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So what's all the fuss about Ram Records?
Drum and Bass | Sunday 8th June 2014 | Arren
Any Drum and Bass fan is bound know about Ram Records. It's a label that has remained at the top of its game for many years and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. On the contrary, Ram seems to be getting bigger and better, pushing Drum and Bass to its very limits and beyond. Label boss Andy C started the label in 1992 with himself and close mate Ant Miles debuting with ‘The Sour Mash EP’. It has been a long time since that record first come out and Ram have since released hundreds of huge tunes. Even though they have a large back catalogue, the label hasn’t lost its original sound, it has carved its own hard edged, industrial sound into the Drum and Bass scene, one that just keeps developing and each new signing furthers that continuous development.
As a label, they obviously work a lot on artist development, as so many producers who start at Ram go on to do crazy things; Chase & Status, Sub Focus and most recently Wilkinson are a testament to this. This ability to hear the potential in artist’s music is an important thing for any label to be able to do and Ram are masters at it. The label is a breeding ground for the Drum and Bass stars of tomorrow, each new act pushing the boundaries and changing the rules, whether through performing the music live as a band or using machines and synths that look like they belong in a spaceship to orchestrate a set. Each time a Ram artist smashes the mainstream, it blurs the space between underground electronic music and the mainstream.
Their hard work and dedication to their sound hasn’t gone unnoticed, Ram have received countless awards including 'Best Label' at the DnB awards and always have vast amounts of people turn out for their shows. They certainly aren’t short of gigs, hosting many club nights, festival stages and events up and down the country and across the world. By the end of this summer alone, Ram Records would have hosted arenas at We R Fstvl, Bestival, Let It Roll in the Czech Republic, Nozstock, and Sundown. That’s just hosting an arena, most major festivals have at least one Ram Record artist performing, even the predominantly rock festival Reading has three Ram artists on their bill. Off the fields and into the clubs, Ram host their own huge nights at venues across the world, pushing and promoting some of their newer guys alongside the legends that made Ram what it is today. This is a testament to how deep Ram’s knowledge runs. If they can run a night with 9 out of the 10 DJ’s being Ram artists, not all of them well known, it highlights that Ram respect the music at all levels, they aren’t interested in having every release being a chart smashing beast, but would rather release good, top quality Drum and Bass.
Ram use their sister labels in order to experiment and branch away from their staple sound, the active label 'Program' are currently releasing some heavy, more technical Drum and Bass, an off-shoot of theirs that is really gaining momentum at the moment. Their old label 'Frequency' used to promote a Drum and Bass that was not so obviously a Ram style. This shows a love for the genre as a whole, they haven’t isolated themselves into one pocket in the scene, but been able to branch out into new areas. This becomes a lot more blatant when watching some of the Ram artists play, offering up a 360 degree view of Drum and Bass to bass hungry crowds everywhere.
So if you are new to the DnB scene, Ram Records will be a brilliant starting point for you to go from. Ram Records have proved that they are a major part of the Drum and Bass scene, a cornerstone in its very existence some may argue, and that they will not be leaving us any time soon. The albums released are much more than just 11 sub destroying tunes, rather they are a reflection of the Ram staple and the current mood of the scene at the time. So keep your eyes open for the new Ram releases, that Frankee guy may well be the next chart topping Drum and Bass pioneer. As time goes on, Ram will surely get bigger and better, and I’m sure no Drum and Bass fan is complaining!
