Many can agree there are few things as exhilarating as jostling for the apex at high speed, nailing the braking point, and exiting full-throttle with perfect timing while an explosive soundtrack blasts in the background. In moments like these, when you are pushing to the absolute limit and the drop of a heavy tune kicks your vibe into the next gear, the high is like nothing else.
Racing and race games have fascinated me from an early age. What’s more: the early exposure to titles like WipeOut on the PS1 even proved to be a precedent for the love of EDM and racing itself.
And while it wasn’t always the case in the last few decades, F1 games, and racing titles in general, have fully started to embrace drum and bass. Take the recently released Forza Horizon 6 as an example, which yet again features a dedicated radio station with dozens of tracks from Hospital Records.
With this in mind, exploring this highly effective combo from a perspective outside the usual artist interview felt essential. And few people fit the bill quite like our next guest.
aarava (Aarav Amin) is known for his sharp commentary and extensive involvement in the sim-racing community, primarily through EA’s F1 series. He’s also a massive drum and bass head, frequently featuring the genre in his edits and live streams.
And when it comes to content creation, all too often a necessity for artists these days, Aarava has some wisdom to share as well. With more than a decade of fine-tuning his output to stay ahead of the curve, his insights into creative work and content creation might provide a fresh take for artists in the scene. Let’s get to it then, read on below.
How do you think the season is going for Formula One right now, because it’s been a bit of a shake-up, right?
We’ll see if they’re still tweaking the rules. It’s been far from ideal for the sport and for the fans, but I love F1 so much, so I always still watch it. It’s probably a bit messier than they wanted for a whole exciting new era.
One could have known this was to be anticipated. It’s uncanny knowing they’re going to be tweaking the engine regulations for power next year yet again (changing the ratio of electric power and ‘traditional’ combustion from 50-50 to 40-60 percent).
But yeah, the changes brought at the Grand Prix of Miami seem to have brought the front-running teams a bit closer. And who knows, Max Verstappen might become a dark horse this season yet again?
People like him were warning F1 about the whole battery situation, so you could see it coming a little bit. Who knows about the future. The amount of times Max has joked about taking his time and thinking about things, I think he’s literally not bothering.
Let’s get back to the beginning of it all, your career as a content creator. What got you into it and how did it develop from there?
I’ve been doing it full-time on YouTube for about ten years now. I got into it five or so years before that in 2012. I just loved Formula One at the time and I’ve always been a massive gamer. I got into the F1 game quite late, and in a weird way, the F1 game almost got me more into F1 by playing it and making videos. I always watched big UK YouTubers like KSI growing up and I just wanted to get into it.
I kept making videos as a hobby. I went to university to study aerospace engineering because I wanted to be an engineer in F1. Whilst I was doing my studies, it picked up more pace and became almost like a part-time job. Once I graduated in 2017, I thought I would just see how this goes. Since then I haven’t really looked back. Obviously, F1 itself has been booming in the last couple of years, so the popularity of the sport has definitely helped as well.
Are you going to do something to celebrate ten years officially full-time in the game?
Next year, yeah. I put a reminder on my phone because I’m usually not great with celebrating milestones. I put it in my calendar to throw a little party with friends or whatever. I’m sure whatever party that is, there’s going to be some drum and bass playing.
As for the drum and bass part, what got you into that? Was there a specific track or an artist that got you into the genre back then?
If I think back to my first exposure to drum and bass, I didn’t even know it at the time. It was the F1 2010 game trailer. They used End Credits by Chase & Status featuring Plan B, and I loved that song with that trailer. The editing and the action just matched the song so well. At the time I was probably more into general EDM, but I loved that track and eventually linked it back. Then, around 2018 or 2019, when I started going out a lot with my friends from university, I got fully into it. The earliest song I can remember that really got me hooked in a nightclub was Desire by Sub Focus and Dimension. I remember it came on at a Rock City event in Nottingham, and I just fell in love with it. I spent the entire rest of the weekend looking through related playlists.
Who is your biggest inspiration up until now, looking at producers that are still in the game?
