Dom & Roland

Dominic Angus operates under the Dom & Roland alias as a solo endeavor. Through EPs on Moving Shadow, Suburban Base, and Doc Scott’s 31 Records, the project has embodied the more abrasive, shadowy, and exploratory side of hardstep aimed at the dancefloor. Moving Shadow granted Angus a non-exclusive deal early in 1996, after which his debut releases departed from the label’s prevailing melodic brightness. Angus’s insistence on stretching hardstep’s parameters without sacrificing low-end impact earned both critical notice and DJ support, prompting the label to offer a two-album agreement.

Based in London’s Shepherd’s Bush, Angus first entered the drum’n’bass community via his friend and early guide Ed Rush. Production began when Rush’s collaborator Nick Sykes—founder of No U-Turn and better known as Nico—provided studio access in exchange for a modest fee and a joint writing credit. Angus later studied studio engineering and production while employed as a restaurant manager. His earliest tracks appeared as Current Affairs, a partnership with Brian Ferrier; the first release bearing his own name was the 1996 single “Dynamics”/“The Planets.”

By year’s end Angus had issued four singles plus assorted compilation cuts and remixes, including work for Flytronix and the Art of Noise’s drum’n’bass project. Heavy rotation of cuts such as “Planets” and the “Mechanics” 12-inch, combined with an uncredited co-write alongside Ed Rush, Trace, and Nico on the year’s standout track “Mad Different Methods,” elevated his visibility. This led to a Boymerang remix for Graham Sutton and a contribution to Moving Shadow’s landmark 100th release alongside Goldie and Rob Playford.

The Industry arrived in 1998 and became regarded as a defining late-nineties hardstep album; Optical co-produced two of its tracks. Back for the Future followed in 2002. Chronology, Angus’s third and final Moving Shadow album, earned favorable notices and included collaborations with Kemal of Konflict, Skynet, and Hive. After launching Dom & Roland Productions, Angus delivered Through the Looking Glass in 2008, pairing fresh material with earlier DRP output. No Strings Attached appeared on the same imprint in 2009 and showcased an expanded roster of guests, among them Noisia, Amon Tobin, and Rob Playford. A further DRP release, also titled No Strings Attached, surfaced in 2011. Angus subsequently joined Metalheadz, the label founded by Goldie.