Fabriclive has blessed our collections with a straight up drum & bass mix via Mefjus, who’s dropped a 29-track opus on the series.
Powered solely by his own material and schnitzels, not only does Fabriclive 95 bring everyone up to speed on his dynamic sonic range and absurd production levels but also features a selection of VIPs and versions that have never before been released.
Inspired by the mix, we’ve gone back over his UKF upload history while we wait patiently for his next move. There’s a lot to absorb; one of our most popular acts on the channel, since his debut upload in December 2013 (his remix of Chase & Status – Alive) he’s given us over 20 tracks and remixes accruing well over nine million views.
“I can’t believe I’ve had so many uploads! It’s ridiculous. I respect the support and thankful but it’s mad,” he grins.
To amplify this madness just a smidgeon, we’ve asked him to pick just five of his favourites and look back over them.
“This is a hard one,” he admits. “But not impossible. I’m definitely more attached to some productions than others. Some tracks are very important or very special because they’re done with a friend or they tell a story. I’ve missed out a few but these are definitely some of the most important moments for me so far…”
Get to know:
Blitz (Neosignal, November 2015)
I have a very close relationship with Florian and Michael. They’re good buddies now but back in the day they were the main guys who really helped me get heard. Through their support and releases on their label I was picked up by Critical, for example. So these guys have a special place in my heart and so does this tune. I love how it’s just such a typical tool. It builds and drops and can be mixed with everything. It doesn’t do too much but does what it has to do. It’s functional in my favourite type of way, if that makes sense. Also for added bonus points, it’s been sync’d to Gran Tourismo which has been a bucket list for me forever. I’m very proud of this and I look forward to working with Flo and Michael again in the future.
Ivy Lab – Sunday Crunk (Mefjus Remix) (Critical, March 2015)
I totally underrated this remix when I made it. I remember doing this little pre-listening party to like 100 people in Fabric room three when we did the launch for my Emulation album. After we played the album I said ‘hey guys check this new remix I did last night while you’re here.’ Just to test it out, really and see reactions because I didn’t know if it was good or not. It went off like I never believed. It was crazy. I thought ‘okay that’s weird!’ And yeah it turned out kinda huge. So many people played it out and for a while I got totally sick of it. I don’t think I played it for a year and a half or so. But then I made a new version of it and I started playing it again at Outlook again and my relationship with it has taken a new twist.
Camo & Krooked – Mandala (Ft Mefjus) (Mosaik Music, May 2017)
We’d been talking about doing something together for years and years but knew it couldn’t be anything for the sake of it. It had to be special. While they were writing their album they sent things over to me for feedback so we were in touch a lot during that time. We’re in separate fields of drum & bass but that’s actually great because we’re not so used to each other’s sound textures as much and have a completely objective view on each other’s work. So I already loved their whole record and there was this little roller idea I was really into.
When they were finishing the record Markus called me and asked if I would be up for jumping on the roller. Of course I was! We jumped on it and totally remade it. I love the instruments we picked, I love how it develops and how there are just so many things in there but comes together so nicely. It was very intense with us all working on separate parts of the track for several weeks and at one point I thought it was a wrap but Markus knew we could up the level even further. We carried on grinding at it really came together. Kudos to him for being such a drill sergeant. It shows how artists from different styles can work together and complement each other when you really embrace the power of schnitzels. Oh on a side note, if you get to see Camo & Krooked’s new live show make sure you do… It is off the hook!
Noisia, Mefjus & Hybris – Reptilians (Vision, February 2015)
Working with Noisia was such a bucket list moment for me. The whole weekend we made this and Clusterfunk was very special. Getting to stay in Groningen, playing there and getting to know the guys and Evan Hybris. I still play both tracks because they remind me of such a good time. This one is my favourite musically; it’s a lot of fun, it’s a messy but super loud mixdown with lots of weird samples. Having been inspired by them for so many years, being able to work with them was incredible. It was also a little intense and scary; sitting in their amazing studio with them behind me while I worked was quite a bit of pressure. But it worked out fine in the end of course.
Suicide Bassline (Critical, October 2014)
My dad is a funny guy… The other day he was Googling me and rang me to say ‘dude! Do you know you’ve had over 1.5 million plays on this tune!’ I certainly didn’t and it kinda blew my mind. This whole track is mad, really. It was the first track to come out from my Emulation album, which is a project that’s very close to me but I never expected Suicide Bassline to represent the whole record if you know what I mean? It kinda did, which is funny because the whole track is a bit of a piss take. The sample, the whole emotional drama, the super aggression… The title. Who calls their tracks Suicide Bassline? The sample is actually from an American TV show and the whole idea was meant as a bit of fun but represented the most serious release I’d ever done! Then the VIP won Best Track at the Drum&BassArena Awards last year which was beyond crazy. Funny how these things work out, right?
Fabriclive 95: Mefjus is out now
