Bristol has always understood the power of the mic. Banshee brings that tradition into sharp focus, with Rua Tui linking up with Kathika, Maddy V, Maria and Abi Nyxx for a stripped-back but heavyweight drum and bass release. Launched alongside a Bristol event in aid of Refuge, it is a record built around voices, both in the booth and beyond it. We caught up with everyone involved to talk through how it took shape.

When Banshee first began to form, what did those early conversations or sessions feel like, and at what point did you realise you had something that could anchor a whole event around it?

Angus: Those early sessions felt electric. Giving Kathika the reins to lead the concept of the project was something we had not done before and we couldn’t be happier with how we collaborated on it. I think we knew we had something when we recorded Cathy’s early version of the bars, then getting all these other amazing vocalists/rappers involved just kept elevating it.

Kathika: Me and Maria have known the guys for a long time and started to put a few sticks in the fire already, then after a massive hiatus the project changed and Maria was still up for it. Then we just evolved, and the more we all got into it, the more exciting it became. Rua Tui are amazing, I LOVE working with the guys, and just know it's always gonna be a banger. Its always such fun getting in the studio and chatting about the vision i have and seeing Angus just ‘get it’ when i make weird noises and it comes to life!

Aidan: As Banshee evolved into what we have today, a fierce, empowering beast, tying the release to an event and pushing all of the amazingly talented Women we are lucky enough to know to the forefront of the line-up. Coming together to raise money for Refuge and to help those women in real need completed the story of Banshee.

Rua Tui (Aidan & Angus), the production gives the vocals room to breathe while still hitting hard enough for a proper Bristol system. How did you balance power and space in the mix, especially knowing four MCs would be sharing it?

Angus: We really wanted the bass to work in harmony with the vocals and to pay homage to the empowering concept. We recorded the vocals first to a temp drop, then built the synths around them, which is backwards from how our tracks usually form. I feel like that was the secret to these bold elements working so well together.

Bringing Kathika, Maddy V, Maria, and Abi Nyxx together on one record is no small move. How intentional was that line-up from the start, and what did each person bring that made the final version stronger?

Angus: This was all Kathika’s vision and hard work, not to mention being an all round legend of the scene for years and having all the connections, i remember it not taking very long to get everyone involved. I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Cathy just said ‘Let me make a few phonecalls!’. All the vocalists brought something completely unique and amazing to the project. It was great letting them take full creative control over their respective verses; they all smashed it.

Kathika: Its gone through such an evolution, as we put a project on the back burner for a while things change when we came back to it i was like ‘Nah, im ragin, lets start again’, so Banshee was born in a different body with a hydra for a head and then we just got all the femme fury i know to squad up.

Kathika, there is a real sense of purpose in your performance here. Did the International Women’s Day context shift how you approached your bars, or did it just sharpen something that was already there?

Kathika: I'm pretty much mad at everything! Haha. It comes from a deep, ingrained rage of a patriarchal society, so the bars would be the same no matter the day.

Maddy V, you have seen so many sides of drum and bass culture over the years. Does a project like this feel like a natural progression of where the scene is heading, or does it still feel refreshingly different?

Maddy V: Lineups still to this day severely lack female representation, especially when it comes to vocalists in drums and bass. I would say the natural progression is very slow, but it’s still there. And projects like these definitely help contribute. But I definitely think we’re mixing it up a bit.

Maria and Abi, coming from the Dutty Moonshine Big Band world with all that live brass and theatrical energy, how did it feel stepping into this darker, more stripped-back framework, and did that change how you delivered your parts?

Abi Nyxx: It's interesting because I hadn't yet joined the Big Band when we started recording 'Banshee' (it's been a long time coming and so worth it!) - I actually started as a DnB MC, and it was once my bread and butter, so I enjoyed getting back to those roots! But I'd been a guest of Dutty Moonshine for some years before becoming part of it officially, and I do feel it's injected some energy into the verses I write. It's always great to work with people whom I respect in different parts of the scene, and I think everyone's personal flavours really shine on 'Banshee'.

