LOXY

City Series Mix Volume 12

It’s been a long road for London-bred Loxy, aka Andrew Campbell, who has played a seminal part in every step of Drum & Bass’ evolution over the last two decades. He's one of few artists that has continued to influence all elements of the Drum & Bass movement from the underground up, with no signs of stopping.

It was music that spoke to Loxy at a very young age, growing up in a house where sounds vibrated off the walls, around the clock. From dub, reggae and hip hop to soul, funk and pop, he recalls hearing it all as he grew up. A B-Boy and fan of hip hop and electro in the late 80s, it was only natural that he would fall into what was then dubbed a “new phenomenon”- pirate radio opened his eyes to the futuristic sounds of acid house and techno. A blink of those eyes and several mixtapes later and Loxy became immersed in the world of rave and DJ culture, which was slowly morphing into the sounds of early Jungle.

Loxy started hunting down vinyl with dedication, and by 1990-1991, he started to share his collection and talents behind the decks. Through a friend promoting parties, he ended up on the stage at East London’s legendary Dungeons - and from there, his gigs became consistent. Loxy’s name was soon spread across flyers for events that now hold their veritable place in rave history books, including Elevation, Desire, Club Jungle, Thunder and Joy. He also became a regular on various radio waves across London (such as Underground FM, Pulse FM, Chillin FM, Rude FM and Eruption FM), bringing a darker edge that was influenced by the sounds of Face Records, Reinforced and Moving Shadow.

In 1993, Loxy came across two like-minded artists at Brain Studios - Bizzy B and TDK. His first forays into production came hard and fast - their very first track ‘Roll Call’ was regularly played by the likes of DJ Rap, Trace and Bryan Gee. With an exacting production style, he started forming a network that connected the dots of the music that inspired him: Bay B Kane not only fed him the newest dubs, but also signed one of his tracks to his 4star record label (which went through the then-popular Whitehouse Records) - and his encounters with LTJ Bukem and Tayla revealed both their common interests in music and a healthy supply of Good Looking dubplates.

Loxy later met Giles Mensah, aka Ink. The two came came across numerous talented artists including Digital, Spirit, Source Direct, Photek, Peshay and Kemistry and Storm, many of whom were entrenched in the club scene. When the scene-defining Blue Note club opened in the mid-90s, Loxy quickly became a resident DJ. Soon after, he became a mainstay on the club circuit in the early years of D&B, DJ’ing the events that would one day set the blueprint - Leisure Lounge Sessions, Hannover Grand, the Cafe De Paris Sessions, Speed, Swerve, Logical Progression, and Pure Science.

As a producer, Loxy’s discography is a tour through D&B history. It’s the attention to detail that always makes a Loxy production stand out: tough and hard-hitting, with basslines and drums intricately layered with meticulous precision. Building fierce rhythms, his sharply sculpted beats slide against different backdrops: sometimes bringing the feel of a smooth club roller, other times dropping the listener straight into the deepest end of the dancefloor.