The Sect

The Sect are Blade and Virtua. Initially meeting through mutual friends in the late 1990s, they have been producing Drum & Bass together ever since.

Growing up hooked to the bleeps and breaks of The Prodigy and London’s pirate radio stations, they followed the development of Jungle to Drum & Bass, eventually finding themselves drawn to the futuristic output of labels such as Underfire and Renegade Hardware – and in particular, the techno-edged Konflict sound.

In 2003 The Sect was formed when they joined forces with long-time friend and DJ partner Method to produce ‘Geotherm’, signed by DJ Red for his Distance imprint. During time spent on the south coast, they established links with Raiden and Propaganda, sharing the same love of underground Drum & Bass, especially the driving breaks, heavy basslines and futuristic soundscapes that would come to embody the Offkey sound. This culminated in Raiden signing their first track for his label – ‘Nerve Attack’ – which would go on to feature on their debut EP (‘The Sect EP, 2006) and bring The Sect their first serious exposure.

Just getting started, signings followed immediately on Obscene, Position Chrome and Habit. With healthy support for their work from DJs at the harder and darker reaches of the Drum & Bass spectrum, as well as many of the scene’s major players, the boys found their production skills in demand. Further tracks and a steady stream of remix work continued throughout 2007 and 2008, on labels including Freak, Revolution, Trickdisc, TDP and Position Chrome. They also collaborated with Audio to produce ‘Pounded’ for his LP on TechFreak, as well as remixing Glenn Wilson and Mike Humphries’ legendary techno stormer ‘Aural Exciter’ for Subsistenz and Cause 4 Concern’s 2001 classic ‘Relentless’.

The Sect officially reverted to the original combination of Blade and Virtua in early 2009 and the year started brightly, with the release of ‘Mayday’ on Optiv’s Redlight Records and a remix of Freeland’s ‘Bring It’ for Marine Parade. They also remixed Temper D’s ‘Chess Boxer’ for TDP and helped launch the Bristol based KSS Black imprint with ‘Cybermen’/Bias – ‘Chrysalis (The Sect Remix)’. Looking to the future, the boys are working hard on a host of new tracks and remixes for a variety of labels, with releases signed to C4C Ltd, Position Chrome, Surround Sound, Venom Inc., Prspct and Perkussiv. They are also working on plans for their own label.

Despite the heavy production schedule, The Sect are as at home behind the decks as in the studio. Virtua has showcased his formidable skills at the famed DMC championships and Blade has been DJing for over 15 years, playing regularly at events across the world, from the UK to Russia and New Zealand. They have established a reputation for high-energy DJ sets, combining tight mixing with cutting-edge dubs to move crowds wherever they play.