Bailey Imagines Detroit’s Response to D&B

It’s rare to find anyone more fluent in jungle and drum & bass than Michael Bailey. He’s the ultimate veteran – a dual force of innovation for both radio and electronic music since the late-80s.

Vinyl-obsessed and living in South London, Bailey got his start mixing hip-hop and house on various pirate stations before joining Energy FM, broadcasting impossibly futuristic sounds across Greater London. Operating from a cramped broom cupboard – sometimes not in the greatest condition, as he recalled on the 0860 Podcast with Fracture (2024) – he was never in it for the glamour. He was a true music junkie, driven by an insatiable need to absorb everything and share it with the world. 

Noticing his dedication, Kemistry & Storm invited Bailey to play at Metalheadz – a pivotal moment that led to a residency, European tours, and recognition as one of the UK’s top emerging talents. His momentum continued in radio, where his passion earned him a place on 1Xtra’s original roster – helming an underground drum & bass show that pushed the genre forward with deep selections and astute nuggets of information.

Bailey has also remained a constant presence at SUNANDBASS, the only artist in its 20-year history to perform at every festival. Now, for their milestone 20th label release, it feels only fitting that he makes his debut EP for SUNANDBASS Recordings. ‘Echoes From The Midwest’ circles back to his roots, echoing the house and techno that got him into the electronic music scene. It’s a tribute to the electronic sounds of Detroit and Chicago – which laid the blueprint for drum & bass in the UK. Crafted with analogue gear and a deep-digging approach to samples and synths, the EP delivers four rolling tracks laced with acid stabs, nostalgic strings, and deep basslines. Bailey envisions it as a reply message from Detroit itself – an imagined response to how the UK reshaped its sound.  

Now with a show on Kool FM, and his first full EP release on the way (it’s only been singles until now), it felt like the right time to check in with one of drum & bass’ biggest historians and contributors… 

I first discovered you on the radio, and you’ve been on it for decades – so let’s start there. How did you get into radio?

I was buying a lot of records and hanging out with a guy called Garfied, who was a go-to DJ in Croydon. On Thursday nights, we’d go down to his residency – he was supposed to play just soul and funk, but house music was creeping into the UK, so he played a bit of that too. I was into hip-hop at the time, but through him, I discovered house and everything around it. This was around ’88.

We became close friends, and later, when he set up his pirate radio station, Energy 87.9FM, he asked me to do a show. That’s where it all started.

What happened after Energy FM? You worked your way up the ranks.

Garfied had a crew of friends who were pivotal to me. One of them was Darrin, who was part of Garfied’s raving crew. His partner at the time, Jane Morris, was working on a new project – a sister station to Radio 1. Back then, it was called ‘Network X’ before it became 1Xtra.

Darrin knew I was DJing with Garfied and on pirate radio, plus I didn’t have an MC on my show – I was presenting myself. So he suggested me for a drum & bass show. Jane set it up, and suddenly, I was in the Radio 1 studios, in the basement, doing pilot shows. They’d just put a tape in and say, “Alright, do an hour.” I didn’t really know what was happening until two or three months later when they told me they had a show for me. That was around 2002.

A lot of it came from Garfied and his connections recommending me. The same thing happened with MC Flux – he introduced me to the Intanatty crew, who introduced me to Grooverider.

You became quite involved with Metalheadz – how did that come about? Was this before 1Xtra?

Yeah, that was around 1996. MC Flux introduced me to Kemistry & Storm, who were playing at Voodoo Magic at Equinox in Leicester Square – which was Moving Shadow’s party. Later, Storm called me up and asked if I’d like to play at this club. I had no idea what it would become since they’d only just started, but I said yes. I ended up becoming a resident at Metalheadz, playing almost every week.

I remember listening to you on 1Xtra, right after Fabio & Grooverider on Radio 1.

Drum & bass, especially back then, was never fully understood by the mainstream. But 1Xtra and Radio 1 were acknowledging it – Fabio & Grooverider had been on Radio 1 for years. Even so, we always felt drum & bass didn’t get the same recognition as other genres. It felt like we were in it together, like a team effort – we were the drum & bass contingent.

Imagine the 1Xtra Christmas party: me, Fabio & Grooverider, Crissy Criss, L Double, Flight, Sappo, Friction – what a team! We covered all kinds of styles, and it really felt like we were representing drum & bass. There was a strong sense of unity. We’d do show crossovers, and I’d even sit in for Fabio & Grooverider on their Radio 1 shows sometimes.

