Kasra

Since his first forays into drum & bass in several years ago as a burgeoning young DJ,
there’s no doubt in 2011 that Kasra has made an indelible mark on the scene, a mark
that continues to grow ever-stronger as his Critical Music empire prospers.

Conceived back in 2002 in a front room in north London, the label has grown from a
simple idea driven by a commitment to putting out the best music the scene has to
offer; it has now become one of the most well respected underground dance music
labels in the UK. Nurturing new talent and releasing some of the freshest breaks and
beats from the likes of Break, Rockwell, Breakage, Cyantific, Marcus Intalex, S.P.Y,
Calibre, Total Science and many more, it has gone on to build a loyal following around
the world driven on by Kasra’s never ending quest to release quality underground bass
music.

As Critical’s figurehead the demand for Kasra’s DJ’ing skills has escalated to the point
of a schedule that sees him playing regularly every weekend throughout the UK and
rest of the world. Vienna, Budapest, Shanghai, Beijing, Miami, Berlin and of course his
beloved London are just a few of the places that have beared witness to the Critical
sound and the list just keeps getting longer. Quite a feat these days for someone
who’s not yet really taken the production bull by the horns.

Though this could be about to change as Kasra’s back in the studio readying his own
takes on the Critical sound; a collaboration with S.P.Y. is already complete and due for
a May 2011 release date as well as solo productions gradually working their way into
the sets of the great and the good of the dnb community.

Not content with a release schedule bursting with future classics and his own rigorous
DJ’ing schedule continually on the up, the label even now boasts its own residency at
one of the worlds best electronic music venues , Fabric, where it can regularly be seen
smashing up the place with an always superstar cast of DJing elite from D&B and
beyond. So now as heads turn and eyes look forward to the rest of 2011 it seems this
could be the tipping point for Kasra both as a DJ and a label head of one of the most
inspiring imprints in dance music today. The Critical age is only just beginning.

Break

Acquiring a love for the breakbeat through jazz and funk records, Break took to the
drums at a young age, learning piano along the way and taking to the turntables at
the age of fourteen before progressing to his own productions at sixteen. Crisp breaks,
heavy bass and effortless rhythm & flow have always been stable marks of his
productions, making him a firm favourite with a variety of the scenes top DJs from the
beginning.

Long hours in the studio have lead to releases on Critical records, Ram, Metalheadz,
Shogun, Exit, Soul:R, Quarantine, Subtitles and a host of others; cementing Break’s
reputation as one of drum & bass’ hottest talents. His trusted skills have been reigned
in to remix seminal drum & bass classics including Shy FX’s ‘Bambaata’, Die’s ‘Clear
Skyz’, Commix’s ‘Talk to Frank’ and Ram Trilogy’s ‘Gridlock’ as well as Bloc Party’s UK
top-5 hit ‘The Prayer’.

Enei

Enei has released on a host of labels including: Critical records, Hospital, Fokus limited
and Citrus recordings. 2011 see's Enei's debut 12" 'Cracker/Danger dance' on Kasra's
critical records shoot to the top of the download charts, and with collaborations featuring
Subwave on Metalheadz later in the year Enei has a busy schedule ahead. 2012 also
see's a landmark release of his first LP for Critical records in the Spring.

In his sets Enei mixes old-school neuro funk and tech step with fresh and futuristic dnb
from Metalheadz, Critical and other labels. His tracks are played by Andy C, Kasra, Nu
Tone, Heist, Ed Rush, Sabre, DJ Hype, London Elektricity, Bulletproof, Soul Intent, Utah
Jazz, Bailey and many others.

Foreign Concept

Foreign Concept is without doubt one of the most exciting new talents to emerge from
the drum & bass scene in recent years. Even with a relatively small amount of releases
to his name so far, the 24 year old south Londoner has made an enormous dent in the
scene since his first forays into production began back in 2009.



Having made the move to Brighton it wasn’t long before his sounds began to
reverberate around the scene and the phone started to ring. Critical label boss Kasra
instantly recognised his talent and championed his sound from the off. Others then
followed; Friction, Hype, Marky, S.P.Y. and many more. 2011 was without the biggest
year to date for Foreign Concept aka Matt Price who after releasing tracks on Samurai
Music and Ingredients Records, secured his first major D&B label releases through
Critical Music and Shogun Audio.



The critically acclaimed ‘Mob Justice’ released on Critical towards the end of the year
sealed the deal as Kasra snapped him up exclusively for Critical.

“Without doubt, one of the most anticipated singles of the year.” 10/10 Data
Transmission

“This one’s been stretching the bins at Fabric for a while now.” 4/5 Mixmag



The EP hit the much coveted No.1 spot across the download charts from Drum & Bass
Arena to Track It Down and secured Foreign Concept as a firm favourite in clubs across
the globe. With an ever-increasing profile his international DJ schedule is now spiralling
and with turntable skills dating back to 1999 you can be sure a Foreign Concept set is
one not to miss.



Now as we turn the page and begin a new year with a whole host of Foreign Concept
music already lined up we know 2012 is looking to be a pinnacle year for this talent and
Critical as the label itself gets ready to celebrate 10 years of Critical Music. Keep it
locked, the future’s too bright!