Instra:mental

British duo Instra:mental (Alex Green and Damon Kirkham) were one of the most innovative drum'n'bass acts of the 2000s and 2010s, pushing the genre beyond its standard tempos and overused breakbeats. Restricting themselves to an analog, drum machine-based setup, the duo explored abstract rhythms that fused elements of dubstep, techno, and IDM. Along with similar-minded producers dBridge and ASC, Instra:mental spearheaded the Autonomic movement, the unique hybrid style sharing its name with a club night, podcast, and label. While releases like 2009 single "Watching You" and the acclaimed 2010 mix CD FabricLive.50 (with dBridge) helped define the Autonomic sound, Instra:mental also ventured into dystopian electro-techno with their first full-length, 2011's Resolution 653. Friends since childhood, Green and Kirkham first recorded as Instra Mental during the early 2000s, releasing a trio of darkcore drum'n'bass singles on Demonic, including two co-productions with the label's owner, Source Direct. After working separately for several years, the duo reconvened around 2005, and began releasing tracks as Instra:mental in 2007. The pair's singles on labels like Darkestral Recordings and Exit Records were widely regarded as helping to push drum'n'bass forward, while releases on Apple Pips and [NakedLunch] did the same for dubstep. The duo launched the Autonomic podcast and club night in 2009, and Green established Nonplus Records the same year; its first release was a split 12" by dBridge and Instra:mental, followed by the duo's widely praised "Watching You" single. Both parties mixed 2010's FabricLive.50, a definitive document of the Autonomic sound. However, Instra:mental's subsequent output, including 2011 full-length Resolution 653, veered closer to techno and electro than dubstep or drum'n'bass. In 2012, the duo announced that they had disbanded. Stray tracks appeared on split singles in 2013, and the two producers concentrated on solo projects; Green issued numerous club tracks as Boddika, often in collaboration with Joy Orbison, and Kirkham produced drum'n'bass as Kid Drama and more hybridized sounds as Jon Convex and Mikarma. Instra:mental reunited in 2019, resuming live performances and issuing second full-length Timelines, a mixture of previously unreleased productions and tracks previously only available on vinyl. ~ Paul Simpson