As DJ/ producer, Simon ‘Bassline’ Smith said: “Formation is one of the founding labels for the last 20 years. They’ve taken on a lot of great new artists including G Dub and Twisted Individual.”

The occasion was marked with a massive World of Drum n Bass night, also ran by DJ SS, held at Leicester University on Saturday February 13th. I was lucky enough to speak to some of the big names from the genre, including Subzero, DJ Friction, Subfocus, Crissy Criss, and Andy C, to hear their thoughts on the label over the years.

Subzero, aka Jake Carter, lives in Leicester and was with Formation for five years. He said: “The World of Drum n Bass night has taken me to some interesting places, places you probably wouldn’t usually go. Drum n Bass is a global thing, I can go somewhere strange and they want to buy my records. You can see that it’s getting bigger and growing more and more.”

On Formation he said: “The first time I came to Leicester was ten years ago and it was the ten year anniversary then. It’s amazing for it to be around this long. Leroy is brilliant at supporting the genre everywhere. Although New York hasn’t taken to it due to its strong hip hop roots, a lot of other places in America love it. It’s huge in LA, California and Miami.”

Andy C, owner of Ram Records and one of the biggest names in DnB said: “I was standing at the counter of Boogie Times buying up records when I was 15-years-old and Lighter by DJ SS was one of the tunes at the time, I opened a set with it before. Formation has been a staple part of the scene, 20 years and still doing the business. Ram Records has been going for 18 years so it’s wicked we’re still here and the night’s packed out. Formation has always been at the forefront of the scene though. I just really want to sing my praises for the label lasting 20 years and representing Leicester to the fullest.”

What’s happening with Ram? “We’ve just had an incredible couple of years. The original years we had Shimon, Ant Miles, Moving Fusion and Red One and now there’s Chase and Status and Subfocus. The production level of music has gone up and up. We’ve sold more than 100,000 copies of ‘More Than a Lot’ now.” To watch out for this year on Ram Records are Lomax, Xample and Culture Shock with incredible things coming.
On vinyl sales Andy said: “Things are getting digital. The Drum and Bass Arena website is selling three times as much as the shops now. If you make it easy for people to buy the music they will. It helps the scene and it helps the artists. It’s about being able to promote and expose the artists in the right way. We can have a healthy scene because of this new generation buying music digitally.”

DJ Friction, label manager of Shogun Audio, said: “Formation was one of the labels that got me into Jungle. Back in 1995 I spoke to SS to get on the mailing list and was so happy, back then it was like being on the guest list.”

Man of the moment, mixing up genres with a distinctive style, Subfocus has a self-titled album out now. He said: “I’ve been into Formation for a bit. The first record I bought on the label was from the Colour Series. I’ve done a few of these shows too (World of Drum n Bass). SS does them all over the place, LA are loving it.”

Currently collaborating on a track with hip-hop artist Example, he told me: “I’m enjoying doing stuff like that because it’s something different from the hard dance music.” There is also an upcoming collaboration with Chase and Status in the works, being on the same record label and in the next-door studio adds some convenience. Then there’s the live project, supporting Pendulum on tour, the group who have arguably reignited a passion for the genre. Watch out for Sub this year.

Radio 1Xtra DJ, Crissy Criss, said of Formation: “I’m only 22 so it’s definitely been around for a long time. It has really represented drum and bass for the Midlands so they’re doing a wicked thing.”

What’s happening in 2010 for Drum and Bass? “It can only get healthier. There’s people saying drum and bass is dying but it just grows. Electronic music is just going to keep going forwards. It can only get bigger with the likes of Chase and Status and Pendulum, and with Dubstep coming in, it’s a helping hand.”