Sam Binga and Rider Shafique

Something’s happening to the faster side of dance music. Maybe it’s the hyperactive influence of juke’s chopped-up 808s, the embrace of dubstep’s half-time flow at a higher tempo or perhaps it’s simply the ongoing evolution of the mutation started by dBridge and the Autonomic podcasts. Whatever the origin, that spectrum of music between 160 and 170bpm is sounding utterly vital once again. Sam Binga has placed himself firmly at the centre of this new wave, with releases on some of dance music’s most respected underground labels – 50 Weapons, Exit and Critical. His sound spans the anthemic rowdiness of tracks like ‘AYO’ and ‘Lef Dem’, to the deeper explorations of his collaborations with Om Unit, and has attracted the attention of artists such as Zed Bias and CHVRCHES – who have both hit him up for remix work -and Kode9, who featured his tune ’11th’ with Addison Groove on his critically acclaimed Rinse CD.

Over the course of his career, Rider Shafique has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices operating in the UK underground today. Recording with scene-leading names such as Kahn, Sam Binga, Submotion Orchestra, Von D, Dubkasm, Young Echo and beyond, Rider’s powerful tone can be regularly heard on wax in sets across the world. As a live performer and MC, Shafique regularly hosts for the revered Deep Medi imprint’s club and festival appearances, providing a unique link between the crowd and DJs such as Mala, Commodo, Egoless and many more. Beyond this, Rider works the mic for Dub-Stuy sound system in New York, and performs across the globe, including a recent tour of Japan. His set with Sam Binga for the Critical Music takeover at Outlook Festival in 2017 – following the release of their ground-breaking collaborative ‘Champion EP’ – was selected by the legendary festival to be recorded and re-broadcast in the run up to their 2018 edition.

“I’ve said it before, but dancehall and its influence on UK music has been a massive inspiration for me, going way back to hearing Chris Goldfinger on Radio 1 playing music that was like nothing else I’d heard before. I love that fundamental rhythmic pattern, and I love how within the same world you can have some tunes that are built around the sweetest melodies and harmonies, and others that are built around super-tuff minimal drums and crazy squeeks and bleeps.” – Sam Binga

Linked up with his good friend and long-time collaborator Rider Shafique, together they have created something that references both old and new dancehall, while still being playable in the kinds of sets, no ‘halftime’ and no chopped-up jungle breaks here.