DNB Brought Us Together
As Valentine’s Day rapidly approaches, we thought it appropriate to share the story of how one of Insomniac’s Discovery Project winners found love on the Bassrush dancefloor—and has gone on to a promising career in the studio and behind the decks. We’re talking about Nick Handman, one-half of the Los Angeles-based production duo formerly known as Slogun and Ioh, who have recently been signed to Technique Recordings in the UK and are set to unleash their first single, “Razor Sharp,” under their newly minted moniker: Kronology.
It’s a huge moment for Nick, as he’s gone from playing local gigs to rocking it out with his production partner Rene on the bassPOD stage at EDC Las Vegas last year. Throughout it all has been the steady support of Nick’s girlfriend, Breann. Having bonded over a shared love of drum & bass music and culture, the two have become inseparable—whether it’s on the dancefloor, rocking out to their favorite acts like Camo & Krooked, or firing up the crowds from center stage.
“Drum & bass—as music and a culture—is very intense, and the people involved are very passionate about it. When you’re one of those people, you hope that the person you fall in love with will share that passion.”
This is the story of how #DNB brought Nick and Breann together:
Tell us how you two first met.
Nick: In the early part of 2011, the two of us were going out to a lot of the same drum & bass shows in L.A.; yet we hadn’t met at that point. We shared several mutual friends and ran in the same circles, so it was only a matter of time before we connected and kept running into each other at shows. From there we began talking to each other online, and eventually we had our first kiss at the Bassrush Funktion show with Dirtyphonics at Dim Mak Studios in March of 2012. We’ve been together ever since.
How did things evolve from there? It seems like music was and is a big part of your relationship. People may not always associate D&B with “love,” so give us a sense of how you two bonded over big basslines and heavy beats.
Nick: D&B—as music and a culture—is very intense, and the people involved are very passionate about it. When you’re one of those people, you hope that the person you fall in love with will share that passion, because it’s such a big part of your life and identity. The fact that we’ve been able to connect on that level has definitely brought us closer together and played a major part in our lives.
You were known as Slogun at the time and were heavy into the production side of things with your partner Ioh. When did you bring it up that you had big plans and dreams on that front? Were you trying to hide it, or were you like, oh yeah, this will impress her.
Nick: When we first met, I was just starting to play local shows, and one of the first times we talked was at one of my own gigs. The fact that she was rocking out up front and really into the music I was playing made me feel comfortable enough to be honest about my goals in music. She’s always been down!
Give us a sense of when in your relationship you entered and won Insomniac’s Discovery Project contest. That must’ve been huge for you as a couple as well!
Nick: Rene and I entered the Nocturnal Discovery Project in 2012. I had only been with Breann about half a year at that point, so it was still early on in our relationship. Winning that contest was the first time our career really felt like it took a big step forward, as it was in our relationship as well. The fact that she supported me through the whole thing and enjoyed the experience so much definitely proved that she was in it for good and had my back!
Breann, give us a sense of what it was like to see him up onstage at a huge festival! Were you eyeballing the crowd to make sure any groupies knew he was accounted for?
Breann: It was awesome! I was up there too, rocking out and dancing the whole time. We had a bunch of friends there with us to share it with. It was great to see what being onstage is like at a festival, and I was of course very proud of him. I didn’t worry about any groupies because I can appreciate good rave booty, and there was a lot of it on that pirate ship stage!
If you had to choose, which two events are your most memorable as a couple, and why?
EDC 2012. We had just been dating a few months when we went to our first EDC together. It was a real test of our new relationship. On night one, Breann got food poisoning, and we had to leave after two hours. And then we lost our car, which took almost until morning to find. Night two got shut down early, and we were stuck in traffic trying to leave the venue, which took almost all night again.
Finally on night three, we got to see all the drum & bass we were looking forward to—like Camo & Krooked, who we got to meet in the crowd before they played an amazing set. We’re both huge fans of them, and this was the first time either of us had seen them live. We were able to deal with a lot of stress on those first two days without fighting or getting negative, which definitely helped us build trust and solidify what we had going. It all came together with an amazing night three that made it all worth it. The entire experience really strengthened our relationship and ended up being positive.
EDC 2014. Breann and I have made the EDC experience one of our big vacations every year that we’ve been together, and it was always one of my major goals to play the Bassrush stage. Getting to make that dream a reality last year was an unforgettable experience in every aspect. Not only was it a milestone of mine and Rene’s career, it was one of the defining moments and happiest memories of my relationship with Breann.
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up quick, hit us with three songs that would serve as the soundtrack of your relationship.
Brookes Brothers ft. Robert Owens “Beautiful” (Breakbeat Kaos, 2011)
We’ve always loved the Brookes Brothers’ music, and this is a classic love song from them. We listened to their album together early on, and it has a lot of great memories attached to it for us.
Netsky “Come Alive” (Hospital, 2012)
This song always brings up memories of when we were first falling in love and the first raves we went to together. Netsky was one of the first artists we really connected on.
Camo & Krooked “Loving You Is Easy” (Hospital, 2013)
Not a D&B song, but still made by two of our favorite D&B artists. The title really says it all about our relationship; it’s a great piece of music that reminds us of one another and why we fell for each other.
