TuneLab
MOLLIE COLLINS in the Lab LDN
Lockdown had us all pretending our living rooms were darkrooms, squinting at YouTube rips of livestreams. Mollie Collins in the Lab LDN provided the perfect drum & bass solace for those endless days, a tracklist destined for frantic Shazam sessions. The vibe is that of a focused studio session, minimal production letting the music speak directly to our headphones. Technically, this is a liquid and halftime exploration, anchored at a steady 90.9 BPM that feels more rolling than frantic.
The harmonic journey primarily sits in the warm, melancholic realm of 3B, with strategic pivots to 12A for uplift. Collins’s mixing style is patient and fluid, building energy through sub-bass weight (avg 0.48) and mid-range groove (0.42), with high-end sparkle (0.10) used sparingly to highlight breaks. The set’s arc is a masterclass in emotional pacing, never rushing the payoff. For crate diggers, the opener ‘Pretty Girl’ by Critical Impact is a soulful statement of intent.
S.P.Y’s ‘Step & Flow’ delivers impeccable tech-step swing, while the Sub Focus & 1991 remix of ‘Don’t You Feel It’ is a pure shot of euphoric melody. The drop of DJ Hazard & D Minds’s perennial rewinder ‘Mr Happy’ is a nod to the heads, and Calyx & Teebee’s ‘Elevate This Sound’ provides atmospheric depth. Don’t overlook the gritty texture of LZNBY’s ‘Filthy 4 Channel Madness’ or the driving finish of Friction’s ‘Good to Me’. The journey begins with the vocal warmth of ‘Pretty Girl’, peaks with the anthemic rush of the Sub Focus remix, and dissolves into the continuous mix by Logan D—a complete narrative for the isolated raver.