Drum&Bass hasn’t seen a breakthrough act like this in years, operating entirely independently and proudly making their music from left of centre, what Hybrid Minds (Josh White & Matt Lowe) are doing is brave and different and it’s starting to pay dividends.
The music industry was somewhat surprised when this humble UK drum&bass duo sold out the 4,000 capacity London venue Printworks in quick fashion, however the music industry was well and truly shocked when they sold out their follow up London headline show at the renowned Brixton Academy venue, 6 months in advance! Selling tickets like this as quickly as this, only goes to prove that Hybrid Minds have built up a truly passionate and dedicated following, and word is spreading. FAST.
In 2019 they delivered a whole host of new music including “Higher Love”, “Drowning In You” and a fantastic remix of Tom Walker’s hit record “Just You And I”. After a debut spin from tastemaker Zane Lowe on his flagship show on Apple Music, “Drowning In You” broke new ground for the duo having been included on a whole host of more mainstream playlists from MTV to Spotify, including the much desired New Music Friday and even Chill Tracks playlist. A first for any drum&bass artist, we told you they were different.
Despite the pandemic, 2020 was still a year of great progress for Hybrid Minds. The guys joined the exclusive 1 million monthly listeners club on Spotify and saw their club anthem “Touch” rack up over 20 million streams on Spotify alone. Other releases included a well received collaboration with DRS titled “Don’t Ever”, which was heavily supported by Mistajam at BBC Radio 1 amongst others. BBC Radio 1’s support didn’t stop there… with support from Annie Mac for their remix of Above & Beyond’s “Love Is Not Enough” and even an Essential Mix for Pete Tong. The year came to a close with another tick off the bucket list when the guys collaborated with Belgian superstar Netsky on “Let Me Hold You”. Arguably one of the biggest drum&bass hits of the year, breaking the Top 10 in Belgium too, thanks to extensive playlist support from Studio Brussels. To make up for the lack of shows in 2020 (due to the pandemic) the guys also welcomed an approach from Kiss FM, who offered them their own prime time weekly show on one of London’s biggest FM radio stations, given Kiss’ dance music heritage it was an offer they couldn’t refuse and the guys have really enjoyed the experience.
Just back from an extensive tour of New Zealand which saw them sell out an arena in Auckland, largely thanks to extensive playlist support from George FM, the duo have a whole host of surprises in store for their fans in 2021. One of which we can reveal now: An exciting collaboration with Pendulum titled “Louder Than Words” due for release this summer. Collaborations don’t come much bigger than that! The guys will mark the release by joining Pendulum for a special one off show at London’s iconic Drumsheds venue, where they will also be joined by 10,000 ravers! Hybrid Minds also have a whole host of other exciting gigs lined up for this year, plus their debut performances at some of the world’s biggest and most iconic festivals have been booked including: Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra, Outlook and Hideout to name a few.
H/T A.B.