United by Breakbeat’s DJ Showcase (Week 3)

United by Breakbeat (UBB) is a drum and bass DJ collective that includes artists and broadcasters from around the world – it is an open enrollment Twitch team founded by Christopher Goodacre (a.k.a. Guddah) that focuses on increasing the visibility and reach of it’s members. The team offers a mutltitude of resources to every member, including tips on getting a stream started, using Open Broadcasting Software (OBS) and other tools, endless troubleshooting, promotion, community raid trains (a way to pass viewers from one artist to the next), and now a weekly community DJ showcase. As Twitch has grown and changed in the last few years the discoverability of new DJs has been a challenge – there is almost no way to grow on the platform without some sort of help, and retaining viewership can be a difficult game. That being said, there are many things that the platform provides that can’t be found anywhere else: the openness of being able to essentially play whatever music you want, the gamification and amount of interactions, and the strength of the community. On the artistic side of Twitch, it is delightful to see the creativity of individuals show on their stream through the infinite customizations that are available as well as their broadcasting style, aesthetic, and knowledge. Every presenter has their own story!

The core goal behind the showcase is to put a spotlight on these artist’s hard work, whatever story they would like to share, and to provide a space where the public can see their acclaim. Organized by Guddah with support from the UBB team, the showcase is now in it’s third week – when Guddah isn’t working on this or streaming, he is helping other people and building his community/platform. The team is designed to be a collective to share ideas, promote and help one another, and increase the visibility of its members as well as drum and bass in general. Every week this show is improving – this upcoming week for the STONX music takeover we will have our first discord call! Get there early and hang out with the crew.

Every week I will summarize each performance, provide a short biography of each artist based on their submission questionnaire, and provide information about forthcoming shows, sign-ups, and membership perks. The full recording of these showcases will be available on Guddah’s YouTube channel.

This lineup is comprised of some absolute legends on the platform and they brought an amazing array of tunes that matched and the whole crew vibing all night. We had some jungle drum and bass, some deep driving drum and bass, lyrical, musical, some neuro and heavy stuff, really all over the place in terms of genre. This is probably the unifying trait of these DJs – none of them subscribe to the constraints of sub-genres therein, and tend to play what sounds good to their ear regardless which provides a highly effective and groovy performance full of musicality. Here’s what went down:

First performer: Codename Leo

Codename Leo is from Green Cove Springs, Florida and spins the full spectrum of broken beat music on his stream, reaching deep and keeping fresh style alike in his crate at all times. Leo is a really special person on the platform who has helped numerous people, and especially with the Catch22 hurricane relief raids and crowdfunding Leo was central and pushed the efforts forward considerably – he is the type of person who is open to all walks of life and exudes love for music. After finding the twitch DnB community and some local folks, he’s been able to play some gigs in town and elevate his DJing to the next level. His introduction to DnB was a DJ Odi mixtape in ’98 which led to a first rave experience, and the rest is history – DnB has been in his life every day since.

From the questionnaire:

Learned the art (of DJing) in 2003, after attending a rave in Atlanta,GA, however life took me in a different direction. 2004 I enlisted in the US Navy and proudly served 16 years with 2 combat tours. I’ve always found solace in music and began using an early edition of Traktor on a laptop to practice and create mix sets that helped myself to cope with the challenges of being deployed in a combat environment. I eventually got my own gear and would practice and play at home and around family but no one else. After my military career was over I needed to focus on myself and stumbled on Twitch. The 3rd best decision I’ve ever made! I’ve networked and built great relationships with people on and off the platform.

 

My main influences are: DJ Dara, Fabio, & DJ Marky for style, mixing, and selection influence. Will Miles & Catch 22 for personal growth as a dj/streamer. In 2024 I met Will Miles (huge online influence and friend) and playing my first irl gig, it’s been up and up ever since. Shout out to Will Miles (love you brother) and the JAXDnB crew!

 

I initially got on Twitch following a cannabis content creator. Saw that people DJ on there and started searching drum and bass. Landed on a channel that lead to another dope channel. After a few months and seven attempts I finally stepped out of my comfort zone, with a STRONG push from my wife, and started streaming to Twitch. In doing this I’ve found my community, met so many awesome djs/producers who I’ve listened to play or played their music, and getting to share my passion with the world. More importantly is the positive impact it has had on my mental health.

