Noisia: three producers from Groningen and their influence

Few drum and bass acts have crossed as many boundaries as Noisia. Their records have been released by labels well outside the scene, and their sound design has influenced producers in many styles. With a reunion show announced for the Melkweg in Amsterdam in December, it is a good moment to look at who they are.

The group

Wikipedia describes Noisia as a Dutch electronic music trio from Groningen, composed of Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger. Their music spans several genres, including drum and bass, dubstep, breakbeat and house. According to the entry, van Sonderen, with his experience in hip hop production and piano skill, formed the group with Roos and de Vlieger.

The first break

Their song Tomahawk, made with Mayhem, gained attention from Shadow Law Recordings, which led to their debut release. From there, the group moved to labels well outside the usual drum and bass circuit: the entry lists Skrillex's OWSLA, deadmau5's mau5trap and Jay Z's Roc Nation among those they released music on.

Beyond the genre

Noisia worked with Foreign Beggars on a supergroup project called I Am Legion, releasing a self titled album on 2 September 2013. They also worked under the pseudonym Nightwatch, contributing to projects with artists including Alexis Jordan, Hadouken, Wiley and Wretch 32. Their production on Hadouken's album For the Masses reached number 19 on the UK Albums Chart.

They also made music for video games, including the soundtrack for DmC: Devil May Cry, a Counter Strike: Global Offensive music kit in 2014 and the original soundtrack for the game Armajet.

Why their sound matters

In the neurofunk strand of drum and bass, Noisia are often named alongside Black Sun Empire as defining figures. Their records show how much detail can be packed into a bass sound and how precisely drums can be programmed. For producers, they are a reference for sound design.

The reunion

As we reported earlier this autumn, a Noisia reunion show is listed at the Melkweg in Amsterdam on 4 December. For fans, it is a chance to hear the records in a room built for them.

If you want to prepare, listen to their early drum and bass singles, then to the I Am Legion album, then to the soundtrack work. You will hear how a single group can move between very different forms without losing a recognisable voice.