Beats Per Minute: Hybrid Minds reveal the huge tracks in their setlist & more

Arguably one of the hottest drum n bass acts in the world right now, Hybrid Minds have been flying the flag for the British drum n bass scene in lands both near and far for way over a decade. The pair of talented producers and equally gifted selectors - Matt Lowe and Josh White - have succeeded where many have failed in the past. With a certain knack for creating and releasing subwoofer-friendly music that seemingly always hits the mark with skankers and ravers around the globe, they continue to further add to their prestige, cementing their status as one of the most successful bass acts the UK has ever produced. 

Picking up from where they left off some years ago, following the deafening silence that fell over venues and nightclubs during the pandemic, the duo are once again beginning to gather momentum. They've recently issued a massive new single featuring upcoming singer, Lily Denning and announced numerous live dates, including their first-ever appearance over in Ibiza with drum n bass brand LOUDER, at San Antonio superclub, Eden. 

Already out on the road, hitting up festival stages and clubs featured on their epic summer schedule, the pair generously agreed to lend us a few minutes of their precious downtime time to chat about the prolific UK D'n'B scene, the shows they've played so far and what's yet to come from Hybrid Minds over the remainder of the year. They also found the time to curate an exclusive Beats Per Minute playlist just for us, comprised of fifteen tracks you can expect to hear the duo dropping at events this year.

Continue reading to find both the playlist and interview, below...

You’ve got an ever-growing schedule of upcoming events, with appearances confirmed in Ibiza, at San Antonio superclub Eden for Louder, as well as festivals like Hospitality on the Harbour and LooseFest, to name but a few. Which event would you say you’re both most pumped for and why? 

"This summer has been overwhelmingly amazing. The first full UK festival season since lockdown. Glastonbury was so special for us. The vibe across the whole festival was just bliss and happiness, it really feels like live music has fully returned."

"We were supposed to do our first shows in Ibiza before lockdown and we are finally getting to live that dream at Eden a bunch of times this summer, for the Louder Ibiza parties. The energy out there is great, pure summer vibes. It’s a bit different to the UK as they love the long build-ups which gives us the chance to let a track breathe a bit more, which we really enjoy. the people in Ibiza get fully immersed in the music and seem to have a longer attention span."

"Hospitality on the Harbour and LooseFest are two others that we are also really looking forward to. They always provide the vibes. And we're also excited to get back out to the states again over the remainder of the year."

We’ve seen you've been performing over in the states just recently, hitting up Las Vegas’ EDC, as well as back here on home soil, lighting up the crowds at the first-ever edition of Creamfields South. How did the two experiences compare?

"It’s been amazing to get the chance to play to both crowds. The production at EDC was simply mind-blowing. It's such a vibrant place and the firework shows are like nothing we've ever seen before. But yes, they are for sure different vibes."

"The UK crowds enjoy the more raw, all-out heavy tracks and quick mixes at festivals, whereas the Americans like a more melodic dance floor sound. We love playing our tracks out in the states because we haven’t been there all that much, so they still feel really fresh. We try to package them up in the mix a bit different to how we do at the UK festivals to make our sets even fresher."

When putting together your live set, what considerations do you have to make? Do you follow a format or do you allow the energy of the crowd to sway the choice of records you spin? Do you each bring your own flavour to the decks? And does a festival set differ from one you might perform in a club? 

"The general rule is to find a balance between our own music and other artists that we think that a specific crowd will enjoy. We try to be mindful that some people at a festival will be in the tent just to see us and we want to keep them happy, but we also want to keep the energy of the tent right, especially if it's a drum and bass tent."

"If we are doing a headline show it gives us the confidence that people are there to hear our music, so we try and cram as much of ours in as possible. Festival systems in the UK quite often seem to lack the low-end a club system would have so we lean towards more synthy stuff and leave the bigger sub-bangers for the clubs. Probably most importantly, as a duo, we both have pretty similar tastes, which helps a lot when it comes to building a setlist."

Bass music is still massively on the rise here in the UK, influencing a whole new generation of exciting artists, the likes of Nia Archives and Samurai Breaks. Are there any underground names you’re listening to that you feel Skiddle fans should be made aware of? 

"There are a whole bunch of great drum and bass acts around at the minute. We really rate Emba who is a great liquid producer. Then there's a heap of guys smashing the clubs like Hedex, whose sets have been going off big time. Just pure energy."

Within the realms of drum n bass, and apart from your own releases, which records have been the best of the year so far and why? What bangers have you guys had on repeat?

"Fred V has been releasing some really nice stuff. We also love the Camo & Krooked & Mefjus remix of High Contrast's - ‘Return Of Forever’. There's also ‘Feels Like’ from Lens and our MC Tempza just dropped a great track with K Motionz called ‘Breathe’."

We’ve been waiting patiently to hear news from the Hybrid Minds camp, about whether or not we can expect some new music in the not-so-distant future. Can we expect a follow-up to last year’s Reflections EP anytime soon?

"We just released a track with Lily Denning called ‘Better Now’, which marks the start of a new chapter of releases for us which is really exciting. The next album is entitled Tides and we will be releasing it bit by bit over the coming year or so."

Finally, a bit of a head-scratcher to round off the interview - You can choose only one record to play at the end of every set you play this year. What record would that be and explain why you’ve chosen it:

"Easy! Birdy - ‘Wings’ (Nu:Logic Remix). We haven’t been able to put that track down since it came out years ago. We’ve ended our sets with it for a good amount of time and when we stopped, life just didn’t feel the same."

Making the journey over to Isla Blanca this summer? Tickets are now on sale for LOUDER Ibiza events at Eden and can be purchased by clicking or tapping - HERE

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.