off, what’s your favourite Hospital tune of all time?
Anaïs: I’m a big fan of Urbandawn. I literally love everything he’s released is great. His “Come Together feat. Tyson Kelly” is one of my all-time favourites.
hayve (Aaro): That’s a difficult one. I’ve been listening to Hospital for a long time. I would probably say Netsky’s ‘Puppy’.
hayve (Omer): Lots of recent Camo & Krooked stuff I really like. I can’t really name one, because everything is so different. Probably Camo & Krooked & Mefjus “Kallisto”.
Great choices all around. Now, what about your favourite Monstercat release?
Anaïs: This might be a bit of a cop out, but I discovered hayve’s music way before I met them in the studio, and I was like, ‘Yo, this is sick!’. Probably hayve & TYPHON “Clique”.
hayve (Omer): I would say ‘Crab Rave’ by Noisestorm.
What’s your favourite track on the whole compilation, besides your own?
Anaïs: I really like the Bensley, BOP, and Degs track ‘Starchild’.
hayve (Aaro): I also like the Waeys, Bensley, and Hoax track ‘Twerp’.
hayve (Omer): And if I could choose one track where we are also included, it’s the track with P Money and Whiney, ’99 Octane’.
What was it like working with P Money?
hayve (Aaro): It was cool. It was quick as well. He just had ideas instantly. He recorded it really fast, and without retakes. He was just nailing it, time after time after time. It was crazy.
That’s amazing! Will there be future camps or collaborations between you?
Anaïs: Yes, we actually have another in the works. It’s in the very early stages, but it’s got a vibe, and that’s all that matters. I have the stems. It’s a bit of a sassy one.
That’s great! So tell us, Anaïs, what’s in store for you this year?
Anaïs: I’ve got an EP with Skantia which came out on Valentine’s, and I’ve got a track coming out with P Money.
That’s great! And what about you guys, hayve?
hayve (Aaro): We have these three tracks coming out on the Hospital and Monstercat compilation. We have a remix coming out, can’t say too much about the details yet. And hopefully a couple of bigger collabs as well. We’re leaving for the US tomorrow for some writing sessionsThis transatlantic collaboration between Monstercat and Hospital Records is more than just a compilation; it’s a testament to the power of community and the boundless potential of drum & bass. By bringing together artists from both sides of the pond, they’ve created a melting pot of ideas and sounds that push the genre in exciting new directions.
hayve and Anaïs are just two of the many talented artists featured on this compilation. Their track ‘IDGAF’ is a perfect example of the magic that can happen when artists from different backgrounds come together and create something truly special. With its infectious energy and undeniable groove, ‘IDGAF’ is sure to be a dancefloor favourite for years to come.
But this compilation is more than just a collection of bangers. It’s a celebration of the global drum & bass community and the spirit of collaboration that drives it. In a world that often feels divided, Monstercat and Hospital Records are showing us the power of music to bring people together. Whether you’re a seasoned junglist or a newcomer to the world of drum & bass, this compilation is sure to have something for you.