Maria: It felt really natural, I'd say. Although the arrangement was more stripped-back, the Big Band definitely also plays with a dark, gritty energy, so it didn’t feel dramatically different in mood. I always love working in new creative contexts, and it was really sick working as a team of 4 fire female mc's, what a bloody group ehh!! Also great to be collaborating with the Rua Tui lads, who I’ve known for years and are wonderful!!

The event at The Attic Bar is being positioned as more than just a rave. When you think about March 6 in Bristol, what do you hope people walk away feeling at the end of the night?

Aidan: We hope that people walk away having discovered new artists and new music, it’s not often you see such a diverse line up with such diverse musicality. Even if this night gains one new fan for any of the amazing artists on the line-up then that’s an incredible feeling.

There is a strong charitable focus with Refuge involved, and proceeds are going directly to support their work. How important was it for you that Banshee had a tangible impact beyond streams and reloads?

Kathika: Huge, the charity means so much to me, as sadly, I have had to use them personally. To be able to give back to them after they help thousands of people daily is beyond worthwhile. To draw attention to abuse, harassment, and violence towards women through what we do best, we can reach a new audience, fundraise and hopefully educate.

The line-up on the night stretches across genres and generations. Do you see this as part of a wider shift in how drum and bass and rave culture can curate space differently?

Aidan: Oh 100%, we’ve been putting on raves as Tremor Soundsystem and the Church of Love since 2011, and it has always been a magical feeling to see so many different people from different backgrounds, all ages, together, under one roof, just having the time of their lives. It is something we have been doing for a long time, and we are certainly noticing more and more of the mainstream brands leaning into curating their events and spaces differently.

And personally, after the dust settles from the release and the show, what do you hope Banshee represents when you look back on it in a year or two?

Kathika: I've felt a dip and a step back lately in having women on lineups. I really hope that we continue to show we are there, we are strong, capable, talented, passionate, and we won't stand for the systemic misogyny that women are subject to, in and out of the music scene on a daily.

You’re stranded on a desert island with one turntable, a generator and one record. What’s it going to be?

Aidan: Screw it, it’s gotta be our remix of Tetris. The damn track has lived rent-free in my head for over a decade. And if I’m not playing it, it’ll be on repeat in my mind whilst I stack rocks, staring hopefully into the sunset for my rescuers to save me.

Angus: Oh god I hope we’re not on the same island! I was toying with the idea of taking something heavy and ridiculous, but I reckon playing Mr. Happy or Cotton Eyed Joe on repeat would drive me mad much, much faster. I’ll play it safe with Paul Simon’s Graceland Album. I already know I can listen to that on repeat… or until the generator runs out!

Kathika: The Cramps - The Creature From The Black Leather Lagoon, thrash myself around to a true freak anthem! Cramps were always sexy as hell and rebellious, I’m gonna summon me some Cthulu, kraken vibes and get the hell outta dodge! I don't do well in the sun.

Abi Nyxx: This is such a tough question, my favourite album ever is Woodface by Crowded House, but if it's one song, it'd probably be What You Waiting For by Gwen Stefani. It always gets me up and moving when I need to snap out of something.

Maddy V: Moby - Porcelain. It’s mainly because my dad showed me that track when I was little, and it was how we connected, through music. It makes me feel like I’m at home.

Maria: I'm every woman, Chaka Khan, cos if Im on a desert Island and I have to motivate myself to collect fire wood, not complain about splinters, find food, build shelter and all that other desert island business, best BELIEVE I'm gonna need some real female hype energy behind me and that to me is just like the O.G ‘I’m a bad bitch’ song. If it can get me through walking to work every morning, I'm sure it can get me through surviving on a desert island, nae bother.

With Banshee, the emphasis is clear. Four distinct voices, a Bristol launch, and direct support for Refuge. In a scene that still debates representation, this project plants its flag through collaboration and action rather than talk. On record and on the night, the focus stays where it belongs, on the mic.