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Music

Brighton's Finest: Drum and Bass Act The Prototypes Drops Debut Album

Released on Viper Recordings, "City of Gold" finds truth in tear-out and far beyond.

Brighton drum and bass act The Prototypes have been a fixture on the UK underground for a while now, particularly amongst the more aggressively ilked, after having found a home on Liverpool-based Viper Recordings alongside Brookes Brothers, ShockOne, InsideInfo, and Cyantific after bouncing around the usual suspects in UK heaviness like Shogun and Ram.

The Prototypes are one of the few to rep the South Coast seaside town of Brighton on an international scale. "For the size of it, there has always been a huge amount of drum and bass on in Brighton," the duo tell THUMP. "That continues to this day. Along with that is a really big culture of dedicated heads and ravers alike. The city has been everything to us"

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Brighton drum and bass act The Prototypes have been a fixture on the UK underground for a while now, particularly amongst the more aggressively ilked, after having found a home on Liverpool-based Viper Recordings alongside Brookes Brothers, ShockOne, InsideInfo, and Cyantific after bouncing around the usual suspects in UK heaviness like Shogun and Ram.

The Prototypes are one of the few to rep the South Coast seaside town of Brighton on an international scale. "For the size of it, there has always been a huge amount of drum and bass on in Brighton," the duo tell THUMP. "That continues to this day. Along with that is a really big culture of dedicated heads and ravers alike. The city has been everything to us"

After five years, The Prototypes' debut album, titled City of Gold, is set for release on May 17. "I don't know if there us ever a right time to drop an album," the dup admit on the verge of their big release. "I think the basis of everything comes down to the music––let the music do the talking. Whenever anyone puts new music out, you never know how it's going to go down. Even if you think it's a big track, it might flop, it might smash. Now we're nearly there and it's almost officially out. It feels fucking great"

City of Gold features already celebrated tracks like the the careening heater "Pale Blue Dot" and an even more relentless VIP of "Abyss" amongst guest appearances by Ayah Marar and Donae'o. We've got the premiere of one of the biggest switch-ups on the album, titled "Redose," it's an immersive halftime stomper that drops elements of dubstep, electro, and deep house.

"Diversity is the thing that really draws our ears to 'Redose.' The original concept was a tear out electro house tune more than a year ago, but we went back on it and really simplified it down," the duo explain. "The track is about going to illegal raves when we were younger and getting completely twisted and losing your mind for a bit...It has that scary but euphoric vibe that you only get when you are out of it!"

The duo have enjoyed a front row seat amidst the fast-changing tides of UK bass music over recent times, and their sound is defined by the flourishes they've picked up along the way. "The main thing that has changed in drum and bass over the past few years is that its now very much more upfront. When you compare an old banger from five years ago to now, the difference is clear and mainly in the sound of the drums. Break-based drums were far more common then," the duo explain.

The Prototypes' track "Fallen," featuring Donae'o, is an homage to this subtly-more-subtle era in UK bass. Just after the minute mark, the track drops into a jungle-influenced breaks groove with 90s hardcore written all over it. It's moments like this, common on City of Gold, that elevate The Prototypes above many of their upfront-minded peers. Having taken their time to put forth their first LP and to develop in a way that isn't just louder, The Prototypes have developed a deeper palate to work from on City of Gold, and that's how they've found such truth in the tear out.

Pre-order the album here and get "redose" instantly.

Find The Prototypes on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

_After five years, The Prototypes' debut album, titled _City of Gold, is set for release on May 17. "I don't know if there us ever a right time to drop an album," the dup admit on the verge of their big release. "I think the basis of everything comes down to the music––let the music do the talking. Whenever anyone puts new music out, you never know how it's going to go down. Even if you think it's a big track, it might flop, it might smash. Now we're nearly there and it's almost officially out. It feels fucking great"

City of Gold features already celebrated tracks like the the careening heater "Pale Blue Dot" and an even more relentless VIP of "Abyss" amongst guest appearances by Ayah Marar and Donae'o. We've got the premiere of one of the biggest switch-ups on the album, titled "Redose," it's an immersive halftime stomper that drops elements of dubstep, electro, and deep house.

