Kasra

Kasra is an integral part of and prominent figure in the UK underground scene. Using his own label, Critical, as a
vehicle for musical expression Kasra has been responsible for rooting out, guiding and nurturing high quality,
pioneering drum and bass. In the past five years, Kasra has created in Critical a unique identity that is respected
the world over and has ultimately left an indelible mark on the drum and bass scene.

Started at a time when new labels were popping up every day and failing after three months, Kasra put heart and
soul into Critical and stood firm. The label's success is a testament to his ability to rise above the sometimes
negative context in Drum n Bass and turn what seemed like inevitable failure into a highly respected success.

In 2005 Kasra unleashed his first production venture, the dancefloor smash Babylon with Austrian producer Dkay
(Brigand Records). The track was a firm favourite with DJs across the board with Fabio declaring his allegiance to it
on Radio 1 and labels across the scene bidding to have it released under their banner. Further collaborations, such
as Outer Limits with Cyantific and Spider - again with D.Kay - were equally hot property. Kasra's latest production
triumph, Warrior with Lomax, will be showcased on the new Critical Sound Vol 1 EP out this September.

With the rise in profile of the label, Kasra's DJ-ing has taken off with gigs all over Europe from Berlin to Brussels,
Zurich to Zagreb. Kasra has headlined numerous nights across the world, with highlights including the massive
Bon Bon in Shanghai and the awesome Flex in Vienna. With a Critical night on the cards as well as the Critical tour
for the second All Sounds Electric album in October 2008, this side of the label continues to grow apace. With gigs
reaching further afield the label boss looks to use his varied and cultured sets to showcase the talent currently
associated with Critical as well as his own spinning skills.

Kasra's uncompromising attitude to the tunes Critical releases has won him praise from all sides of DnB journalism,
figures and fans and this year the label shows no signs of slowing down or diluting this pure sound. With gigs in
Asia and Europe already under his belt, the first ever Critical EP (Critical Sound) due for release in September and
the brand new All Sounds Electric 2 album and tour set for Autumn, Kasra's all set to take his place in the drum n
bass history books, no arguments.

Bungle

Bungle, better known in Sao Paulo, Brasil as André Oliveira Sobota, has been making music since the age of 7.
Fully trained in musical theory and an accomplished player of the flute, classical guitar and electric guitar, Bungle
has been making music since he was old enough to pick up an instrument. His first serious musical project was an
instrumental band called Shine, which led to the recording and release of their debut album in 2002. Around this
time though, a drum & bass compilation from compatriot DJ Patife caught Bungle’s eye and he was instantly
hooked.


The first full international release was through Nu Directions with Tempestade b/w Sunday. These two killer tracks
announced Bungle’s arrival on the scene with worldwide plays from the likes of DJ Marky, Fabio, XRS and Flight
amongst many others.


Bungle met up with DJ Marky via the Brazilian dance scene and since, have remixed some of the biggest tracks in
drum & bass history including the epic “Funktion” by Ed Rush & Optical, Aquasky’s first ever release “Dezires” as
well as such luminaries as DJ Zinc, Total Science and LTJ Bukem. Their own tracks together have also been
making huge waves throughout the scene with No Time 2 Love becoming one of the hottest tracks of
2006.


His remarkable gift for producing tunes that cover all styles of drum & bass is second to none and this was reflected
in his debut artist album “Down To Earth”, released through CIA Records in 2007. Since then his international
touring career has blossomed and his name is well known on both sides of the Atlantic, not only for his production
abilities, but his prowess in the club as well.

Cern

A widespread name around the globe already; their production has seem them with released and forthcoming
tracks on many of the scenes leading European record labels including UK's Renegade Hardware, Critical Records,
Cylon Records, Deep Soul Music, Horizons Music & Revolution Recordings and releasing on the Netherlands amazing
Citrus Records, Smptm Records & Syndrome Records; Germany's Basswerk imprint, as well as New Zealand's own
Samurai Music, Empathy Records and brand new Aesthetics imprint based in America.

Since 2002 Cern Ollie Macky & Jonny Beck collectively produced drum and bass and downbeat music for the main
purpose of having a good time and making use of their creative tendencies. After finishing school both Climate and
Omen began work at the then home of underground music in Auckland, Fu Bar. This is where their passion for
DJing and production began; having the opportunity to experience the best of what the world had to offer in live DJ
performances. After getting recognised for their DJing skills, they soon began to support some of the local and
international acts for New Zealand drum and bass pioneers Subtronix and Cyanide Recordings. This is when their
attention turned to production, and their skills began to take form. 2006 saw collaborations with Bulletproof,
'Rokhedz' and 'Red Mercury', and pushing the funk sound by promoting visiting artists such as Mayhem, Noisia and
more recently Psidream and D Bridge. 2007 was a productive year for Cern with their “South in Session” series
and "In Depth" monthly, also working on collaborations with some of New Zealand's finest up and coming
producers Dose, Teknik, Menace, Consequence and Luca.

2008 has been a busy year for Cern, with a number of high profiled releases and a few cheeky collaborations with
some of the Drum and Bass scenes most respected artists. Ollie Cern will be touring Europe and the UK in
December and January as a tribute to his production partner Jonny Beck who sadly passed away in July this year,
helping to keep his memory and ideas alive and helping to extend their music to everyone who has supported
them over the years. Look out for the "Scatter the Ashes Tour" bringing the funk in 08/09!

Dose

Dose is an ascending talent in the NZ Drum&Bass scene. An active DJ and
producer for the last 6 years, his cleverly crafted sets and original tracks are turning heads around the globe, from
fellow performers, listeners and labels alike.

Dose’s tunes are being supported by the best in the business at home, with The Upbeats, Bulletproof, State of
Mind, and Concord Dawn dropping his sounds into their live shows. International heavyweights are also paying
close attention, with the likes of Andy C, Pendulum, Ed Rush and Optical, Black Sun Empire and Klute (to name a
few) playing Dose tracks, cementing his place as an emerging leader in NZ Drum&Bass production.

September 2006 saw Optiv, of Cause 4 Concern fame, sign Dose’s “Derailed”, and also request that Dose
complete a 12-inch release for Red Light Records. A wave of interest followed, and since, Dose has secured releases
on labels such as Revolution, Syndrome Audio, Cyanide, Citrus, Samurai Music, Full Force Music and notably, a 12-
inch release on Klute’s “Commercial Suicide” imprint.

More recently, Andy C included Dose’s track “Valium Express” on Mixmag Mix CD, reaching an audience of more
than 40,000 fans worldwide.

In 2007, Dose performed a five-date tour of Australia, gathering a passionate response from both new and
seasoned fans. This year, Dose has already impressed audiences around NZ, touring with fellow DJ/Producer Trei, in
celebration of their Samurai Music release "The other part of me / Its allright " Plans for the remainder of 2008 see
Dose booked to revisit Australia, before he embarks on a full EU/UK circuit in November. For full tour updates and
details, see www.myspace.com/nzdose

Watch out for forthcoming releases from Dose on Syndrome Audio, Commercial Suicide and Critical Music.

Inside Info

There are many rumours circulating the Internet about Inside Info, most are false. However, one of the ones that
is true is that this man makes some of the most technically ridiculous, and powerful music known to man (this
claim has not yet been subjected to independent study). Citing, of all things, a novelty radio watch as his initial
musical inspiration, it was at the tender age of ten years old that Paul Bondy discovered pirate radio stations and
the early sounds of hardcore and proto-jungle through his wrist.

Sucked into the innovative sounds it wasn’t long before Inside Info, or Paul to his friends, began to become
infatuated with broken beats and, after receiving a copy of ‘Rave ‘92’ as a Christmas present, began to delve
deeper into the world of dance music: “I used to be obsessed with computer games and I bought loads of computer
game magazines when I was younger” he explains “I remember buying Gamesmaster which had an interview with
The Prodigy in there. I knew them because of the tracks they had on ‘Rave ‘92’. This was just as they were about
to release the ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’ album and I remember thinking “I HAVE to get that!”, so I picked it
up. When I was old enough I bought tickets to one of their live shows, the way they played live fascinated me, and
I was stood there wondering what the hell was happening behind the racks of equipment!”

Rewinding slightly from what has obviously become a great source of inspiration to Inside Info, it was the emerging
sound of jungle that began to really catch his ear, eating up every compilation and radio show going, from ‘Jungle
Massive’ to Randall’s show on Kiss FM. However, Inside Info was the only one of his peers who showed love for the
clattering breaks and sub bass hits that are all too familiar to junglists of today, and he left the path to pursue
other musical interests, heavy rock and metal.

In his own words though, it wasn’t long before he got the urge to revisit his musical past: “I remember one day
waking up and thinking “I wonder what the hell jungle music sounds like nowadays” so I checked the radio listings
and saw that there was a jungle drum and bass show on Kiss 100 really late in the evening. I stayed up and
listened to it and I remember being completely blown away and wondering how the hell I’d ended up not listening
to it. It was around the time ‘Bambaata’ was released, that was the tune that got me right back into D&B.”

Discovering DJing through some friends who played garage, Inside Info decided to buy his own decks and
immersed himself in the world of playing music. Like many though, the desire to create his own sounds swiftly
followed and Paul saved every spare penny that he wasn’t spending on records to buy himself a Roland MC505:
“While at college I started doing more and more work, I worked as an assistant to a plumber, then an electrician,
and painting and decorating. I remember redecorating my Nan’s spare bedroom for her and she gave me some
money towards it too. Eventually I got my hands on one and made a few tracks which ended up in the hands of DJ
Pappa G from Kool FM. He was impressed with my early progress and came down to my studio and showed me
how to sample breaks and all kinds of stuff.”

Forming a partnership with a friend, the name Inside Info started out as a duo, they worked hard in the studio and
landed themselves a show on Origin FM where they would play their new tracks, getting feedback instantly from
the hordes of D&B fans tuning in each week. After a while the partnership went their separate ways, and Paul kept
on the Inside Info name, taking out a loan to buy a proper studio setup and diving headfirst into his production,
mixing up all the different sounds he loves and wrapping it in Tech. It wasn’t long before this unique tracks caught
the ear of one DJ Hype, and his first release, ‘Concentrate’ b/w ‘Rumble On Signal’ was snapped up for his Ganja-
Tek label.

Since that fateful signing, Inside Info’s tunes have been at the forefront of many a major player’s box, and with
tracks signed to a selection of fine labels, including Horizons, Viper and the incredible anthem ‘Skyhook’ on Lifted’s
sub-label, Breed12Inches, Inside Info is finally getting the props that his years of hard work have earned him. Look
out for a slew of hot material forthcoming on Critical, as well as some choice remixes in the near future. If you
want our trading tip, you’ll want to be picking up some Inside Info bits for your box, deadly.