Drumsound and Bassline Smith Resurrect “Ladies Night” and Smash It!
When the original “Ladies Night” from Demo and Cease was doing its rounds on the drum & bass dubplate circuit back in the mid-2000s, the Seattle-based producers knew they had something special on their hands. When the full release hit the masses via Dieselboy’s Human imprint in 2007, it quickly became a certified anthem that still brings on the pressure to this day.
But like all classic anthems, sometimes a little makeover is in order; and who better to give the VIP treatment to this dancefloor burner than Drumsound and Bassline Smith? Keeping the anabolic roots of the original and reconfiguring it for 2015, the resulting “Ladies Night VIP” is on course to be one of the biggest tunes of the year.
From the deceptively smooth intro to the rough and rugged drop—centered on a classic call-to-arms that has to be experienced with a room full of heaving bodies by your side to get the full effect—it should be clear that even the re-lick is a future classic in the making.
With the tune being rinsed by the likes of everyone from Andy C to DJ Marky to Friction, this one’s finally out now. Pick it up via an exclusive deal with Beatport ahead of its full release on November 20. So, head on over and load it up as your weapon of choice for the weekend. But before you lock and load, check Drumsound and Bassline Smith dropping knowledge for us below on how it’s all been going down.
“We’re pretty sure it was Grooverider that we heard play it first, and it took the roof off that place.”
This tune has been going off! Tell us some stories about how it’s been going down on your end.
The reaction from the get-go has been phenomenal. We started playing it immediately on completion, and instantly people were asking about it. We passed it on to Andy C, Friction and Hype to get their feedback, and they all came back with glowing feedback. On Facebook, we got sent an iPhone video of Andy starting with it at Creamfields and SW4, and I think that helped to introduce it to a new audience, too. The reaction on our own Facebook page has been incredible, with over 32,000 views of a short clip. We’ve also been starting with it and double-dropping it with “No Problem” by Chase & Status—the riff cuts sweetly through the “Ho” on Ladies Night.
I imagine the response from other DJs has been phenomenal as well?
Yes, actually, just this weekend we’ve had feedback and been tagged in video clips of DJ Marky and Heist dropping it, untold emails and DMs from DJs saying how much they are feeling it. Sub Focus, Crissy Criss, it’s been supported across the board.
Do you remember the first time you heard the original? Was it something you guys were rinsing back in day as well?
Yes, the hook and that unmistakable vox make the track so recognizable. We used to play it every set for ages; it’s just one of those tunes in drum & bass that will always be remembered for being huge. The first time we heard it was when we were doing our Interface nights at the Gatehouse in Derby; we’re pretty sure it was Grooverider that we heard play it first, and it took the roof off that place.
What made it pop back up on your radar recently and made you go in for the VIP treatment?
We were in the studio just before our three-week tour of the USA in July, and we made a noise that reminded us of the original Reese riff in “Ladies Night”; we thought, what the hell, let’s do a bootleg. We always loved the original, so we dug it out of the vault, added some modern edits, and it was ready to go.
Walk us through the changes you made from the original to this newer version.
As all we had was the original tune on MP3, we basically chopped the intro off the front, hunted down the vocal samples, and then basically built the rest of the track from scratch using modern drums, new edits, FX, a new sub, and carefully recreating a new Reese riff based on the original.
Was it hard getting all of the stems together? Did you have to contact Demo and Cease or Dieselboy, since it was originally released on his Human imprint?
Once we had contacted Dieselboy and he liked the bootleg, we managed to get the original stems so that we could finish off the track properly and make it an official VIP.
Were they surprised to hear you were still interested in this tune?
Not sure if “surprised” was their reaction, but they were very happy with the turn of events.
What’s the secret to any great remix?
The secret to any great remix is to maintain the vibe of the original whilst, at the same time, putting your own individual stamp on it. We always try to make it as heavy and dancefloor-friendly as possible.
Last but not least, when it drops and the public gets ahold of it, does that mean you retire it from your rotation? Or is there an extra-secret VIP version still lurking somewhere in your hard drive?
Haha, no, we haven’t done a VIP of the VIP, but it’s quite a good idea.
Pick up “Ladies Night VIP” now.
Follow Drumsound and Bassline Smith on Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud
