Playlist of the Week: Mandidextrous

Mandidextrous .

Nov 16, 2022

Drum & bass maverick Mandidextrous celebrates Trans Awareness Week with some revved-up Speedbass selections for Beatport’s Playlist of the Week.

Thanks so much for bringing me on this fantastic project! My name is Mandidextrous. I am a multitude of different things in the music industry. I’m an international DJ, music producer, label owner, event organiser, Transgender advocate & activist, and general genre instigator!

I have been creating my own styles of music for roughly 15 years and DJing since the very late ’90s at raves, festivals and clubs all over the UK and Europe.

My music has always been hugely influenced by drum & bass and techno with a HUGE focus on positive, high-energy inclusive music positively aimed at the dancefloor.

The playlist I have curated is to inspire new listeners into the movement of 4×4 style drum & bass, which is starting to pop within the UK D&B scene. It’s a style I have been focusing on for many years. This has now led to me releasing with infamous UK label Ram Records as well as DeVice led by the US powerhouse René Lavice.

Check out Mandidextrous’ Playlist of the Week on Beatport.

Mandidextrous, Bish – Techno On My Mind By [Program Records]

Let’s start here! This is a very special track from myself and Bish, a friend of mine and fellow producer from my home city of Bristol UK. Bish, a prolific Bristol artist was wanting to collab with me and came to my studio with this awesome Vocal sample which was perfect for me as I always have Techno on my mind and Bish knew it! We set about curating a theme with some big horns and orchestral parts, colliding with some big 808 bass drops and half-time trap drums which build into an all-out 4×4 assault on the speakers swiftly followed by a tear out D&B section. This track really hit hard in the Drum & Bass scene with so many huge established artists playing in their shows. It’s really made a huge impression and we are both so proud of this one and grateful for all the support.

Maduk – Go Back To The Jungle (Mandidextrous Remix) [Liquicity]

I chose this track as my first release here that’s aimed at the Drum & Bass community. “Techno On My Mind” was going so well, Liquicity approached me to remix Maduck’s track “Go Back To The Jungle” from his album Transformations. I just loved his original track and how this remix turned out too. Positive and full of energy, just how I like it. The support from this one too has been mind-blowing.

Koven – Followers (A.M.C Remix) [Monstercat]

Any Drum & Bass enthusiasts would have heard of both Koven and A.M.C who are both insanely great artists. A.M.C’s style of production has been of huge appeal to me as it’s such well-produced D&B energy. In this remix he does a 4×4 switch on the final drop, which just slides into my shows so well. I also love Koven’s lead vocal on this track it’s so uplifting. The whole track just bangs!

The Prototypes – Quantum [Prototypes]

This track has the most amazing energy. I love the electro vibes as well as the production value. I’m really into huge dancefloor-driven big room drums that punch hard with lots of depth. This track is just such an electric vibe and really makes the dancefloor pop!

Sub Focus – Off The Ground [EMI]

Sub Focus is one of the most influential producers in D&B and has been breaking boundaries in composition and structure and production values. I really have always admired his clarity and power in his drums and his mix down techniques. Really putting the drums up front and driving so much weight through his bass. This particular track is just amazing, and I love the melodic fusion and catchy vocals.

Kanine – Get Down [Unleashed]

This absolute monster is just awesome. It’s a huge dive into the exploration of what you can do with 4×4 elements in the mix with D&B creating huge depth and space whilst really keeping the essence of what a D&B track can be. Big up Kanine and again with the killer mix-down levels.

Disphonia – Snapshot [Hanzom Music]

I love the techno feel to this track, it doesn’t fully drop to 4×4, but it has a very acid-high energy to it. It reminds me of weird nights in squat parties in London from my hay day of raving for some reason. An intricate track that leaves you listening again to find new patterns and movement in the way the drums switch. I love it, big up Disphonia!

Mandidextrous – You & Me [Bass Militia]

Okay, so time to blow my own trumpet again here and show you a little more about my style and the sounds that I tend to explore. This is a track with a few different meanings and inspirations. It’s a style I like to call speedbass, which is music inspired by the UK bass house sound and Bassline but set at a BPM that matches D&B. It also brandishes a powerful vocal which, for me, describes the two sides to my personality, which are both Male and Female. This track is a kinda conversation between these two sides, reasoning with each other about acceptance and mental health.

Tesen – Us [Technique Recordings]

I just love how malleable this track is. It double drops with like everything and has such a beautiful energy and vibe to it. The skipping transient percussive mid-bass that walks along the low end is just to die for, and it’s clean and snappy with an awesome vocal hook that just catches you. Again, a track I love to play.

Mandidextrous – Express Yourself [Program Recordings]

One last one from me by me! This one was a super special one for me as when I wrote it, I wanted to challenge myself to do something totally different from anything else I had done up until that point in time. I really wanted to involve some big melody and strings and smash it all together with some deep warm bass and rolling jungle-style drums. I am so super proud of this one and be sure to check out the b-side to the release, where I team up with one of my best friends Matt Scratch for a signature stepper.