What is Totems?

In short, the Totems project is a series of 90s-inspired drum & bass tracks which will be cut to 10” lathes (like traditional dubplates). These have been produced by Dominic (Sonar’s Ghost) and myself, along with producers I met while writing the Two Hungry Ghosts blog.

Artists involved in the project include Shadow Club (RQ), Simon from 7th Storey Projects, Phuture-T, Justice, Sun People, Infest, and Gremlinz. There was a track Dominic made with John from Foul Play that was due to feature as part of this project but has since been signed for a vinyl release, so no longer forms part of the Totems releases.

The theme of this project is positivity and respect. Each track is an ode to a style or producer that inspired us during the burgeoning days of the drum & bass scene. The 10” lathes will be given to the artists and a handful of loyal supporters of the blog. 

The digital tracks will not be made available for sale, and we won’t be seeking to gain anything from making them. This is a passion project to channel our creativity with the intention of spreading joy and celebrating dubplate culture, while paying respect to labels and artists whose originality and creativity had a massive impact on us and generations of electronic music fans and producers.

Another aim of the project was to return to a time when the music was free-spirited and sample-based. This was partly inspired by an MC I met through the blog called Mattic, who has made numerous albums worth of material rhyming over hip-hop instrumentals, layered with his own lyrics, then fused with skits and samples from a wide variety of sources, including mainstream media.

I have found that some of the most exciting music was made for the artists’ own enjoyment, and not intended for general release, and this project pays homage to that.

In addition to the releases not being purchasable, they will also only be available to stream on the Two Hungry Ghosts Soundcloud for a limited time (the plan is that the blog will be online for the next 12 months).

If you are interested in owning a lathe for any of the tracks, please feel free to contact me on Instagram.