As the demand for our recent 25th-anniversary book has shown, the drum & bass scene has a passion for words in print. The ability to hold a magazine has always made its message seem more real and, regardless of the medium, physical products undoubtedly have the qualities so often assigned to them by vinyl lovers and tape collectors alike.
“We think that, for drum & bass fans, the relative lack of focus on the drum & bass scene within more mainstream dance music publications only enhances that feeling,” says Ben Hunter from the Downloads & Reloads newsletter. “To consistently improve the coverage of the scene is why we started our weekly newsletter almost two years ago, and it’s a gap we hope we’ve gone some way to filling for our 650 subscribers. With the amount of not just quality music but general news and innovation, there is absolutely space for another outlet entirely focused on covering events at 170.”
This is why they’ve now launched their quarterly Downloads & Reloads print zine, a 30-page magazine dedicated to drum & bass. They’re publishing every four months and have just sold over 100 copies of their first edition. This month features music reviews of 2019’s best releases, interviews with Mystic State and UKF founder Luke Hood, guest columns from El Hornet, Charli Brix and more.
“If you like drum & bass we’re certain you’ll love it and we’ve just re-stocked, so please feel free to order yourself a copy,” adds Ben. “We also have some super excited things in store for the next edition, including our first cover feature, so please get (and stay) in touch on Twitter and Instagram.”
