​René LaVice is the Canuck Don of Drum & Bass

Toronto has long been the home of the amen break in the Great White North, but rarely has the city fathered a top-level drum & bass icon to call its own. Step in Ram Records badman René Lavice. Last year, his tune "Where My Ladies At" was a quintessential dancefloor crusher and a dark horse candidate for 'Best Use of Cowbell in a Dance Track 2014,' and Lavice has kicked off 2015 on similar form with the highly varied two-track release "The Calling/Freudian" on Ram.

The A-side from the tune, "The Calling," ft. Ivy Mairi kicks off with some epic indie-rock vibes, like a laid-back Arcade Fire, before a breakbeat builds and out of nowhere you're waist-deep in blown-out bass and nightclub vibes. It's a distinctly unique proposition and has received heavy BBC Radio airplay in recent weeks. The track kicks off the guest mix LaVice has crafted for THUMP.

Elsewhere in a mix that's populated by many LaVice originals and remixes are tunes from essential D&B acts like Wilkinson and Noisia, rising stars like Rockwell and Rudimental, and a couple surprises along the way like Djemba Djemba's jungle'd out remix of RL Grime. It just goes to show the power of experience - LaVice may be a new name to many, but he's been around the block a few times and knows exactly how he wants to throw down.

And hey, if you're in the mood for a change of pace, check out Jason Burns' deep house remix of "The Calling." Your bruised ears might need the soothing tones after this raucous selection.

Find René on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

TRACKLIST:
René LaVice - Calling ft. Ivy Mairi
I See Monstas - Circles (I See Monstas Club Mix)
High Contrast & Clare Maguire - Who's Loving You Part 2
Chris Lake - Helium ft. Jareth (René LaVice Remix)
René LaVice - Air Force One
State Of Mind - No-Operative
Sigma - Rudeboy VIP
Rudimental - Waiting All Night (René LaVice Remix)
Rockwell - Detroit
René LaVice - Where My Ladies At
René LaVice - Freudian
RL Grime - Valhalla (feat. Dhjemba Djemba)
Nero - Satisfy (LoKo Mix Tool Bootleg)
LAXX - Semi Auto
MUST DIE! - Hellcat (Snails remix)
Habstrakt - Habby9000
RL Grime - Core
René LaVice - Rude Selection ft. Trinity Chris
Yeezus - Send it Up (Marcus Visionary Bootleg)
DRS - The Puppeteer ft. Jubei
René LaVice - Pipe
René LaVice - Headlock
Wilkinson - Redemption
Jillionaire & Salvatore Ganacci - Fresh (René LaVice Remix)
Noisia - Running Blind
Gerra & Stone - Lockdown
Usher - Climax (René LaVice Remix)
René LaVice - Dank VIP
Ulterior Motive - Tape Pack
Eric Prydz - Liberate (Matrix & Futurebound Remix)

Header image: Visualbass