After nearly two decades in the game, Bachelors of Science (ref. BOS) have become an institution in US drum and bass, known for their varied and technical production style and their raucous DJ sets. One of the few stateside acts to gain international recognition, they’ve got a monthly show on KoolFM and their own label, CODE Recordings, which has been going strong for nearly 15 years and recently dropped its first single since 2021.
What some fans may not know is that one of the Bachelors (or Scientists, depending on whether he’s in the lab or onstage), Luke Argilla, releases solo work under the alias Lukeino when the mood strikes him. Even more interesting is the fact that he’s recently teamed up with multi-genre artist and fellow San Francisco homefielder Kush Arora to make a D&B remix of the breakbeat tune ‘Life In the Jungle’ with reggae artists Runkus and Royal Blu. Part of an EP that features both the original and four other remixes, Lukeino took a completely different direction from the original, making a heavy dancefloor banger that will light up the clubs. This includes, for all the LA heads, an appearance at Respect this very night.
With the BOS/CODE machine starting to roll forward again and more releases on the way, it felt like a good time to have a chat with Lukeino, both about the remix and what’s coming in the future for the label and the trio. Get ready for some interesting factoids and, as is always the case with BOS, loads of fun.
It’s been quite a while since you’ve released under your solo moniker. What made you revive it for this remix?
Yeah it’s been quite a long time! I’ve been dedicating my creative energy to Bachelors of Science since I joined the group in 2010 and lately I’ve had the itch to do something solo stuff again. BOS is still going strong and we have some great tracks in the works too but it just feels like a good time to express myself as an individual again.
How did you come to meet and work with Kush Arora?
Kush and I randomly met on the street in San Francisco nearly 20 years ago. I was walking down Van Ness headed to my studio at the time and he was standing on the sidewalk outside of his work and somehow we struck up a conversation. It might have sparked from a familiar smell in the air (winks). Anyway, we definitely would have met eventually since we were both in the SF music scene and had a lot of mutual friends but I remember we just hit it off randomly that day. Within a week we were in the studio sharing ideas and soon after we put out a collab together which was actually my first ever vinyl release. We’ve been close ever since and have put out a handful of tunes together over the years. He’s one of the coolest and most talented musicians I know.
The original ‘Life In the Jungle’ track is minimal and quite a different format to modern D&B. What was it like to work with those stems? What kind of challenges did you have in creating those gruff vibes and faster tempo?
It was such a fun tune to flip and the ideas for a D&B remix came easily. I remember I was driving home from NAMM earlier this when Kush sent me the track and asked if I’d be up for a remix. It obviously was made for a D&B version so I was all about it. The parts and stems were immaculately produced and the whole thing came together in a few hours.
Are you planning on releasing any more solo stuff in the future? If so, what?
Yeah I definitely will put out more solo stuff. I love working with the BOS guys and we’ll keep doing our thing as a group for sure but I’ve definitely been feeling the itch to do some solo stuff. I’ve had a bunch of material building up and it’s exciting to see where things go.
Speaking of future, your CODE imprint with the other ‘Bachelors’ released its first single in a couple of years by Flaco last week. Is this a signpost that you’re revving up again as a label?
Yeah, we’ve been gearing up to revive the label for sure. We’ve brought on a great friend from SF, the local legend Canadub, to help us push things into the next chapter.
What can we expect coming from CODE in the near future? Is there a certain direction you’re thinking of taking it?
We plan to continue our focus on SF, Cali and stateside but we want to bring in some international artists as well. We’ll continue our focus on the great music our friends are making and give a platform for the extended family while putting out new BOS music of course. We have the Flaco single that just dropped which is a couple of great liquid vibers. We’ve also signed new stuff from artists like Dave Owen, Stereotype, Zere and Rosebud.
In terms of your individual work, some people may not know you worked at the famous Dolby Labs as a mixer and are a literal sound scientist. How does that play into your own musical work? How are the two jobs different?
(Laughs) well, I actually left Dolby a little over a year ago. I picked up a lot about production in last ten years while mixing full time but there’s always so much more to learn. I’ve been mixing and mastering a lot of different genres which has definitely given me a lot perspective.
You mentioned BOS are still working together as well. What have you been working on together and what’s coming up in future?
We’ve got a few things in the oven but don’t want to give away too many details on that just yet. We really vibe together so well after all these years that it’s just really natural when we get into the studio and jam. We all bring different skills and styles which always keeps it fun.
How does working on your own stuff compare to working with the other guys in BOS? Do you have a preference? How do you think your own style compares to BOS’s style as a group?
I always prefer making music with friends and the BOS guys are definitely my favorite collaborators. But sometimes it just feels right to do something just for myself. It’s a different vibe and the process is equally enjoyable and fulfilling. I think my style’s a little different when I’m writing solo. Maybe a little harder, maybe a little more street. But the thing about BOS tunes is some of them lean in that direction too. The other guys also have that same side to their styles so it’s never really conflicting. Just different tunes for different moods.
Any touring, collabs or other news coming up?
Doing a last minute release party at Respect in LA for the remix this week! It’ll be the first time playing Respect as Lukeino vs BOS since 2010 or something like that. Definitely some fun collabs coming but I’ll keep that stuff a surprise for now.
I should also definitely mention the BOS Radio show on Kool FM that we’ve been doing now for the last year and a half. It’s a monthly show where we feature the latest and forthcoming tracks from the scenes best producers. We also host a guest artist each month to highlight some of their work as well as a guest mix. Check out BOSDNB.com for all the tuneage.
‘Life In the Jungle Remix’ by Lukeino is out now and can be streamed on Spotify or purchased on Beatport.