With the release of ‘Wakefield Dub’ on Device Recordings, Atlanta-based producer and LEGION continues a journey that has helped shape modern drum & bass for nearly two decades. Known for his exclusive tenure with RAM Records and releases across labels including Hospital, Playaz, ProgRAM, Lexicon and Device, LEGION has built a reputation for combining heavyweight sound design with strong songwriting, earning support from figures such as Andy C, Sub Focus, Netsky, and Chase & Status.
As the project enters a new creative chapter focused on darker, club-driven productions, we asked LEGION to look back at the artists and inspirations that helped define his sound. From early influences to the producers still pushing him forward today, these are the five biggest influences behind LEGION, plus one extra that couldn’t be left out!
Commix – “Be True”
This has to be one of the best pieces of liquid drum & bass ever created. The quarter-note Sade sample, taken completely out of context, combined with the rolling Reese bass, strings, and piano samples, makes it timeless. It is built from classic sounds that never get old.
Frankee – “Skuttle”
This track was definitely a direct influence on this tune. I love the 32nd-note arp that drives the track forward. Frankee is certainly one of my favorite producers of the last decade.
Sinthetix – “Ultraviolet”
One of the funkiest tracks from the early neurofunk era. Rob F and Impulse made short work of that bassline on an E-mu sampler. This song was written when they were living in Puerto Rico with Kemal, and I still have the Zip drive with all the samples in E-mu format. Twenty-five years later, it still gets me hyped.
Future Cut – “Obsession”
One of the very first tracks I ever purchased on vinyl as a kid at the record shop. Truly a masterpiece. The jazzy vocals and 808s in the Goldie/Metalheadz-style intro are perfectly juxtaposed with that absolutely evil Reese bass and assembly-line breakbeat chopping. It still hits so hard.
Bad Company – “Aisle 13”
I remember hearing this as an ID on Andy C’s Slammin’ Vinyl mix CD and waiting almost ten years for it to finally get a release. I love the haunting guitar riff and vocoded vocals that lead the track. It was a little distorted from the master DAT tape, but it is still a superb song.
Dillinja – “Ain’t Too Loud”
Still one of the toughest tracks in the bag to this day. This one is such a rude anthem, and I love dropping it on new crowds who have never heard it before. It really embodies that punk and hip-hop attitude in production: rough-and-ready beats, distorted bass, and simple elements that become incredibly effective through the call-and-response between them.