Forging a friendship and a six-track statement, Mindstate and Anile pair up for a fresh EP on Footnotes.
Through the lens of David Snaddon (Mindstate), we learn there was significant intention behind each of the six – writing for festival moments, tapping into the bubbling community, and even channelling a certain vibe that’s not from this earth (read: Space Age).
Thursdays in Peckham are the foundations of this stellar project. Finding a rhythm in this routine, they’ve cooked up countless tracks at this stage (trialing all the local delicacies in the process). It’s that ritual that gave rise to the Space Notes EP – cohesive, club-ready, and a reflection of their shared tastes and vision.
Among the highlights is ‘Every Part Of Me’ with Verbz & XIVA – the first single and a true, rolling harmony of liquid sounds. Then ‘Harry’ has been destroying dancefloors for some time now – growling, aggressive, but keeping that sci-fi tension. ‘Echo Shift’ glides deeper – it’s dubby, horn-laced, and endlessly rolling. The remaining three tracks bring a similar medley of space, weight, and groove – with title track ‘Space Notes’ standing out especially, actually serving as an inspiration behind LSB and DRS’s Space Age Volume 7 mix from late 2024.
The EP lands on a label that’s built a reputation around quality over quantity. With just 18 releases since establishing in 2018, LSB’s imprint has become the trusted home for deep, thoughtful drum & bass – and this one fits the catalogue perfectly.
We caught up with Mindstate to talk about the link-up with Anile, the story behind the sessions, and what’s next on the horizon…
How did you and Anile link up originally, and what was the creative dynamic like across this project?
Me and Anile first linked up properly doing a back-to-back at Soul In Motion in May last year. We played a wicked set, and the back-to-back worked real well – the vibe was there, and after that we were like, “let’s make some tunes.”
Anile doesn’t live too far from London – about an hour’s drive – so we started doing regular Thursday evening studio sessions. That consistency made a real difference. You can shout someone for a one-off studio session here and there, but having a set evening each week – that routine helped build momentum. And I’ve been a fan of Anile’s work for time, his track ‘Riggers’ is still one of the best dancefloor tracks out there – proper different and timeless that tune.
So you must have a stack of tracks now?
Yeah exactly, it all grew quite quickly. The EP is six tunes, but those are just our favourites – there’s more we can build on for future projects.
What were those weekly sessions like with Anile?
Yeah really good. The workflow was really easy and we would come up with ideas very quickly – we’d do a bounce of what we’d made in the session, and listen throughout the week, then the following week go in and work on it or finish it. We’ve also checked out most of the food spots in Peckham by now, haha. Because my studio’s close to the high street, we’re surrounded by food places and pubs.
Any favourites?
Mr. Bao is still on top, I’d say. You need to check it out.
How did it work creatively – did you naturally fall into roles or just jam things out?
It was super relaxed – we’d just jam. One of us might have some drums ready, or throw something down on the synth – we made some good use out of my UDO SUPR 6 Synth too. It’s the same when I’m working with Rob (Dogger) or anyone else I’ve collaborated with – you start an idea, and if it’s hitting after 30 minutes, you keep building it. If it’s not, you just move on. No one’s too precious, which makes it really easy.
Having that friend element working on a collab helps a lot – it’s just a nice workflow.
Do you prefer collaborating, or working solo?
I like both. Collaborating’s great for bouncing ideas off each other, but I also enjoy making tunes on my own. Plus, within our crew – Space Cadet, Footnotes, Precinct, Carbon – we’re all friends, so even if you’re working solo, you can just ping a tune to someone and get instant feedback. That kind of back-and-forth keeps things moving.
On the first single, you’ve got Verbz and Xiva – both kind of part of the crew in different ways. How did that track come together?
So Verbz comes from a hip-hop background, and he often works with Mr. Slipz – they do loads together on High Focus. I’ve known Slipz for years, and he introduced me to Verbz ages ago. We’re all London-based, so we’d meet up, hang out, and work on bits here and there.
