Eleven years ago this week,
@exitrecordsuk and
@metalheadzmusic came together for a night that captured everything essential about that era of drum & bass. Two labels with deep roots and different energies — EXIT pushing the experimental, forward-leaning sound; METALHEADZ carrying the raw, uncompromising legacy that shaped the foundations of the culture.
Strategy played that night alongside Dub Phizix, and captured the event on a GoPro — without realising he was documenting a piece of history.
The lineup was the kind you simply don’t see anymore:
dBridge, Goldie, Calibre, Alix Perez, Skeptical, Halogenix, Flight, DLR, Chimpo, Storm, Fracture, Doc Scott, Lenzman, Jubei, Klute, the late great Randall (RIP), and many more.
A once-in-a-generation roster — unrepeatable in today’s landscape.
2014 was a turning point for the deeper end of drum & bass: cold drums, greyscale synths, halftime pressure, and constant experimentation. The sound was mutating month by month. That same year, streaming had just been added to the UK charts — the beginning of a huge shift in how music would be measured — but nights like this were still defined by bodies in a room, labels leading their own visions, and artists pushing forward with no thought of algorithms.
Randall’s presence that night remains one of the strongest memories. A foundational figure whose influence still runs through the scene today. Rest in peace to one of the greatest to ever touch decks.
Looking back, EXIT vs Headz 2014 feels like a snapshot of a moment when two philosophies, two generations, and two worlds within DnB collided under one roof — a night that still echoes through the culture.
A quick search online and you can listen back to a
@dbridge x
@pauljubei x
@skepticaluk x
@spmc exit vs headz
@rinse.fm mix from the same month of November 2014. Go look it up and relive that time.
As Conduct grows, we’ll continue telling these stories: the nights, the lineups, the labels, the footage, the movements — the history that shaped our present.
Honour the past. Elevate the present. Build the future.
More flashbacks soon.
Conduct Magazine