Top three tracks of all time: dBridge ‘Pipe Dreams’, Nymfo & Flowanastasia ‘Leap of Faith’, Karl K ‘Synapse (Konflict Remix)’

Leo’s set started off with an exclusive that immediately tried to get ID’d to no avail – this was a track provided by friend and influence Will Miles. He goes quickly from a vocal jungle drum and bass vibe into an intense, rhythmic and driving deep section full of minimal greats such as Molecular and Octavate that really setup the vibe for his hour long performance well. Leo has a very clean and adept style on his decks, opting for beautifully crafted and vibey blends that complement each other greatly as they move from side to side – this style combined with the ultra clean cuts that push tracks quickly gives the listener an interesting and exciting experience! One of the things I love most about Leo’s DJing this time around is the overall phrasing as well as the track-to-track, in that he manages to traverse his way through classic tunes that teeter on a jump-up sound, back to lo-fi jungle breaks, and into some deep stuff again without missing a beat. He is a very interactive streamer who has made some really strong connections on Twitch and with the Florida DnB crew, playing a few tracks from the massive in this mix specifically. This is the type of stuff I love to see on Twitch – excellent DJing, and DJs supporting DJs. Leo closes his set with a funky and bopping mix between hip-hop and ragga jungle that was an absolute blast to dance through. Check out Codename Leo’s links below:

Instagram Mixcloud YouTube Twitch

Second performer: Needlenose

Hailing from the Ozark mountains of northwestern Arkansas Needlenose brings a particular musical richness to his streams that represent his instrumental background. I have heard sets from across the spectrum in Needlenose’s stream that integrate live musical input as well as dedicated looping – he adds so much to the already interesting DJing, that really span all subgenres of DnB. He gives shouts to deep and melodic rollers as well as liquid/atmospheric but makes clear that he tries to think outside of these boxes when building his library! Needlenose is influenced by Seba, Alix Perez, Aphex Twin, Pretty Lights, STS9, and DJ Shadow when it comes to DJing and electronica, citing labels such as 1985, Hospital, DIspatch, Critical, and CIA, and the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Snarky Puppy on the band side. This will all make sense when you hear the set – this is a pretty distinct list!

From the questionnaire:

The first electronic CD I ever bought was MTV Amp, Vol. 1 in 1996. It had a TON of artists on there that are just iconic at this point: Aphex Twin, Photek, Goldie, etc. At the time I had no clue who they were or the kid of impact they would have on me or music in general, but I probably listened to that album from beginning to end close to 500 times.

 

I was always a music kid. Some of my earliest memories are of my sister and I singing along to Beatles tunes while my dad strummed guitar. In 6th grade I joined the school band, and despite wanting to play percussion, I played alto saxophone in the symphonic & marching bands for several years. It wasn’t all bad – I learned a lot about music and theory, until my sophomore year of high school, when I got kicked out of class for “embellishing” during rehearsal. (True story – it felt very similar Lisa’s opening scene in intro to The Simpsons – band director’s finger pointing to door and everything).

 

At that point I had already decided I wanted to bail on saxophone, so I convinced my parents to buy me a drum set for Christmas, and somehow they agreed. I played along to every CD I owned on repeat until my hands bled, trying to emulate what they were doing, and that’s essentially how I taught myself the drums.

 

I played in several different bands over the years, but of course they always fell apart, and eventually I got the idea in my head that if I wanted to produce music, I needed to be able to play everything – guitar, bass, etc. I slowly started acquiring any gear I could get my hands on. Eventually I met some people who introduced me to a few “underground” DJs and electronic jam bands (and more importantly, this new idea of MIDI and modular setups) and I was hooked. Unfortunately I never had the money, the gear, or the patience to make it a reality.

 

I moved to Arkansas in 2012, and got my first DJ controller, a Traktor S2 MK2. A couple of years went by as I learned to dabble, but eventually my unchecked depression & mental illness caught up with me. I spent over a decade barely touching any of it, with less than half maybe getting picked up once or twice a year, despite continuing to hoard it.

 

Around the end of the pandemic, I started to find DJs on Twitch, and it became part of my daily routine. Seeing streamers like Helmahof, Widdzy, and Guddah, with these amazing communities, started to remind me what was so important about music. Several friends and family members encouraged me to set my gear up and start streaming, and at the end of 2023, I decided to give it a shot.

 

I set myself a goal of 1,000 followers for year one, and the support was insane. I ended up gaining over 150% of my goal, reaching the 1,000 mark by October. The concept of “Thanks For Being Alive” was born out of all this, as I truly believe that the Twitch D&B community probably saved my life. I’ve now been streaming for over a year and I absolutely love it, and I’ve made it my goal to support as many of my friends as I can. It also gives me an opportunity to promote other artists & producers.

 

Fun fact: “Needlenose” actually comes from my love of dachshunds. When I was a kid my grandma always had a red doxie named Mitzi, and she would call it her little needlenose. I thought it made a great name and the fact that it sort of correlates with record players is just a plus.