At the time, me and Dogger were living in Peckham, and we had the music studio there. Verbz’s first introduction to drum & bass was actually on our ‘Different Roads’ EP on The North Quarter. That was a cool one – we worked with two rappers, Verbz from London and Sleazy F Baby from Manchester, so there was this North/South concept.
Yeah, I remember that one – the artwork had hand-drawn maps?
Exactly. Each rapper had their own tune – one intro, stripped-back like a hip-hop track, and then a drum & bass tune. It gave them space to really do their thing. It was quite a unique concept, I think.
Anyway, since then, Verbz has been working with different people in drum & bass, and we’ve done a few singles together. Then we brought in Xiva – she’s a Canadian vocalist and super talented. She’d done some drum & bass, and also some jazz-lo-fi stuff, but really wanted to come to the UK and get into dance music. She sounds incredible on drum & bass, so you will hear more tracks featuring Xiva in the future.
How did you link up with her?
Through Oneman. Me and him have been working on some garage bits together for a while now, and Xiva sang on a few of those. When I heard her vocals, I thought she’d kill it on a drum & bass tune too.
She heard the beat and came up with the hook instantly – super quick, super catchy. It sounded amazing straight away. Then I sent it to Verbz, said there’s space for a 32, and he came round that day. Sat with the track for about 30 minutes, recorded his part – it came together really naturally. They’re so talented and quick at writing in a session.
You can feel that ease in the tune. It just fits together so smoothly. Xiva’s vocal into Verbz’s bars – it just clicks.
Was the instrumental built with them in mind, or did it come together after the fact?
Matt (Anile) had some loops we were going through, and some of the sounds and textures in that one were just beautiful. So we stemmed it out, loaded it into my computer, built it up with more pianos & sounds, reworked the drums and bass, then once it was feeling right, added vocals.
And the reception’s been good?
Yeah, really good so far. We’ve been playing it out for a year now – I played an early version at Sun And Bass last year, and so did Anile. It was in mine and Dogger’s set, and then Anile played it too. Same with the rest of the EP – these tunes have all been played out for over a year now from me, DRS ‘In Session’, Anile, and Space Age shows.
I wanted to ask about ‘Space Notes’ and ‘SNB’ – they’ve both got that distinctive spacey sound. Were they made with Sun And Bass or the Space Age vibe in mind?
Yeah – ‘Space Notes’ especially. We were definitely building something that would suit both Footnotes and that whole Space Age aesthetic. Honestly, it’s probably our favourite track off the project.
Yeah that feels like the one – a standout.
Yeah, and it ended up being a big part of Space Age 7 – the latest mix LSB and DRS put out. When I was chatting to Luke (LSB) about it, he said when we first sent over the demo, he was like “oh fuck, this is amazing”. And mentioned he wanted to build Space Age 7 around that track and vibe, which is amazing because the mix series is so impactful and influential.
That’s wicked. It’s a really detailed tune – lots of intricate elements.
Yeah, we probably spent the most time on ‘Space Notes’ out of any track on the project. The synth work, all the production details – it’s proper layered. It’s one of those that really hits on the dancefloor, but also works for deeper listening.
You can feel it when you play it live – it’s got that uplifting, euphoric energy in the breakdown. There’s loads of clips of us or LSB playing it on the Space Age tours – and you can just tell it resonates.
What about ‘SNB’ – was that also built with a specific moment in mind?
Yeah – that was made specifically for Sun And Bass last year. We just wanted something fresh to play in our set, and that was it. Initially, it was a dub to test out, but then we started building it out properly.
We’re both massive fans of the Soul:r era – Marcus Intalex, LSB, all those artists – and we wanted to channel that. The structure of ‘SNB’ is longer and more progressive. Not many tunes do that these days – most are short intros, quick drops. But we treated this one more like a techno tune, where the elements slowly build.
It doesn’t fully ‘drop’ until the second half. It’s about seven minutes long. In back-to-back sets, I’ve even got a cue point set for the second drop – just in case we want to jump into it quicker. But I like that it takes its time. It’s proper progressive.