"Diversity is the thing that really draws our ears to 'Redose.' The original concept was a tear out electro house tune more than a year ago, but we went back on it and really simplified it down," the duo explain. "The track is about going to illegal raves when we were younger and getting completely twisted and losing your mind for a bit…It has that scary but euphoric vibe that you only get when you are out of it!"

The duo have enjoyed a front row seat amidst the fast-changing tides of UK bass music over recent times, and their sound is defined by the flourishes they've picked up along the way. "The main thing that has changed in drum and bass over the past few years is that its now very much more upfront. When you compare an old banger from five years ago to now, the difference is clear and mainly in the sound of the drums. Break-based drums were far more common then," the duo explain.

Brighton drum and bass act The Prototypes have been a fixture on the UK underground for a while now, particularly amongst the more aggressively ilked, after having found a home on Liverpool-based Viper Recordings alongside Brookes Brothers, ShockOne, InsideInfo, and Cyantific after bouncing around the usual suspects in UK heaviness like Shogun and Ram.

The Prototypes are one of the few to rep the South Coast seaside town of Brighton on an international scale. "For the size of it, there has always been a huge amount of drum and bass on in Brighton," the duo tell THUMP. "That continues to this day. Along with that is a really big culture of dedicated heads and ravers alike. The city has been everything to us"

After five years, The Prototypes' debut album, titled City of Gold, is set for release on May 17. "I don't know if there us ever a right time to drop an album," the dup admit on the verge of their big release. "I think the basis of everything comes down to the music––let the music do the talking. Whenever anyone puts new music out, you never know how it's going to go down. Even if you think it's a big track, it might flop, it might smash. Now we're nearly there and it's almost officially out. It feels fucking great"

City of Gold features already celebrated tracks like the the careening heater "Pale Blue Dot" and an even more relentless VIP of "Abyss" amongst guest appearances by Ayah Marar and Donae'o. We've got the premiere of one of the biggest switch-ups on the album, titled "Redose," it's an immersive halftime stomper that drops elements of dubstep, electro, and deep house.

"Diversity is the thing that really draws our ears to 'Redose.' The original concept was a tear out electro house tune more than a year ago, but we went back on it and really simplified it down," the duo explain. "The track is about going to illegal raves when we were younger and getting completely twisted and losing your mind for a bit...It has that scary but euphoric vibe that you only get when you are out of it!"

The duo have enjoyed a front row seat amidst the fast-changing tides of UK bass music over recent times, and their sound is defined by the flourishes they've picked up along the way. "The main thing that has changed in drum and bass over the past few years is that its now very much more upfront. When you compare an old banger from five years ago to now, the difference is clear and mainly in the sound of the drums. Break-based drums were far more common then," the duo explain.

The Prototypes' track "Fallen," featuring Donae'o, is an homage to this subtly-more-subtle era in UK bass. Just after the minute mark, the track drops into a jungle-influenced breaks groove with 90s hardcore written all over it. It's moments like this, common on City of Gold, that elevate The Prototypes above many of their upfront-minded peers. Having taken their time to put forth their first LP and to develop in a way that isn't just louder, The Prototypes have developed a deeper palate to work from on City of Gold, and that's how they've found such truth in the tear out.

Pre-order the album here and get "redose" instantly.

Find The Prototypes on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

The Prototypes' track "Fallen," featuring Donae'o, is an homage to this subtly-more-subtle era in UK bass. Just after the minute mark, the track drops into a jungle-influenced breaks groove with 90s hardcore written all over it. It's moments like this, common on City of Gold, that elevate The Prototypes above many of their upfront-minded peers. Having taken their time to put forth their first LP and to develop in a way that isn't just louder, The Prototypes have developed a deeper palate to work from on City of Gold, and that's how they've found such truth in the tear out.

Pre-order the album here and get "redose" instantly.

Find The Prototypes on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter