Kill room, Ghost, Oscillator, Gravity, the list of absolute bangers that production duo Delta Heavy have released in recent years is almost endless, but recently they’ve decided to go back to the beginning with two huge VIPs of the tracks that started it all: “Space Time” and “Take the Stairs” as a celebration of 10 years in the game.  A huge journey that’s taken them to all corners of the globe and places they never thought possible, we sat down with them both to discuss their journey in drum & bass so far, how they keep producing fresh for themselves and where they’re planning to go in the future, enjoy!

– With you being in the game for 10 years, can you sum up your journey in drum and bass for us? What’s it been like so far and what are your plans for the future?
It’s been quite a journey! We feel very lucky to go to work doing our dream career every day and have been able to travel all over the world playing our music. 10 years has flown by with many ups and downs but to be honest, in some ways it still feels like we’re finding our feet. We have much more we want to accomplish both musically and in terms of touring and events. Due to the pandemic hitting in March, we had to cancel our debut ‘Beyond’ show at Rampage in Belgium which was going to be a big step up on the live front so we’re eager to pick that up again when everything returns to normal.  

 

– How long had you been producing music before the original ‘Space Time’ came out?
We both started playing around with production at the end of 2006. We started fairly late compared to most so went into it full tilt.  We had a couple of releases on Viper Recordings just before Space Time came out but we really landed on our feet getting signed to RAM and releasing Space Time in late 2010.

– What was the biggest breakthrough moment for you in your career?  
Other than the RAM signing and Space Time, we released Get By and remixed Nero‘s ‘Must Be The Feeling‘ within a few months of each other and both did really well, particularly in the US and this broadened our scope as bass music producers rather than just drum & bass.  

– If you could pick one track of yours you’re most proud of from the past 10 years, which would it be?
That’s pretty tricky to answer as we both cycle through different favorite tracks, especially if we have a new experience of a track at an amazing show. It creates new memories and puts it in a different light. Ghost has always held a special place in both our hearts.

– What were you doing before producing became your full-time job?
We had both moved to London from home after leaving University in Nottingham; Si was working at a music management company and Ben was working for his dad in an office.  

– You’re known for spanning many genres, do you do this to keep producing fresh for yourselves? 
We’ve always listened to a wide spectrum of music and made the decision early doors that we didn’t want to get stuck in one lane. It keeps producing music and DJing fresh, interesting and makes us more versatile but it has also opened doors that we might not have gone through if we only stuck to one tempo.  Different territories and fans have discovered us via different genres of our music.  It’s also enabled us to work with a larger variety of producers such as Zeds Dead and Kayzo.

– How did you discover drum and bass? Were there any tracks/artists which have been major influences on your work throughout the years?
We both got into drum and bass as teenagers in the early 2000s. Around that time artists such as Dillinja, Ed Rush & Optical, and Bad Company were really popular and that raw aggression in their music was certainly an early influence. It was also when Pendulum and Sub Focus were starting to break through, pioneering a sound with rockier drums, cleaner and more polished production, and more emphasis on midrange lead sounds and cinematic musicality. It was this combination of styles, as well as pretty much everything getting released on RAM Records at the time, that was a huge influence on us. Growing up we’d both been into other forms of dance music including the nascent dubstep sound, as well as rock and indie, but once we had experienced drum and bass in a club we were totally hooked. There is nothing quite like that specific energy and rhythm and we’re still addicted to it to this day.  

– How have you been experimenting with virtual events during the current world situation? How does it feel playing to a virtual audience rather than a live one and do you have plans to do any in the near future?
It’s weird! We really miss the energy that a crowd brings to DJing. We’ve done three sets during the pandemic, the most recent of which was at Fabric in London with our custom visuals and lighting setup a few weeks ago. It felt great to be back inside a club, especially one like Fabric where we have so many memories from years of being there as punters and DJs. It really made us crave normality again but it was nice to be able to do something special during what has been such a bland and tedious year.  

– What other tracks from your discography would you love to rework the most aside from these two? Do you have any plans to release more VIPs?
We’ve done a rework of Get By but that is just going to stay in our DJ sets for the moment.  We keep coming up with new VIP options and ideas but we really want to focus on new music in the immediate future. There are plenty of tunes that will get production updates as they start to age but giving a track a full overhaul isn’t something we’ll take on too regularly. 

Huge thanks to Simon and Ben for taking the time to sit down with us, we hope you enjoyed the remixes as much as we did!