It’s been getting rinsed as well – Doc Scott, Jubei, dBridge, Lenzman, LSB… loads of people have had that one in their sets for a while now.
Are there other tracks you want to shout out?
Yeah, for sure – ‘Echo Shift’ is one that’s a bit more dubby. It’s still very much Soul:r-inspired, got that vibe. We really love all the tracks, but those three probably feel like the centrepieces along with “Harry”
Yes – the heavy one…
Yeah – ‘Harry’ is one of those for sure. That one’s been smashing dancefloors for a year now. From the first time we played it, it just went off. It’s heavy, it’s got a groove, a catchy vocal sample on the drop, and it evolves as it goes.
Then there’s ‘BBBR’, which stands for Big Bad Bass Roller, haha – it’s more stripped-back, classic dancefloor energy – all home made drum breaks with a super heavy bass and sub. We wanted a couple of those on there to round the project out.
So this is your first release on Footnotes, right?
Yeah, first one on Footnotes. Anile is one of the core artists there – he’s had a few EPs and singles out already. But yeah, I’m really stoked about this one. I’ve always rated the label, and I rate Luke (LSB) highly – both the music and the artwork are always top tier on Footnotes.
I was saying to him the other night, when you see a Footnotes teaser go up – even if you don’t know who it’s by – you know it’s going to be something good. It’s not one of those labels that drops music every week. It’s more slow and steady, but every release is beautiful. Especially with the more liquid-leaning stuff.
Yeah, they’re selective but super consistent. And you’ve released on other serious labels too – Carbon, 1985, The North Quarter… do you tend to be quite intentional with who you work with?
Yeah, definitely. Especially with 1985 and Alix Perez – every release on that label is solid. The music, the artwork – it’s all the highest quality. So I was really happy to work with them. Every release we’ve had on 1985 has been on vinyl too which is always special.
Mine and Dogger’s first EP on 1985 ‘Broken Home’ with Liam Bailey was a perfect fit for the label – Alix really liked it, and it felt right for that label.
Sick. And with the others – Carbon, Footnotes, Space Cadet – it sounds like there’s a close-knit thing going on behind the scenes?
Yeah exactly – we’re all mates, so there’s a friendship element with all those labels. Like Dan (Blindside) and Del (DRS) at Space Cadet, Jubei at Carbon, LSB at Footnotes – it’s just easy to send tunes, get honest feedback, and build something more meaningful. You feel like part of a crew.
Drum & bass feels like a nice scene to be part of in that way – there’s a lot of support for each other.
Yeah, for real. It’s a good community. A lot of mutual respect, and it’s small enough that you build proper relationships. So yeah – I just send stuff to the labels I rate and have a personal connection with.
You had a recent release on 31 too, right? That must’ve been a moment.
Yeah, that one was really cool. 31’s such a legendary label – so many iconic tunes have come out on it over the years.
My brother was actually the one who got me into drum & bass, and when he stopped collecting vinyl, he passed down his collection to me. Loads of 31 releases in there – and my favourite drum & bass track ever is ‘How You Make Me Feel’ by Marcus Intalex & ST Files. I’ve got the vinyl, and it’s one of my most treasured records. So to put something out on that label meant a lot.
Stone cold tune. How did the 31 release come about then?
I made what became ‘Zims’ – it was still rough at the time, just a dub I sent out to a few people for sets. Doc Scott picked it up and started playing it loads. I hadn’t really planned on releasing it, but then he messaged me like, “What are you doing with this? Can we put it out?”
I said yeah, of course – just needed to tidy it up. Then I added a tune with Myth – we’ve built a few together – and I had one of his on his Four Corners EP, so we sort of traded. I also did a short intro track with Verbz again to round out the project – the Verbz track is short, but a cool intro to the EP – the sounds flow into the next tracks really nicely if you’re listening to the EP in full.
So that became the three-tracker for 31. And yeah, just really proud of it – especially because Doc Scott had been supporting it so heavily. Felt like the right home.