Did you feel quite a strong responsibility then?

Yes. I felt a responsibility to tell the story of drum & bass. I had a responsibility to expose different and new sounds. 

I like variety, and I want to hear it from all sides. I always felt my duty was to educate, reeducate, and go deep on things that people might not know. Me being the geeky DJ, I know who sampled what, and I want to showcase those things on my show, just to show how big this thing is. 

How has radio changed compared to back then?

Well, the younger generation is growing up on Spotify playlists now. That’s all well and good for listening to tunes, but what’s missing is the storytelling. There’s a lot not being said – things that could paint a fuller picture of the genres they’re into and help them dig deeper.

Back in the day, before hip-hop had a presence on radio, we were buying records and really embracing the physical forms music. Then we’d realize producers were sampling older records, so we’d go searching for the originals – that’s partly how the rare groove movement came about.

I think radio still has an important role in adding personality to the music and telling those deeper stories, rather than just following whatever’s hot on the dancefloor. It’s also an age thing – when you’re younger, you might just follow your friends to certain clubs based on hype, without thinking too much about the tunes. But as you get older, you start specialising, and that’s where radio comes in. It can say, “Did you know this?” or “Have you heard this?” It definitely still has its place.

Do you think the pendulum might be swinging back? Are people craving that guidance again?

Yeah, I think so. At the end of the day, it’s a DJ’s job to dig deep, discover new sounds, and bring them to the people. You follow DJs whose taste you trust, whereas Spotify just leaves you to wander and discover things on your own. DJs do the work for you – they find the gems and say, “This one. This is a sick tune. You need to know about this artist.”

I’ve always been passionate about exposing new artists, and I think this shift has been happening for a while – maybe over the last four or five years. Suddenly, I see more people getting radio shows, people who were just DJing before. They’ve realized the importance of having that kind of platform.

Yeah, there’s a lot of interest in radio right now. Plenty of stations seem to be growing – Rinse, NTS, The Lot, Subtle…

Yeah, I was on Subtle for a little while. I did a few shows, but it was just a brief stint. I’ve been on a few different stations over the years, but now I’m on Kool, which has been great. Honestly, I don’t think there’s another station on the planet with a roster like this – everyone’s on there.

And now you’re about to have this release on SUNANDBASS. What’s your relationship with them?

I’ve been going to SUNANDBASS since the very first one – I’m the only DJ who’s been to all 20 of them. It’s literally just me and the promoters who’ve made it to every single one. I’ve just kept going since the first year when DJ SS took me out with Formation Records. That year, it was me, Influx Datum, Shy FX, Twisted Individual, Skibadee, and of course, DJ SS. Since then, I’ve built a strong relationship with the promoters, and they’ve kept inviting me back.

I think the reason it works so well is their attitude. They’re some of the nicest promoters I’ve worked with, and that energy radiates through the whole festival. They weren’t even setting out to be promoters – they were just a couple in a position to make something happen. They gave it a go, and now it’s grown into this huge thing.

One of the organisers, Stefano, asked me to do a release for the label a long time ago. The thing is, I take forever to finish tunes. I’ve got loads of ideas, but unless something emotionally moves me, like with the song ‘For The Love’ because of Fats, it’s tough for me to complete them. But now, with more experience and having tested a lot of things, the timing feels right.

What inspired this one then?

I realised there’s a sound I really want to do, that isn’t being done that much. It’s a similar thought process to how I do my radio shows – like when I play classic jungle tracks alongside their original reggae samples, for example. No one’s really doing that.

There have been producers like Marcus Intalex who brought techno influences into drum & bass, but with this EP, I’m going straight to the roots – directly referencing Detroit and Chicago, but from back in the day. That’s where it all started for me, back when Garfied first introduced me to that sound.

I can definitely hear that Detroit and Chicago influence…

Yeah, definitely. If you listen to ‘Trax 312’, the bassline is influenced by Mr. Fingers’ ‘Can You Feel It’. I was curious about how he made that sound, so I did some research – found out what keyboard he used, what the exact settings were. I eventually tracked it down as a piece of software, dialed in the same settings, and decided to use that stab and bassline as the foundation for a track.

And because ‘Can You Feel It’ was released on Trax Records in Chicago, I named the track ‘Trax 312’ – Trax for the label, and 312 because that’s the area code for Chicago.

That’s sick. I love hearing the stories behind tracks. Are there any others on the EP with a special meaning?

