Step 13 is a British live

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from London.

History

Step 13 was founded in 1996 as a collective of DJs and musicians, linked by a common interest in music experimentation. Originally known as Step 13 Recordings, they would DJ jungle and

at free party events and club nights across South and East England and throughout London. In 2000, Step 13 hosted their first regular club night, Mixamotosis at

Madame Jojo's Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

in Soho. The night was the first to be exclusively dedicated to UK Hip Hop and saw artists like DJ Skitz, Roots Manuva,

Rodney P Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P (born in Balham, London, 12 December 1969) is an English MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop group ...

, Estelle (musician), Skinny Man, Scratch Perverts, and Task Force performing. In 2002, Step 13 formed a band to inject a new lease of life into the drum and bass scene which was suffering from musical stagnation. Based at Studio 7K in East London, the band originally had 13 members, their first live gig came in June 2003 at Cargo in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

. Within a short time they developed a sound and feel to their music, in part taking up the genre which Roni Size

Reprazent Roni Size & Reprazent (stylised as Roni Size / Reprazent) are a British drum and bass group fronted by Roni Size. Their debut album ''New Forms'' won the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. Their follow-up album ''In the Møde'' featured artists inclu ...

had begun. In 2006, Step 13 established the first live drum and bass band night in the UK, NRFTW (No Rest For The Wicked) at the Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel. By 2008, and with female vocalist Lucy Randell, who sings on the fourth The Streets album '' Everything Is Borrowed'', Step 13 spent the summer touring

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

s, including headlining at Kingston Green Fair, and appearing on two stages at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. 2009 has seen Step 13 concentrating work in the studio, but have played out in London a few times, notably at

seOne seOne was a nightclub in London, United Kingdom. It claimed to be London's largest licensed nightclub with a capacity of 3,000 people. It was located on Weston Street underneath the London Bridge transit centre. The licensing authority required th ...

club at

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

. And also again at Glastonbury Music Festival in June.

In their own words

According to their interview on Channel 4 Music

"...Step 13 was formed from a group of four DJs and producers in 2003. Sick of the DJ fever of the late nineties and full of post millennium apathy they formed a band in search of fresh vibes and a new way of taking their music to the people. The following years saw experimentation with different line ups and instruments. Band members came and went, some confused, some excited many dumbfounded but never bored, they eventually evolved into a seven piece featuring drums, bass, guitar, keys, samples/synths and sublime vocals from MC Ishu ( Manasseh sound system) and Lucy Randell. Their enthusiasm for eclectic music saw them dabbling with drum and bass, dub, psychedelia and rock to create their own hybrid sound which they call Broc’n’Roll, left-field drum and bass with bite. After making a strong live debut at London’s, Cargo and being hailed as a key live drum and bass act by Knowledge magazine, Step13 went on to perform at many venues and towns throughout the UK. Since the start of 2005 the band has taken time to write a complete new set of material. The upfront live drum and bass vibe is still strong, but the ideas are more focused with a few eclectic surprises. Step 13 consider ourselves champions of humanitarian causes and strive to bring about peace and harmony through our music. Call us old hippies but It's all about peace and love."

References

{{Authority control English rock music groups British drum and bass music groups