Who are Exception?
In the heart of Italy, the drum and bass (d&b) scene in Rome is experiencing a vibrant growth, with active local collectives and emerging producers making their mark. While much of the Italian d&b activity is noted more broadly in northern cities like Trento, Rome features influential DJs and nights promoting d&b culture and artists.
Key points on the current scene and emerging producers:
- The Rude Sound crew, founded in 2019 in Trento but influential nationally, is representative of the Italian d&b and jungle scene. They promote underground bass music ranging from jungle to dubwise, hosting local and international acts and expanding into radio shows to grow their audience.
- In Rome, events like The Greenhouse feature d&b-focused DJs who blend genres and connect different d&b eras with warm, textured house sets, indicating a hybrid approach to the genre.
- A notable emerging producer from Rome is @mag_dnb, who has been active since early teens and draws inspiration from diverse d&b artists. He has been featured prominently in events like Stoic Music Label nights at venues such as the Void Club, highlighting the presence of young talent in the local scene.
While Rome's scene may not be as large or historically prominent as some other Italian cities, it hosts dynamic events and producers working to elevate d&b culture. The increasing presence of collectives, radio shows, and international collaborations suggests a scene on the rise.
Moving on to the Italian duo Exept, they have recently released their debut LP Black Soul on Delta9 Recordings. With a history in scratch turntablism and hip-hop, Exept have been active in the d&b scene for some time, releasing tracks on Noisia's INVISIBLE, Methlab, Pseudoscience, Dispatch, Vision, Surveillance, and Overview. The idea behind Black Soul was to showcase the various aspects of Exept's sound, a two-year labour of love that took them back to their roots in Rome.
Before forming Exept, the duo started DJing together and setting up events in Rome before transitioning to production work. In the pre-digital era, they had to buy vinyl records to play at events. After a break to work on solo projects, they reunited in 2018 to form Exept. Their album Black Soul is a testament to their continuous strive to discover new production techniques and their prioritization of originality over perfection.
In their personal lives, Michele works in a freight forwarding company, while Marco has a recording studio where he works on recording, mixing, production, and DJing courses. Marco's top tip for producers is to prioritize originality over perfection, while his everyday life mantra is that what goes around comes around. For breakfast, Marco enjoys egg white, oats, banana, honey, and almond, while Michele prefers pancakes with peanut butter and coffee.
The Rome d&b scene, while currently inactive, occasionally features artists playing multiple genres. In contrast, the d&b scene in the rest of Italy, especially the north, is more active and has a better connection between artists and promoters. Despite this, the vibrant and growing scene in Rome offers a promising future for the Italian d&b scene.
[1] Rude Sound Crew: https://rudesound.bandcamp.com/ [2] The Greenhouse: https://www.facebook.com/thegreenhouserome/ [3] Stoic Music Label: https://soundcloud.com/stoicmusiclabel/sets/stoic-music-label-nights
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