Fabio has provided the soundtrack to a generation of nights out 

A LEGENDARY drum and bass DJ still at the forefront of the scene three decades on is embarking on the next evolution of his career – launching his new label next month in Camden.

“After being a veteran in this game it’s time for me to step up – if there’s a problem you’ve got to get up there and fix it,” said DJ Fabio.

Fitzroy Heslop – better known as DJ Fabio – was born in Brixton and is known for his foundational role in the development of drum and bass, starting out in the late 80s on pirate radio and raves and rising to prominence alongside fellow DJ Grooverider.

But now, Fabio is taking more time to launch his new label, Generation Liquid, at Camden Assembly on May 17.

Speaking to the New Journal, Fabio said: “I just want to bring out good music that is tasteful. I think young people are into harder dance music and I get it, when you’re young you want to go out and hear the tunes with the biggest basslines and drops, screwing up your face when the drop comes in – but there’s also another side to drum and bass that may not necessarily be for the dance floor but it doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.

“It’s all about how many hits you have on social media now and I just want to bypass all that crap and just make music for art’s sake that is actually good. At the end of the day, when you come home from a rave, do you really want to be banging out hard drum and bass when you’re off your nut? Maybe you want to listen to something a bit more melodic with a bit of heart and soul.

“Sometimes I think there’s a real detachment between dance music and emotions – that music sounds great on the dance floor but are you really going to listen to that all the time? When you’ve got a bit of downtime at home wouldn’t it be nice to sit down and listen to some drum and bass that is musical and soulful?

“So that’s why I’m doing this – I think there’s a lack of labels that are doing this stuff.”

He added: “I used to go clubbing in Camden years and years ago – I used to go to High on Hope where Norman Jay used to do a house night back in the day.

“Camden was a hunting ground for me back in the day – I used to go to Camden Market a lot – in the record shops and gigs in the Jazz Cafe. There’s many reasons why Camden is the perfect place to do it.

“I’ve played Camden Assembly before and I loved it, the venue is very retro and really reminds me of the 80s. It’s got an artistic simplicity about it – it’s not overdone with loads of chrome. A lot of clubs these days are too shiny for me.

“Camden Assembly is just right – there’s an intimacy about it for the music I’m going to play and the music that I want to present in there.”

Fabio on the decks, back in the day

Of his iconic relationship with Grooverider, Fabio said: “We’ve always had our own careers ever since the start.

“It’s not a conscious thing but Groove and I have very different styles, very different ways of doing things, but when we come together it just works like magic.

“It’s great we have these solo careers where we can always follow our own paths and then for the big stuff Fabio and Grooverider will be a duo that have been around for so long and do great things.”