Blu Mar Ten are quite literally legends of the drum & bass scene. From their origins way back in 1995, through their early material for LTJ Bukem‘s Good Looking Records, their downtempo explorations in the early 2000s and their return to drum & bass production in more recent years, the London production trio have always maintained a ridiculously high level of production quality. These men are part of a rare breed of electronic musicians, writing tunes that manage to be both dancefloor oriented and emotionally charged, immediate and yet timeless. Their work is truly beautifully composed.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hszNBAiSPx0&w=560&h=315]

BMT also manage to write music that is stylistically quite diverse, even within an album that concentrates (broadly) on a single genre such as last year’s Love is the Devil. The album features a great selection of drum & bass, from hard hitters like Damage, through vocal led steppers like The Fourth and out into magnificent liquid rollers like Whisper (which features the superb talents of Kirsty Hawkshaw).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IufUY6J7W0k&w=560&h=315]

Outside of their main production work, BMT have brought great new music to the world via other avenues, whether by encouraging budding young talents in their remix competitions, or by their recent forays into label territory with the release of the first music by other artists on their Blu Mar Ten Music label.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dyWQeeovA&w=560&h=315]

It’s definitely the mark of a special producer when I can’t think of a single track they’ve written which I don’t like, and BMT are one of few I could bestoy that accolade upon. Here’s to the next album, whenever it may arrive.