DEFUNKED BACKGROUND written by Fellowship: OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO WE HAVE ALL SEEN THE SOUND OF DRUM & BASS DEVELOP, PROGRESS, AND TRANSFORM INTO THE MANY VARIED STYLES THAT EXIST TODAY. THE GLOBAL SOUND OF D&B IS UNARGUABLY ONE OF THE MOST EXPANDING FORMS OF MUSIC AROUND. IN FACT, NO OTHER STYLE OF MUSIC CAN PROCLAIM THE SHEER DIVERSITY THAT IS DRUM & BASS. BACK IN 1995, I DECIDED TO START A RECORD LABEL CALLED XPRESSIVE, WITH THE INTENTION OF RELEASING A MORE SOULFUL FLAVOUR OF DRUM & BASS - A SOUND THAT I FELT WAS VERY MUCH UNDER-REPRESENTED AT THE TIME. THE XPRESSIVE LABEL PROVED TO BE SUCCESSFUL, EVEN THOUGH THE SCENE WAS STILL DOMINATED BY THE HARDER, MORE TECHNO-INFLUENCED SOUND. DUE TO REASONS BEYOND MY CONTROL, THE LABEL WAS FORCED TO CLOSE IN 1997, BUT I KNEW THE OPPORTUNITY WOULD ARISE FOR ME TO START ANOTHER MUSICALLY-MINDED DRUM & BASS LABEL IN THE FUTURE. BY THE YEAR 2000, THE MORE MELODIC SOUND OF DRUM & BASS HAD GAINED FAR GREATER RECOGNITION, AND I FELT THE TIME WAS RIGHT TO LAUNCH A NEW LABEL DEFUNKED. THE LABELS' SLOGAN - 'RE-INVENT THE CONTENT' PERFECTLY REFLECTS THE ETHOS BEHIND THE LABEL: BY TAKING INFLUENCES FROM MANY DIFFERENT GENRES SUCH AS JAZZ, FUNK, SOUL, AND HOUSE, AND COMBINING THEM WITH THE BACKBONE ELEMENTS OF D&B, BEING OF COURSE THE DRUMS AND THE BASS& THEN FUSING THESE WITH TODAYS CUTTING-EDGE PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES, WE ARE INDEED RE-INVENTING THE CONTENT OF MUSIC FROM THE PAST, FOR GENERATIONS OF THE FUTURE! SINCE THE INCEPTION OF DEFUNKED, WE HAVE BROUGHT YOU MANY FINE SOULFUL DRUM & BASS RELEASES FROM ESTABLISHED ARTISTS INCLUDING CARLITO & DJ ADDICTION, SOLID STATE, JOHN B, TOTAL SCIENCE, AQUASKY, BLUE SONIX, NOS (FROM HIDDEN AGENDA), CALIBRE AND OF COURSE MYSELF - FELLOWSHIP. WE HAVE ALSO ENDEAVOURED TO INTRODUCE NEW UP-AND-COMING TALENT SUCH AS RAZOR, FUNK 'N' FLEX, BLUEZ & BRONCO, JUNIOR CARTEL, KALEB, DICE, AND SANTA CRUZ, WHILST SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING THE PROFILE OF PRODUCERS LIKE GREG PACKER, THE INSIDERS, MATHEMATICS, AND D KAY & EPSILON. WITH AN EVER-EXPANDING ARTIST ROSTER, AND AN INCREASE IN THE GLOBAL POPULARITY OF SOULFUL DRUM & BASS, DEFUNKED LOOKS SET TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.