Honestly, I think Sub Focus. I first came across him with Tidal Wave in 2013, and then obviously Desire came out around 2018. Since then, his longevity and the quality of tracks and albums he puts out is just impressive.
Longevity is something I think about in my own niche, so it’s inspiring to see him constantly putting out bodies of work that do such huge numbers. There are other OGs like Chase & Status and Pendulum, but the quality he puts out is definitely something to be inspired by.
As far as the Formula One soundtracks and games go, do you have a favourite from the last couple of years?
It might be a bit of a rogue choice for F1 fans because the game itself wasn’t a fan favourite, but I thought F1 24 had a very strong soundtrack. The F1 games haven’t been doing official soundtracks with actual songs for too long. Before EA came in, it used to just be orchestral music.
F1 22 was the first time they did an official soundtrack. F1 24 was pretty strong and trendy, and it had tracks like Strangers by Kenya Grace, which was massive on TikTok. It was nice to see a couple of drum and bass tracks on there. I always love when drum and bass randomly pops up into my life when I least expect it.
Do you have a nostalgia track that really takes you back when you think about your period of starting out?
I’m going to say an entire album. In 2021, we were in that halfway house of lockdown and the F1 game was really blowing up. My YouTube channel really grew in viewership. That same year, Dimension put out his album Organ. I think pretty much every single song on there slaps. I love so many of them to this day and still have tracks like Sensory Division on repeat.
If I had to pick the soundtrack to one of the biggest parts of my career, it would be that album. It was a massive year for me with F1 blowing up, doing insane numbers on YouTube, and personally moving into a new flat with two other content creators.
In editing tracks, sometimes you might take a risk that works out well. Do you remember a certain track you weren’t sure about putting in, but it worked out perfectly?
I think back in 2013 or 2014 when I was starting out and getting more into editing. I can’t pinpoint an exact track, but there was a point where I finally understood I could use a little bit of music at the start to hype it up, or bring the entire video to a close using an NCS track. NoCopyrightSounds is quite an important platform for non-copyright songs on YouTube.
Looking back at those years, do you remember any artists you used music from that actually blew up after a while?
I remember T & Sugah. I used to pull quite a bit from NoCopyrightSounds. It is kind of mad that I probably used one or two of their tracks from way back, and then a year or so ago I go to a day festival in London and they were playing a set. You feel like they have always been there, but some of these artists started from small beginnings on YouTube channels like that and then got bigger.
Do you feel you are somewhat of a curator when it comes to the music within your role as a content creator?
Maybe not on YouTube per se, because I have to be very careful with copyright, but definitely on social media like Instagram or TikTok. I put a lot of thought into the songs I put on a carousel post or a TikTok.
I always try and advocate pushing drum and bass more and more whenever I can. I listen to it non-stop. If I can choose my latest favourite track for a post and even one person views it, discovers the track, and adds it to their playlist, I will be pretty happy.
It’s quite an interesting double ambassador role you have there for the genre as well as the game itself.
I will always be about drum and bass propaganda. If I go to a festival, I happily share that I am there. It is always fun to share the passion when I bump into viewers at festivals. They are sometimes surprised to see me at a drum and bass festival.
I remember you were actually at Liquicity in the Netherlands a couple of years ago.
Yes, it is a really intense festival for three days in a row, but it is really fun. Doing something outside of the UK at an event like that is great, and the vibe is even more friendly. Everyone is just there for the same thing and wants to share their passion for loving music.
What makes a good drum and bass track that is suitable for Formula One content?
I think liquid drum and bass lends itself perfectly to Formula One just because of the vibey nature of it. You have that up and down rhythm that mirrors F1. At the same time, if there is a track with a large buildup and big drops, that lends itself well too. Just like how End Credits matched the F1 trailer, high tempo tracks with big hits match the nature of F1 with late braking and quick turning.
Artists have to be content creators these days, and not everybody likes to be pumping out videos. From your experience making so much content, what is your strategy to avoid burnout?
First, you need to know why you are doing it and remind yourself of that all the time. For a music artist, the why is making the music, but posting videos helps your career and the track.
For me personally, I manage the workload by being quite regimented with my schedule. I have it all planned out on a calendar. I try to update it whilst also remaining flexible. You have to read the signs within yourself. If you feel you are doing too much, pull things back. Knowing when to switch off is very important.
Creativity sometimes comes from taking rest. You need to take a beat, stop doing the creative work for a moment, and do something else. It is a fine balance of planning ahead and forcing yourself to take low weeks. I know the period from December to March is a low period for me, so I take it easier and know that when I come back, I will hit the ground running.
How does your schedule look like usually?
I have quite a macro schedule, basically blocking out each day with the video I want to make that day. I’ll have that prepared roughly a month in advance. I also keep it flexible. If personal things get in the way and I can’t do a specific video on a certain day, I’ll move it around with maybe a video that takes less time. It is about being smart, knowing how long things take, and knowing myself in terms of what I can do on a certain day.
On the actual day, I try to keep it quite free flowing. I’ll wake up, do my personal chores, and then get down to business. At the same time, if I want to enjoy the freedom of being a content creator and go out somewhere, I can make it work. I can go out and then come back to do the work in the afternoon. On a whole level, it is basically just a day to day calendar that I try to stick to, but there has to be some flexibility because you just never know what life is going to throw at you.
Life definitely happens when you’re planning after all. Alternatively, your work is also creative. You said you have a rough idea a couple of weeks ahead of the date. Is this the germinating phase where you formulate the idea in the background until the moment you have to do it or?
For some ideas, I have to put a bit of work in to make them possible. If I want to do a certain scenario in a Formula One race or a challenge, I know I have to actually put in some prep work with the game itself, like using PC mods or figuring out how I’m going to actually film it.
Others are simply about ideating. If I put a pin in an idea and I know I don’t need to do any prep work for it, then it’s just there ready for that day. I’ll have some mornings where I am just thinking of ideas, or I’ll go for a walk, put on some drum and bass, and sometimes an idea will come to me. Sometimes I think it is a good idea but I don’t know when to do it. Then I figure out my schedule.
I might see a Grand Prix is near, which makes it a better time to post the content. Timing when you put out content is also something I am constantly thinking about, in the same way artists probably think about the timing of releasing and teasing their tracks.
Do you have any advice for somebody trying to build their brand in the drum and bass niche as a content creator?
I think you almost have to be a content creator nowadays, even when you are an artist. With my YouTube career, I upload so many videos, and I’ve always thought of it like throwing darts at a dartboard. You hope something sticks and does well so you can get closer to the bullseye.
The only way you can do that is by constantly putting out content. For an up and coming artist trying to get out there, I think you have to constantly put out videos and snippets. If you are producing a track, it is really interesting to see clips of you actually making little portions of the song. You have to constantly be out there to hype up new releases.
The way people consume content and discover music now, especially on TikTok, you basically have to put up ten videos just to get one of them seen by the right audience.
It is about building an authentic brand, but at the same time you are dealing with the algorithm. How do you balance that? Do you stick to the authentic identity you’ve built, or do you let the algorithm dictate what you create?
When I started content creation, there was a bit less of the algorithm work than there is now. Now you see bigger creators having to do a certain style of video for it to do well. Personally, I have always just stuck to what I enjoy doing, and then figured out how to package it in a way that makes sense for the algorithm and modern audiences. It keeps you grounded if you actually like doing the style of content you make.
The way people watch YouTube compared to Instagram or TikTok means they all have different formats. It is about keeping true to yourself first, and then figuring out how to put that out for the algorithm. If you do the algorithm bit first and then try to shoehorn your authentic self into it, the audience might not know if you are being genuine. Going into it knowing what you like to create, and then moulding it to what works on the platform, is definitely the best way.
You were talking about Formula One games getting the culture and music right. Do you think they are more in tune with what people want music wise these days?
I really think the soundtracks are getting better as they go on. They are understanding that people want up-tempo music, whether that be drum and bass or just other genres with a high BPM, because it goes hand in hand with Formula One.
They had to start from nowhere with the soundtracks in 2022. A game like FIFA always had an iconic soundtrack, whereas F1 had to find its feet. But they are getting better at picking the selection of songs. The fact that EA came in and added an official soundtrack was massive, because that wasn’t a thing before. A game soundtrack can be a powerful tool for putting artists onto people because players really gravitate towards it and remember it fondly.
Who on the Formula 1-grid is a basshead? Are there any drivers or familiar faces into the genre?
I think Oscar Piastri is quite into his drum and bass. He generally likes dance music and uses deep house tracks on his TikToks. I saw an interview where someone asked him about drum and bass, and apparently Dan Ticktum (professional racing driver) put him onto it.
So I think the biggest basshead out of the drivers would probably be Piastri. It checks out because anytime he puts a new track on his Instagram, it is usually a pretty decent one. He has good taste.
What about the guys in the garages with their playlists? Do you hear certain tracks there as well?
I have had the pleasure of being in a couple of paddocks over the years. I definitely think a team like Red Bull has a few bass tracks playing. They used to be known as quite a party team. The mechanics need music to do all their work to, especially since it can be quite monotonous after the Grand Prix is over. Each team plays music, but Red Bull is probably my biggest pick for bassheads in the garage.
If F1 was a rave, which circuit would be the main stage and which one would be the underground warehouse?
I think the main stage has to be Silverstone. The underground vibe would definitely be Zandvoort in the Netherlands. I have been to both, and Zandvoort has a mad party atmosphere. It is quite a rollercoaster and a crazy track, but it is also a small venue. It sells out very quickly due to the popularity of Verstappen, so I feel that fits the underground scene quite well. Silverstone is the home of motorsport, so it fits perfectly as the main stage.
Have you been to the campsites there, and is there any drum and bass playing?
I actually have a funny story about that. Two years ago, I was working with Hilton for the British Grand Prix, and they threw an after party at the Hilton Hotel right on the main straight at Silverstone. Usually at these PR events, the music is very safe commercial radio.
I turned up and was told they randomly booked a Wilkinson DJ set. It was incredibly intimate. There were only about fifty of us on the rooftop of this hotel, and I essentially got a private set from Wilkinson for an hour.
That is definitely my fondest memory of music at an F1 track. Generally, places like Miami do DJ sets on the grid now. Slowly but surely, more music is getting into F1 to fill the schedule downtime. They are even putting artists on the grid to sing live, so maybe the future is having drum & bass DJs play live.
How did you manage to survive the great Content ID purge and copyright strikes from the wild days of YouTube?
It was tricky. There were days where I would open my email and see fifty messages saying my videos had been tracked for a song that used to be copyright free. That was tough, so now I have to play it very safe with non copyright tracks.
Sometimes, for a special occasion or a big project trailer where I don’t care about monetization, I will just use a song that I actually want to use. In hindsight, it was a lot more fun to pick out music when it was a bit of a wild west, but obviously that didn’t benefit the artists.
If there is a possibility for people to send you music that they own, how would they do that?
They can reach out either through a DM on Instagram @_aarava or via email to my business inbox through aarava at veloce.gg. I am always open to it. Like I said, I have to be very careful most of the time, but if you come to me directly and say you own a track and it would be cool for me to try it out in a video, I am always welcoming of that!
Is there anything else you would like to discuss or put out there about content creation or the drum and bass angle?
I just want to put it out into the space that I hope there is more crossover between drum and bass and Formula One. The genre just fits so well with the nature of the sport. It would be cool to see DJs playing at circuits. The UK scene is so strong, so it would be awesome to get Silverstone to book more drum and bass artists to play their evening concerts during the Grand Prix.
I love Formula One and I love drum and bass, so any excuse to pair the two together, I am all for it. I love it when it pops up on a game soundtrack or at a circuit. I am always very happy when those crossovers happen, so I hope there is more of it in the future.
