On November 5th 2012 V Recordings present ‘Fighter’, the new single by Bristol collective Dr Meaker. A soaring and uplifting drum and bass anthem, ‘Fighter’ has been tearing up clubs worldwide and over a month ahead of release, has notched-up a huge amount of top-end radio support.
Dr Meaker have played BBC Radio Live Lounge sessions for MistaJam and Tom Robinson, plus they’ve done a guest mix for Bailey on 1Xtra and will soon be interviewed by Pete Tong on his feted Radio 1 show.
If all that wasn’t an impressive enough opening gambit, the ‘Fighter’ video has gained a massive 180,000 plays on the UKF YouTube channel. Check it out here (really guys - this is insane!!):
Combining spirit-stirring strings, ultra tight beats, gnarly bass and Lorna King’s soul power voice, ‘Fighter’ is proper drum and bass, that looks primed to explode from the underground and into the ears (and feet) of the wider music world.
‘Fighter’ comes complete with a chunky, squelchy house re-rub from Killer Kutz, their own broken-beat style ‘Tropical Remix’, a NY meets UK funky version from BangaTang, plus Octo-Pi’s twisted and pumped ‘Fight Step’ mix.
A band for whom the distinction between any genre, be that dubstep, drum and bass or the multitude of post modern bass mutations, Dr Meaker can smash a dancefloor with as much (if not more power) than a DJ, but this isn’t ‘live dance music’, it’s simply a great band doing what they do.
Dr Meaker started their journey in 2004 as a Bristol-based sound system comprising of both electronics and instruments. The band soon built up a strong following, while their hyper-frenetic amen-and-dread-bass combo ‘Rubber Gloves’ gained the attention of Rob da Bank, who played the track on his BBC Radio 1 show. Clive Meaker then successfully won funding from the BBC’s Urban Talent Bursary award scheme, which he used to fund the making of the bands debut album ‘A Lesson From The Speaker’.
The band entered the Glastonbury Festival Unsigned Competition and were the outright winners of the Dance Music category. This gained them an interview with Huw Stevens, a nod from Zane Lowe on his show and a prime time slot in the Dance Village at Glastonbury Festival. The biggest buzz for the band, who are keen fans of Glasto, was to have Michael Eavis give the band the accolade of being “fantastic”.
After winning the prized Glastonbury slot, a flurry of gigs and festivals followed as the band released their first single 'Moving And Grooving’. The debut album 'A Lesson From The Speaker' and the single ‘Bad Boy Calling’ followed, gaining radio plays on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6Music, XFM and Jazz FM.
Dr Meaker have released 3 singles since their album; ‘Double Bass’, ‘The Fix ft. Pyrelli’ and ‘Higher’ Ft. Redskin. They’ve remixed a track for William Orbit ’s ‘Optical Illusions’ album, Mr Fogg’s ‘Moving Parts’ and The King Blues’ single 'Headbutt'.
They then co-produced 'We are Fucking Angry' and 'Futures' for the the King Blues’ album 'Punk & Poetry', and remixed their single 'Set The World On Fire'.
The band consist of Clive Meaker (producer, keyboards & vocals), Lorna King (vocals), Tom Wheeler (Drums), Dexter Edmund (Bass), Jon Winder (Trumpet) & Ben Wood (Sax).
Truly ones to watch, their second album’s release will wow the world next year. Following storming shows at the Isle Of Wight, Boomtown Fair and Beautiful Days festivals, the Snowboarding championships in Switzerland, plus a packed and riotous Fabric floor in September, Dr Meaker take their explosive show to the following venues:
10th November (live) British Snowboarding Awards Edinburgh
16th November (live) The Attic, Bristol
31st December (live) The Old Firestation, Bristol
