With over two decades of shaping drum & bass culture, BCee stands as a testament to authentic artistry and unwavering dedication to the genre.
Photo credit: BCee – Facebook
As the founder of Spearhead Records, he’s more than just a producer and label head—he’s a curator of quality and champion of emerging talent. His label has launched the careers of artists like Hybrid Minds, Netsky, and LSB.
Now, celebrating Spearhead Records’ 20th anniversary with an ambitious schedule of 24 singles for 2024, BCee joins EG to discuss his recent collaboration with London Elektricity, his industry journey, and the evolving landscape of drum & bass.
EG: Hi BCee, welcome to EG, and congratulations on this milestone. Spearhead Records is celebrating 20 years, which is quite a run! Looking back, how would you each describe the label’s journey so far, and what keeps you excited for what’s ahead?
BCee: Thanks for the invite. It’s been quite a ride over the last twenty years as the world, particularly technology, has changed so much. When we started, the only format that people were really using to DJ with was vinyl records, so if you could press a record and get a distributor behind you to get it into shops, then you were on to a winner. There were so many physical record shops that you could sell 1,000+ vinyls without anyone knowing anything about the artist but just purely based on what it sounded like.
Musically, I think that we have really stood firm in the foundation of the label, which was to release musical uplifting drum & bass that had a hook to it, that you could listen back to in ten years’ time and it would still be memorable. Back then I had no concept of still doing this in 20 years—I was only 28 years old, so that seemed crazy. As a business, it’s more about continually adapting to the technology and keeping up with the ever-growing and changing way that people listen to music. Thankfully, I still very much love the music, and I’m excited to continue to embrace it and seek out new and exciting sounds that will hopefully still be played in another twenty years.
EG: You’ve just released ‘Diamonds in the Rain,’ where you combined forces with London Elektricity and Ruth Royall. How did this collaboration come together, and what did each of you bring to the creative process?
BCee: London Elektricity was one of the first artists that really drew me to drum & bass over twenty years ago and the sound of Hospital Records in general. I went to a lot of the early Hospitality shows and went to see London Elektricity Live at the Jazz Cafe and a few other venues too. From there, I remember sending Tony a t-shirt from my previous label, Rubik Records, and chatting with him on AIM (AOL instant messenger, which is how we all used to send each other music). I’d just set up Spearhead and Hospital were trying to give Danny Byrd a push. I’d got to know Danny a bit too, and Tony (London Elektricity) called me and asked if I would like to do a Danny Byrd 12′ on Spearhead as he felt it would be a good fit and liked what I was doing with the label. Really, from then we just kept in touch and have got to know each other quite well over the years.
From 20 years ago I would have lost my mind at the thought of writing a track together; in fact, a few years back we did a back-to-back set at Fabric with Dynamite MC on vocals, and it was absolutely mad to think about that from the perspective of that 28-year-old me setting up a label. Tony asked me if I would like to collaborate on a track that he had written with Ruth Royall that he had got a bit stuck with and sent me the stems. I pulled it apart, re-did the drums and added a few elements, and sent it back. Then Tony came up to my studio for a session to get it into shape. We had a lot of fun sampling the window frames in my studio because the sub was rattling them to the point it sounded like they were going to fall out, and because of the laws of physics, that rattling was in tune with the bass, so we mic’d up the windows, recorded the rattle and added it to the bass. It was a lot of fun, and Tony really thinks very creatively outside of the usual just-sit-at-the-computer-screen thing.
EG: Reaching a two-decade milestone isn’t easy in any music scene, let alone drum & bass. What do you think has allowed Spearhead Records to remain influential for so long?
BCee: I’ve always looked for the people that I would like to work with beyond the music that I would like to sign. Obviously, the music has got to be gold, but I’ve listened to artists that are doing something fresh or just really good or just a sound that I really gravitate to or play a lot, then often approached them and asked if they would like to write something for Spearhead. A lot of the time whoever I ask can’t do it, but when they can, it’s amazing. There have also been several times where an artist has been really up for a Spearhead release but has had other commitments and the timing isn’t right or just for whatever reason can’t, but a year or so down the line we have finally managed to make something happen.
Seba and I talked about him doing an album for Spearhead for probably ten years before it finally happened late last year. I’ve also always taken the approach to A&R that I want to get the best out of people’s own sound, so I try not to over-influence or change people’s direction, but instead to push people to trust their sound and also link people together, e.g., the right vocalist for the right track.
“I try not to over-influence or change people’s direction, but instead to push people to trust their sound and also link people together”
EG: The label plans to release 24 singles this year. How are you managing that level of output without compromising on quality, and what can fans anticipate from the upcoming releases?
BCee: 24 releases might sound like a lot, but they are all singles, so it’s actually less music than a lot of years where we have released several albums and EPs. In fact, it’s been tough narrowing it down to 24 tracks. I emailed a bunch of people that I really like that are currently smashing it, a bunch of artists that have released on Spearhead in the past, and some that haven’t done anything for ages just to see who was up for submitting something and had a lot of music come back to me.
I’ve been actively trying not to sign anything unless I absolutely love it, and even then, while I’ve always tried to have a light touch with A&R, I worked hard with Dan Gresham on the mixing and mastering to ensure that the final mixes and masters were bang on. All 24 tracks are already sitting on my hard drive ready to go, and I know that people won’t be disappointed.
EG: From your perspective, how is Drum & Bass evolving in the present day, and do you see any emerging trends or new audiences gravitating towards it?
BCee: Drum & Bass, as with all music, is constantly evolving. Partly, as mentioned earlier, down to tech, partly due to major labels taking an interest and putting money into new artists. Never has it been so easy to produce music, but equally never has it been so hard to stand out from the crowd. I try not to really take any notice of what anyone else is doing, unless it’s to make sure I do something different.
EG: Reflecting on where you started, what’s one major change you’ve noticed in drum & bass culture or production that stands out the most to you now?
BCee: It’s that ease of being able to make the music. Also, it’s become less underground and more commercial and moved further away from its roots. The music is a lot less sample-based now, which personally I don’t like as I think that sampling is an important part of the culture, but no one ever used to clear any samples and that is harder to get away with now, so people tend to use Splice and Loopcloud for samples, which are great tools, but anyone can access them, so it’s a little less creative than going through charity shop and record fair bins for rare vinyls to rip.
“Never has it been so easy to produce music, but equally never has it been so hard to stand out from the crowd”
EG: Outside of the studio and the label, where do you each find inspiration or motivation for your music? Are there specific experiences or interests that fuel your creativity?
BCee: Alongside my wife, we run a community garden project, Green and Glory Garden, which we are spending more and more time at. I love hanging out with my family and long walks with my poodle.
EG: Finally, as you look to the future, what message do you hope ‘Diamonds in the Rain’ sends to listeners, and what do you each envision for Spearhead Records over the next decade?
BCee: I’m very open-minded about the future of Spearhead Records. I’m not sure what the next 20 years of the label will look like, but I know what it won’t look like. It won’t look like something that pushes towards a more commercial sound and grows in terms of more staff etc. It will continue to release music that I think speaks to my soul as well as my ears.
Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you. Ruth and Tony wrote the lyrics for ‘Diamonds in the Rain,’ so I’m not the best person to answer that one, and tbh I don’t like to be too specific about what lyrics mean because people will connect their own stories to them in different ways, but I hope that it connects with people and hope they play it loud to hear that window shaking in the bass.
BCee’s ‘Diamonds in the Rain’ is now available on Spearhead Records. Stream and download here.