Top three tracks of all time: Seba ‘Painted Skies’, Netsky ‘Porcelain’, LTJ Bukem ‘Watercolors’

In the first twenty minutes of this set Needlenose plays some content that is a bit different than what you might normally hear, and is absolutely insane when it comes to the groove, drive, and musical choices. There are harmonies in his blends, vocals used on top of fleeting rhythms, and some absolutely massive bass drops coming out of nowhere! Needle expertly makes his way in and out of musically focused DnB by using the atmospherics, melodies, and vocals from an otherwise smooth tune with the crushing impact of deep and minimal kicks, creating almost a third track entirely. He played some of my favorites, including the new Seba track ft. Sapele ‘Project’ and Enei’s moody roller ft. odddi ‘Show Me’ with blends I would have never thought of (the ‘Show Me’ one was absolutely epic), and he played loads of tunes I have never heard. I can’t stress enough his usage of different musical elements across these tracks to create bigger and more rich atmospheres among his blends – when he gets into a blend and starts bopping there is magic created in the studio. He closes down the set with some classic tech-y tunes and some atmospheric DnB that takes me back to a classic era. On stream, Needlenose is known for some epic extended streams that jam on through many different realms of sounds and tempos – highly suggest checking out his twitch! Peep the links below:

Needlenose

Third performer: Apoc

Apoc comes from Hertfordshire, a county in Englad that’s very close to London, and plays an interesting variety of dancefloor and heavy DnB with a penchant for VR DJing. He was introduced to DnB with some of the legendary Monstercat’s drumstep releases in the mid 2010’s that I’ve no doubt influenced his set from today, as well as enduring love for this style! Citing influences like Lexurus, Metrik, and Fox Stevenson Apoc has learned how to DJ to this music and has remained a deeply passionate creator, having recently broken into the Liquicity streaming community and some awesome VR events.

From the questionnaire:

DJing started as a lockdown hobby for me. I started DJing with a VR app called TribeXR that emulates club gear at the start of 2021. After messing around with that for a few weeks, I decided to actually take the plunge and grabbed myself a DDJ 400 and some speakers and started performing quite amateur mixes on YouTube and Twitch (now private ) . Since then, I’ve come back to my roots and performed in VRChat’s incredibly vibrant rave community, as well as streaming in the Liquicity Community Streams playing alongside the likes of Dylan Purser and Flint & Figure. I’m still growing and learning and I’m looking to play at my first in-person DnB rave this year!

 

I streamed for a while before I was DJing but in terms of DJing, I had just gotten my DDJ 400 in 2021 and I found my favourite way to practice was on-stream. I wasn’t streaming to anyone but even still I enjoyed the hell out of it!

 

When I got to take part in the Liquicity Community stream in 2022. That was the first time I’d played to a proper audience (Albeit a “small” audience compared to what you’d see on DJ Twitch now.) Even still that was a great moment and that set is still the most viewed video on my YouTube channel.

Top three tracks of all time: Mat Zo ‘Vice’, Lexurus ‘Waveline’, Fox Stevenson ‘Human in the Evening’

Apoc opens with a blend of three of his favorite artists, Metrik, Lexurus, and Fox Stevenson which brings the vibe of his set together immediately. This one is going to be all about energy, melody, and big drops – right away Apoc doesn’t dissapoint and continues bringing heat every mix featuring classic after classic. Streaming from a bar? Apoc absolutely shuts it down with his selections, keeping the dancefloor energy high in the pub as he runs through selections from the neuro camp like Magnetude and V O E as well as up and coming artists like 10xx and CP Jay. I love sets like this because they show that lesser known artists can stand up to mainstays such as Metrik, Wilkinson, Phibes, and Sub Focus and ADD something to the mix – big ups to Apoc for that! The last 10 minutes of his set he visibily turns up the energy starting with Metrik classic ‘Fall to Dust’ into the massive Pola & Bryson remix of Circles, into some Circadian tunes, and closing with a blend started with the favorite of the performer, Lexurus. This set shows the power of dancefloor drum and bass to bring energy and excitement even without a shared dancefloor. This is material that gets you moving even in your home studios, and begs the listener to turn up the system at home or better yet, hit the dancefloor and work! Check out what Apoc has been up to:

Apoc

Fourth performer: Sodie

From Baltimore, Maryland, this performer is a natural and seasoned professional in the business and in the world of singing. Sodie often graces the stream with her live vocals over drum and bass and talks about how singing to DnB was one of her most important early memories with this music, now as an ableton producer and studio vocalist as well as a trailblazer for women in DJing she contributes to the scene in a very valuable way. The DJ crew she formed in the early 00’s with friend and collaborator Tinkfu, “Priss Collective” still hosts events catered to female DJs in the Salt Lake City area! Check out her duo project “scarlet veil” as well.