Yeah, the lead track is called ‘Letter From Detroit’. The way I imagined it, jungle and drum & bass were partially built from those early Detroit and Chicago influences, right? So ‘Letter From Detroit’ is me picturing that Detroit has heard what we’ve done with their influence, acknowledged it, and sent a track back to us – like, “yeah, we hear you. Here’s our take on it”. It’s a tip of the hat from Detroit to us.

And this is your first-ever EP, right?

Yeah, I’ve done singles before, but never a full EP. As my confidence has grown, I’ve been able to finish more tracks, so now something like this can finally happen. And I’m really glad it’s with SUNANDBASS – they’ve looked after me for so long.

Do you have a lot cooking right now?

I’ve got plans. I’ve got plans. Actually, I just did a remix for a rapper called Koj – that one should be out now. I’ve been in the lab more and more, getting things done quicker. Basically, all this time, I’ve had to learn my own thought process and workflow, and now it’s finally coming together.

During lockdown, I realized I wasn’t happy with a lot of the drum & bass being released at the time. It felt quite generic – too much piano, too predictable. And the thing about me is, if I’m not happy with something, I’m not going to just sit there and moan about it. I’ll do something about it. So I started making tunes – stuff I felt was missing from my sets. I didn’t care if anyone else liked them. I ended up making about 25 to 30 tracks: mashups, bootlegs, remixes, originals. Then I sent them out to friends – DJs I knew were into that soulful vibe, like Jumping Jack Frost, Fabio, Grooverider, Bukem. Even Dillinja. And they were all saying, “You should do more of this stuff!”.

That whole process taught me a big lesson: when I stop worrying about fitting into the scene and just focus on telling my own story, the music has a better vibe.

Sounds like you’re loaded with dubs! 

So my plan is to release some of these bootlegs by summer – ones that have had great reactions. Actually, one of them, Shy FX wanted to release, but we couldn’t clear the sample.

But yeah, these tracks have been getting play across different spaces – 1Xtra, Radio 1, and beyond – so I want to get the most popular ones out first, then follow up with something else. That’s all I’ll say for now. I don’t want to jinx it. But yeah, definitely, the bootlegs and remixes are coming. And then… something more. Let’s just leave it at that for now.

It sounds like we’ll be seeing your name pop up more. Any more bits with SUNANDBASS?

I’m glad you asked. There’s going to be a launch for the single from the EP in Berlin on March 7th at the Void Hall. While I’m in Berlin, I’m going to hang around for a few days because Stefano has some friends over there with all the original drum machines and acid machines from the early days of Detroit techno and Chicago house. I’m going to meet up with them and see what happens.

Originally, we thought we’d replicate some tracks from my EP and film it, but it could also turn into a new collaboration. Either way, we’re definitely going to get in the studio and see what comes of it. I’m excited to see what happens, especially with the analog gear involved.

Sounds like you love a bit of analog when you’re producing.

Yeah, totally. It’s what I understand best. I’ve made a decision not to try to fit in with others or to replicate what they’re doing. I want to stick with what I know and what I’ve lived. Analog gear, original drum machines – those are the tools I know inside and out. I’ve got a friend named Epic, who lived up the road, and he’s got the Roland MC-101, an acid machine, and a TR-606. We used to go to his place, mess around with those, and record hip hop stuff back in the day before house music even hit. I still have the tapes we made together. So yeah, working with analog gear just feels right to me.

Nice, yeah, makes more sense something

Yeah, you stick with what you know. That’s what works for me.

I know you’re a historian of drum & bass – so to finish up, tell me some of your favourite moments in the past three decades?

One of my standout moments was touring New Zealand and Australia – I’d do a week in each country every year. When I played at the Ministry in Christchurch, oh my god, that was unforgettable. The crowd there had such a hunger for new tunes. I’d bring a big box of dubplates and they wouldn’t let me off the decks until I’d played every single one. I’d be playing for four hours straight, and the love for the music was just immense. It was a real vibe, something that happened consistently in that part of the world.

Another highlight is definitely SUNANDBASS. You won’t truly get it until you experience it in person. You hear all the hype about it, but it only makes sense once you’re there and feel the energy from the people. There’s no superstar nonsense – no exclusive backstage areas or popping champagne. The music is the real champion, and everyone is in that zone. That vibe runs through the whole event, and I’ve been lucky enough to be there every year. It’s always the same incredible energy.

I always warn people about going, though, because it’s so hard not to return. Once you’re in, you’re in. It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen – there are grown men who get upset and start crying when it’s time to leave. They’re just like, “Shit, will I ever feel this good again?”.