Published in the April 2009 Issue of DJ Times Magazine
Volume 22 - Number 04
By Lily Moayeri

George Levings and Guy Brewer—the DJ/production duo known as Commix—fall on the melodic side of drum-n-bass, a musical landscape known for its ever-expanding number of often-insular subgenres. Still, some of their better instincts, they admit, are influenced by the techno and house worlds.

“My favorite DJs are people like Carl Craig or Theo Parrish,” says Levings. “[I like] DJs who take people on a journey, rather than make people screw their faces up with every record that they play.”

This approach is showcased ably on the duo’s latest mix, FabricLive 44, a compilation both rich with meticulous texture and bomb-the-bass crescendos. Instead of filling their 65 minutes with a series of full-on floorfillers, Commix takes a more dynamic direction by mixing up moody liquid funk with an air of murk and mystery. For every moment of jittery atmospherics (Spectrasoul’s “Buried”), there’s a bridge to bigger, mind-bending moments (Breakage’s “Old School Ting”).

The U.K.-based Commix continues to play a steady schedule of gigs, not only at London’s Fabric, but also at the genre’s top club nights like Marcus Intallex’s Soul:ution parties and the legendary Metalheadz events. They also run Spoonfed, their own monthly, back home in Cambridge.

At most of their club dates, Levings and Brewer work with an Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer, a pair of Technics 1210s (for classic and already-released vinyl) and a pair of Pioneer CDJ-1000s (for unreleased material).

“We make a lot of music and so do all the people we get records from,” says Levings. “It doesn’t work out for us to go each week and cut 20 dubplates—it’s quite expensive. The Allen & Heath is almost an industry standard, especially in London. It is a really solid desk. It’s not too complicated a mixer. The effects and the filters are really easy to use. It doesn’t change the sound of the music that much.”

The Commix boys employed a similar setup in recording FabricLive 44. Splitting the DJing duties evenly—Levings does the first mix, Brewer the second, and so on—the pair sought a little perfection with the project. Instead of fixing errors in the mix with software, the duo was intent on getting the mix right—so Commix rehearsed for a month before the final compilation was finished. The two would record their sessions and later inspect the waveform of the mix, noting areas where it was too loud. Then, they’d correct the levels—and practice some more.

“We pre-prepared the records,” says Levings. “Apart from the stuff we played from vinyl, we prepared them so it was all at a similar level. We had to roll off some of the top end and, likewise, some of the bottom end. It took a while to get it at a consistent level. But we were very keen to do it live.

“When we play out, we re-master records we get from other people and the records we write ourselves, so they sit at a level of volume because there’s nothing worse than dropping a really cool track that’s way too quiet or way too loud.”

Nonetheless, Commix believes that a good club night always goes back to the DJ’s ability to program. “There’s a lot to be said for somebody who is DJing with peaks and troughs,” adds Levings, “so you have big, anthemic records and [then you] take it right down. We draw a lot of influence in that respect, keep people waiting for up to an hour before dropping a big record. The reaction in the crowd is second to none.”


– Lily Moayeri