Chase & Status HHV Records 3 Items

Wild Nights in Manchester

Several years before Chase & Status became protagonists in the Drum and Bass genre and made a name for themselves as producers for pop giants like Rihanna, the duo met in London at the beginning of the 2000s. When Saul Milton and Will Kennard both started their studies in the electronic metropolis of Manchester, they decided to join forces. Drawn to the breakbeat and garage of that time, the two delved through countless record stores to gather material for their wild nights as DJs. With their first remixes, the duo, under the name Chase & Status, soon ventured into their own productions. After several stylistic changes, they eventually felt most comfortable in Drum and Bass – this energy reached RAM Records, where they found their label home in 2007 and made waves with their initial singles. Their impulsive track Pieces dominated the UK Dance Single Charts a year later – featuring none other than Plan B on the microphone. The success of this collaboration repeated in 2009 with the melancholic End Credits, which even made it to the Top 10 of the regular UK charts, propelling the D&B duo into the realms of stardom.

The D&B Duo with a Success Formula

Their exuberant debut album, More Than Alot, saw the light of day in 2008. Tracks like Against All Odds effortlessly combined D&B with rap, making Chase & Status interesting across genres. In 2009, they also contributed to Rihanna’s album Rated R and played a role in Snoop Dogg’s track Snoop Dogg Millionaire. With a handful of singing and rapping guests, including Liam Bailey, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, and CeeLo Green, the Londoners launched their second album, No More Idols, in 2011. The album sold 100,000 copies within two weeks, fulfilling the duo’s wildest dreams: “I don’t know if we ever thought we’d even make a bloody album.” Years of hard work finally paid off – at the Brit Awards 2012, they were nominated for Best British Group, and a year later, they released another LP, Brand New Machine. Stylistically different from the duo’s early success formula, it took on a darker tone in production and achieved international chart success with a guest list including Major Lazer, Pusha T, and Louis Mattrs.

Passion Comes First

Not only as headliners at numerous festivals in the following years but also for regular live performances, they brought MC Rage on stage to moderate the spectacle. With the London Bars EP, the duo moved towards the emerging Grime scene in the UK, which has been taking over clubs for several years. The full-length album Tribe in 2017 continued to blend Grime with Hip-Hop and D&B in the usual manner, offering variety like few other artists in the scene: “We don’t like to make albums that consist of 14 identical tracks.” At the same time, Chase & Status demonstrated their respect for tradition: with RTRN II JUNGLE, they returned to their musical roots and once again made a mark in the Jungle and Ragga sphere. But constant touring and studio work did not mean resting for the duo – the album What Came Before in 2022 followed the success of their previous records, proving to be consistently stylish and ideal for London club nights. Because for Chase & Status, passion knows no pause: “We’ve traveled the whole world, played in small clubs and on big stages … but our passion for making music is still the top priority.”