In Conversation with Survival: 30 Years in Drum & Bass and the Return of "The Flavour"

With a career spanning three decades, Survival has cemented himself as a key figure in the drum and bass scene. His latest release on Dispatch Blueprints brings an unexpected gem—The Flavour, a track originally written in 1995, finally seeing the light of day. Paired with a brand-new production, No One, the release blends past and present with lush atmospheres, crisp jungle breaks, and deep, rolling energy. We caught up with Survival to talk about revisiting his roots, evolving as an artist, and what still excites him about drum and bass today.

The Flavour takes us right back to the 90s, while No One brings a fresh contrast. Can you talk us through how this release came together and the vision behind pairing these two tracks?

Well, the flavour was written in 1995, so not sure I can answer that one! But I can tell you how the release came about …. I was going through some unreleased tracks for the USB I did with dispatch a few years back … the flavour was one of the tracks I sent to Ant … it didn't really work for the USB release, but Ant has always asked about it ever since... Fast forward a few years, and we were talking about another survival release for Dispatch, and Ant asked about The Flavour again and said he'd love to put it out on blueprints, why don't I try and do something for the flip? A few days later, I came up with No One, and here we are! 

Both No One and The Flavour tap into some serious mid-90s energy with lush soundscapes and crisp jungle drums. How did you go about channelling that era while still keeping the tracks fresh for today’s dancefloors?

Well, The Flavour was written in the '90s, so that would make sense! 

To be honest, it makes me so happy that something I wrote 30 years ago when I was 17 is still considered relevant today! Never in a million years, I would have thought back then that this would see the light of day all these years later.

After more than two decades in the game, how do you keep your production feeling inspired and forward-thinking? Has your creative process evolved much over the years?

Three decades this year! I still have to pinch myself, as it doesn't even seem that long! 

My creativity has always been quite subconscious. I don't really plan or think about how to make a track. It just sort of comes out, and I'll follow the direction it goes in.

Apart from the technology, not much has changed, though. The music evolves, but I think my mindset is much the same.

You’ve been part of the Dispatch family for a long time now, with your music woven deep into the label's back catalogue. What keeps bringing you back to Dispatch, and how does this latest release reflect your connection with the label?

I've always had a good friendship and business relationship with Ant; for me, that goes a long way. So, I've always had time for dispatch and always will. 

When you listen back to No One, with its bright synths and nostalgic vocal touches, what stands out most for you? Were there any particular moments in the studio where everything just clicked?

I really enjoyed making this track. Although most of my music is a bit oldskool, I rarely intentionally make something sound like it was from back then. Chopping the Amens took me right back to 95! 

I do love the Vox in that track. I think that's where it all came together for me. It was probably one of the last elements to go in and really elevates the track 

The Flavour carries that deep, late-night energy. Do you remember anything about the time and setting when you first put it together?

Haha, man, I wish I could remember!  I mean, at the time, we had a studio in my mate's flat. I always remember, the electric meter was always on like 50p. We used to bump it up using the clicker from an electric lighter! We would be sitting there working away, then hear a beeping, then bang, everything would go off. This is the time of floppy disks, so we would lose everything! This could well have happened when this was being made! TBH I've no idea, but it is a pretty cool studio story from back then!  

We were all cheering you on during MasterChef! Looking back, did that experience teach you anything you've carried into your music or creative process?

Probably not anything creative, but I always make a banging studio munch!

Balancing nostalgia with innovation seems to be a real theme in this release. Do you find yourself revisiting your early influences often, or do they just naturally seep into your work?

Yeah, I think it is more of a natural thing most of the time… I still use a DAW like I used to use hardware. Like writing beats in midi rather than audio, so this deff has a sound that's a bit more nostalgic.

What’s your take on the current state of the scene? Are you feeling excited by the new generation of producers and the sounds emerging right now?

Mixed feelings, I would say… there's some great music about and some amazing new artists coming through, but the way social media seems to dictate how music is made and consumed is not good. It's become too easy to get caught up in the race for likes, views, etc.

And forget about being experimental or pushing the sound because you get penalised for stepping out of the box.

Finally, with this release landing both digitally and as a limited-edition lathe-cut dubplate, what are your thoughts on the vinyl resurgence and its role in keeping the culture alive?

It's great that we now have the option to do limited runs like this. I've always loved having physical copies of my music, so I love this.

Massive thanks to Survival for taking the time to chat with us. No One / The Flavour lands on Dispatch Recordings as both a digital release and a limited-edition lathe-cut dubplate—an essential addition for fans of deep, nostalgic drum and bass with a forward-thinking edge.