I remember hearing ‘Zims’ in a Metalheadz mix – Doc Scott B2B Ant TC1 I think – quite a while ago. I was surprised to find out it was you…
Haha yeah, it’s a bit more of a heavy roller. The original dub I sent out was pretty raw, but when I went back in on it, I really focused on tightening up the drums. That’s basically the heart of that tune – it’s simple but hits hard.
I’ve got a few more heavier tunes on the go as well – some solo stuff, some with Anile. Definitely plan to send more over to 31 in future.
Do you feel like your style has evolved recently? Or even just over the past few years?
Yeah, for sure. I’ve always leaned toward soulful, liquid, vocal-led tunes, but it’s been really fun to explore the heavier side as well – stuff that’s built for the dancefloor.
It’s nice when your heavier tunes get played out by DJs who usually play a lot harder stuff. It adds another layer to what you’re doing, and you can hit different corners of the scene.
Also genre-wise, I’ve been branching out a bit more this year. That 140 BPM project I did with PAV4N and Vitamin G was a big one – Change Ain’t Easy on DarkMode. That was actually my first non-drum & bass release.
Yes, love that project… what’s the story behind it?
Mr. Slipz came by the studio, heard a few beats, and said, “I know someone who would kill this.” He sent it to Vitamin G, who got back 20 minutes later with a voice note spitting bars. That kicked off the project.
We kept going from there – most of it’s 140, but rooted in hip-hop and grime. Not straight-up dubstep, more of a blend of genres where I feel the drum and bass production transferred over well. I definitely plan to work with PAV4N again too – been a fan since the Foreign Beggars days, so it was sick to do a tune with him.
You were a pro skater – how much has that world and culture influenced your music, if at all?
Yeah, loads I think. I think skateboarding shapes your taste in music more than you realise. When I was younger, all the skate videos I watched had hip-hop, or other genres, sometimes really weird shit. That exposure made me open to all sorts of stuff, and it inspired me for sure.
The way those edits are put together too – the pacing, the mood of the track matching the movement – I think that really stuck with me.
And how about the community element of being a skater, and how that’s sort of parallel to the drum & bass scene.
Yeah so I’ve met loads of people through skating. It’s how I met Dogger. We were also both making tunes, meeting up at skate comps and then we’d show each other the drum & bass bits we’d been making. It’s not until I moved to London and we got a flat together that we knuckled down and started releasing stuff – about 2018.
But yeah there’s so many people in the drum & bass scene who skate as well – Camo & Krooked, DRS, Azifm… there’s a common interest between the two cultures for sure.
Why did you pivot from skating to music? Can’t skate forever?
Haha – yeah you can’t really skate professionally forever. I’ll always love it, and I still skate now. But through that, I got a job doing marketing, sales and product design stuff. And I’ve made some beats for brands that they’ve used in their skateboard and snowboard edits and stuff like that.
Actually mine and Dogger’s tune ‘Fuego’ on DnB Allstars is on the new EA Sports F1 game which is really cool. We made a proper video for that track too, that looks like a film. It was super fun making that (shouts to Hyde productions). If you haven’t seen it go check it out.
So what’s next after this EP? Have you already got more lined up?
I’m working on new EPs and projects for Space Cadet, Footnotes, and Carbon – I have new tracks done with DRS and Liam Bailey. There will be a few singles coming on Precinct. Also, Me and Dogger are working on a project for 1985 at the moment, and that’ll be spread out across the end of 2025 and into 2026.
There’s also more stuff with Anile in the works – we’ve got a few tunes already that didn’t make it onto this Space Notes EP, just because of space or timing.i
And any more of the 140 or garage bits coming soon?
Yeah – I’m already working on some new 140 stuff. Me and Oneman have a few garage bits we’re working on at the moment too, more info on that soon…
Any last thoughts on the EP before we wrap up?
Just that I’m really proud of it. It’s the most cohesive thing I’ve put out, and it feels like a proper snapshot of where I’m at musically right now. The EP hits a lot of angles from liquid, to euphoric, to heavier tunes.
Big love to Anile, LSB, Verbz, Xiva, and of course Footnotes for backing the project. Can’t wait to get it out there properly!