Sodie plays everything DnB and breaks, from liquid/dancefloor to techstep/neuro, to progressive/funky – she shouts out The Prodigy and John B for some early memories and influences. After hearing “Forever” by John B at The Armory (shoutout DC ravers!!!) she decided right there that she wanted to sing over it. Inspiration on the dancefloor – a classic love story with DnB we can all relate to. Other influences inclued Hybrid, KOAN sound, Pendulum, and Cyantific.

From the questionnaire:

I completely fell into DJing. When in university at 17 I was at a friend’s house party and they had open decks which I hopped on and immediately understood. I must have been good at fooling people because that night someone asked me to play their party, which I agreed to even though I owned zero records (so I went and bought some). My first official booking was in Boise, Idaho in 2001 at a party called “Ambitious Hearts,” the sister city version of a long running Salt Lake City event called “Luv2K.”

 

From then on I was playing frequently at Salt Lake City raves and clubs, usually playing trance/house/progressive breaks before I moved on to dnb and turntablism. It was in that scene that I met other DJs and producers and started collaborating as a vocalist and messing with Ableton. After a couple years of playing out my friend (Tinkfu) and I formed the Priss Collective, which is an all female DJ crew. We would host events or be booked for club takeovers and the whole point was to carve out a space for women DJs. That crew is still running strong with many artists playing out frequently in the Salt Lake valley and other cities, it’s awesome.

 

Around the early 2ks internet radio was also spinning up and I had a weekly show called “Fragment” on Transphere.com, which eventually turned into ETN.FM and hosted a lot of really awesome DJs and producers, I was just lucky to be a part of it. That was way way back and I remember it feeling insane that people could hear me play all across the globe, now it’s so easy, the internet is wild! I was lucky to play events of all sizes, and a lot of my greatest memories and shows were right place/right time scenarios, like the Sundance Film Festival or the Winter Olympics just happening to be in/around SLC and needing local talent. I was a really active DJ before I relocated to the east coast of the US around 2008.

 

Throughout the 2010s I would fly back west to play once or twice a year but never really tried to establish myself in my new city, things really slowed down. It wasn’t until covid and working out of my home studio that I started to miss that scene. That’s where Twitch came in and it’s been great to find a community around dnb and electronic music so developed and thriving online. While I’ll still play live shows occasionally, I’m cozy hitting “start stream,” playing whatever I’m feeling, and enjoying everyone in chat.

 

It was B-complex who encouraged me to stream on Twitch in 2023, even though I had put pre-recorded sets up for Priss Collective early in covid times, I wasn’t streaming live until I had that little push. The STONX community is what helped me get more consistent, jumping on their raid trains and seeing the community grow around it is what made Twitch click for me.

Top three tracks of all time: Pendulum ‘Spiral’, John B ‘Forever’, Orbital ‘Halcyon and on and on…’

Closing out the night with a beautiful array of liquid and deep selections this east coast selector shines during her set, featuring a crazy amount of different skills including live singing and a bit of vinyl scratch! Sodie displays a few handfuls of tunes featuring her vocals or her entire productions, solo or with scarlet veil – it’s inspiring to hear a performer play original material and have it work so well in the mix. This hour long mix delivers inspiration in melodic, compositional form and well as the art of DJing and performing live because she excels at each of these from years and years of hard work. Her energy during this set is palpable – if Sodie is dancing, I am too.

The liquid section was delightfully dark and moody, moving from soaring and cinematic melodies from the DJ herself to deep and rolling funk, setting up the meat of the mix to go hard in the minimal roller direction. Once she hits the groove it’s off to the races as she tears through sounds from Overview, Sofa Sound, Stonx, and Neosignal, showing no slowdown as the mix transforms into the nasty face of neurofunk. She twists everyones brain with the end of this mix. Impressive to say the least; a live performance, a variety of DJ skills, all amidst a set that rages from start to finish. Check out what Sodie has been up to below:

Sodievox (solo) scarlet veil (duo)

You can watch the UBB DJ showcase every Saturday from 16:00 GMT – 22:30 GMT (10AM CST, 8AM PST) on Guddah’s twitch channel! The weekly recap will be available right here on Best Drum and Bass in the following days of each broadcast.

If you are a Twitch streamer that is interested in getting involved with UBB, ask about signups at one of the showcases and a team member will invite you to the discord and add you to the Twitch team. Membership is open to everyone who streams drum and bass on twitch in any capacity. This community aims to build each other up and provide an even platform for people to share knowledge. It is a safe space to discuss streaming as well as real life issues, with a member list full of compassionate and interesting creative people who are full of drive for this music.

This Saturday, March 8th, 2025 we will be featuring our first TAKEOVER showcase with the STONX music crew. They will feature four of their best and brightest on the platform and broadcast information and conversation in our Discord call. Until the next showcase, we hope to see you soon!

Guddah Twitch