Black Sun Empire

Among the most prominent drum and bass outfits to emerge from the Netherlands, Black Sun Empire have specialized in intense, dramatic neurofunk and darkstep ever since the late 1990s. Drawing primary influence from the shadowy reaches of the genre—especially imprints such as No U-Turn and Virus along with figures like Ed Rush and DJ Trace—the Utrecht trio typically layers heavy, choppy breakbeats, wobbly and distorted basslines, plus suspenseful, cinematic atmospherics. Although many of their compositions target the dancefloor with expansive builds and breakdowns, the material functions equally well for private listening. While remaining largely faithful to their core aesthetic, the group has also ventured into dubstep and British rap through partnerships with Foreign Beggars and Virus Syndicate. Issuing the bulk of their output on the self-titled Black Sun Empire label plus the affiliated Blackout Music NL, Obsessions, and Shadows of the Empire imprints, BSE have maintained a steady flow of fresh, high-caliber releases that have garnered broad admiration throughout the worldwide drum and bass community.

Rene Verdult together with brothers Milan and Micha Heyboer—all Utrecht natives—first experimented with techno and breaks in 1993 before shifting to drum and bass production in 1995 upon encountering pioneers including Photek and LTJ Bukem. By 1997 they had committed exclusively to the style, giving rise to Black Sun Empire. After submitting demos to multiple labels, the trio’s debut single “Voltage” appeared on the Rotterdam-based Piruh imprint in 1999. Shortly thereafter DJ Trace discovered the act, resulting in their inclusion on Mutationz I-IV, an EP of reworkings drawn from Trace’s remix of T-Power’s classic “Mutant Jazz.” BSE’s Smoke EP surfaced on Trace’s DSCI4 label in 2002; the same year the group inaugurated their own imprint with the single “The Rat.” Subsequent singles on A New Dawn Recordings and Citrus Recordings, plus remixes for Technical Itch and SKC, preceded the 2004 arrival of their debut album Driving Insane. Featuring reworkings by Concord Dawn, Kemal, and Illskillz, the CD version also contained a mix disc surveying many of the group’s earlier singles. Widely praised as one of the strongest drum and bass albums of the year, the release supported an extensive world tour.

BSE built upon that foundation with their second album, Cruel & Unusual, issued in 2005 and containing joint productions with Noisia and Corrupted Souls. They launched Obsessions, a sublabel devoted to more atmospheric, less floor-oriented material. The third album Endangered Species (2007) raised expectations further, incorporating co-productions by State of Mind, Jade, and Optiv in addition to renewed work with Noisia; another extensive world tour encompassing nearly one hundred destinations followed. Continuing to issue singles and collaborations, the trio entered dubstep territory in 2009 by inaugurating the Shadows of the Empire sublabel with the single “Hyper Sun.” Their fourth album Lights and Wires arrived in 2010, blending dubstep tracks with drum and bass. After another successful tour and a collaboration with U.K. rap and dubstep outfit Foreign Beggars, BSE delivered their fifth album From the Shadows in 2012—a wide-ranging collection of originals and joint efforts that returned focus to drum and bass.

In 2013 the group established the new Blackout Music NL imprint, named after their longstanding Blackout event series, and began releasing material by themselves as well as associates such as the Upbeats and Neonlight. A 2015 EP with State of Mind titled Until the World Ends preceded The Violent Five in 2016. The long-awaited sixth album The Wrong Room appeared in 2017, featuring contributions from Pythius, Prolix, Audio, and additional artists.