Renegade Riddims: Section 63

Meet Section 63, better known as Blade from the infamous group known as The Sect. In the early ’90s, Blade was captivated by the breakbeat hardcore sounds emanating from London’s pirate radio stations. Although he was too young to attend the events, he ardently collected records and tape packs. By the late ’90s, Dave had already released several hardcore records under his Blade alias, yet his true passion resided in Drum & Bass. He spent his time DJing on various pirate radio stations and working at renowned DnB specialist Tripp2 Records. Blade soon became a resident DJ at the legendary Paradox parties and a regular presence at events along the south coast.

Blade joined forces with Virtua and Method, fellow Paradox resident DJs, to form The Sect. In 2003, their first release emerged on DJ Red‘s Distance Recordings. However, it was in late 2006 that they truly exploded onto the scene with their debut single on Obscene and a self-titled EP on Offkey, both dropping within the same week. They swiftly followed up with numerous singles, EPs, and remixes across esteemed labels, solidifying their position at the forefront of the emerging Techno-DnB movement and earning their rightful place within the broader music scene.

Operating as a duo from 2009 onward, Blade and Virtua maintained an unstoppable release rate and a demanding DJ schedule. Their album ‘Fractured State’ hit the shelves in 2011 under Subsistenz, and the following year, they established their own label, The Sect Music. After more than a decade of countless studio hours and extensive global DJ performances, The Sect bid farewell with the release of ‘The Shutdown’ EP at the end of 2017. They gave their final performance on New Year’s Eve, marking the end of their collaborative project.

Originally conceived as an alias to explore other styles of Drum & Bass, Section 63 made its debut in 2016 with a collaboration alongside Mako on Warm Communications. Dave fully embraced the new moniker in 2018, and his debut EP was released on Mute:8. Since then, he has continued to deliver a steady stream of singles, EPs, collaborations, and remixes across esteemed labels like VIA, Mute:8, Perkussiv, and Subtrakt, with plenty more music scheduled for release in the months to come.

For now, he joins our Renegade Riddims series with a specially curated mix to coincide with his latest release ‘Voyager / Strange Thoughts’ on Insomnius Music. (grab it here!) The mix features music from himself, InsideInfo & Kemal, Loxy & Quartz and more!

Check out the mix below and download it for free here!

Q&A:

Sum up this mix in 10 words…

Tough, energetic, rolling tech Drum and Bass with Techno influences.

What’s your personal favourite track on it?

The first track in this mix by Kemal and InsideInfo is something very special.

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?

Time: firstly, to think about which tunes I wanted to play and to find the most pleasing way to fit them all together; and then to record the mix again when I realised I hadn’t connected all the cables correctly the first time…

Tell us about your next EP?

‘Sends’ is a four track EP, which is forthcoming on VIA and features in this mix. It’s the first fully Techno-DnB EP I’ve made and ended up resembling what I set out to achieve when I started it (also a first).

What have you got coming up?

Voyager/Strange Thoughts has just dropped on Insomnius Music, next there are a couple more EPs, a few remixes and some collabs scheduled for release, or in the works. Hopefully a few more DJ bookings, too!

When was the last time you actually raved?

Metalheadz at Tresor in Berlin at the beginning of April was a different level. It took me right back to raving at The End many years ago, although the recovery time is significantly longer now.

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?

Thank you to all the labels, DJs, promoters and anyone who has supported my music, in whatever way – it is genuinely appreciated and never taken for granted.

Big ups!

TRACKLIST:

InsideInfo & Kemal – ? [?]

Section 63 – Submersible [forthcoming GiiDup Music]

Section 63 – Airborne [forthcoming Attik Productions]

X-E-Dos – Polar Sync [GiiDup Music]

Section 63 – Ghost Mode [forthcoming Attik Productions]

Loxy & Quartz – Attention Seeker [Ram]

Section 63 – Manipulation [forthcoming GiiDup Music]

Section 63 – Strange Thoughts [Insomnius Music]

Proton Kid – Goldilocks [forthcoming GiiDup Music]

Peter Kurten & Section 63 – Higher [?]

Section 63 – Send One (Metamorph) [forthcoming VIA]

Dextems – Platomity [Paperfunk]

Section 63 – Send Return [forthcoming VIA]

Section 63 – Voyager [Insomnius Music]

Section 63 – Send Love [forthcoming VIA]

Dextems – Monovalent [Paperfunk]

Section 63 – Send Help [forthcoming VIA]

Section 63 – Night Air [forthcoming GiiDup Music]

Savage & Section 63 – I Hope You Like Acid (Peter Kurten Remix) [?]

Section 63 – Shades of Green (Konquest Remix) [forthcoming Attik Productions]

Section 63 – Heavy Industry [?]

X-E-Dos – M-Style [forthcoming GiiDup Music]