Bad Company UK

Bad Company UK

Bad Company UK are a United Kingdom drum and bass group, also known as )EIB(, formed by Jason Maldini, Darren White, Dan Stein and Michael Wojcicki. The group consists of Maldini, D-Bridge, DJ Fresh and Vegas, with the names D-Bridge, DJ Fresh and Vegas used by Darren White, Dan Stein and Michael Wojcicki respectively. The act is also known by its mirrored BC logo, written as )E|3( or ͻϵ|϶ϲ.

Career

The group begins as Bad Company, with the UK added informally to distinguish them from the rock band of the same name. They emerge on the drum and bass scene in 1999 with The Nine, a track that becomes closely associated with their name. This leads to releases on Grooverider’s Prototype Recordings and then to a debut album, Inside the Machine, issued on their own BC Recordings label. The album is noted for dark basslines and tight production.

Bad Company UK continue with tracks including Planet Dust, Mo Fire and The Hornet, and release three further albums: Digital Nation, Book of the Bad and Shot Down on Safari. They are among the better-known names in drum and bass and appear in NME magazine, while remaining associated with the underground side of the genre rather than mainstream success.

Split and later activity

In 2003 the group divides, with DJ Fresh and D-Bridge producing separately and Vegas and Maldini continuing under the Bad Company name. Inside the Machine is re-released in 2007 together with Lost and Found, a companion release of older material that had not previously appeared.

Labels and style

Bad Company UK is linked with BC Presents…, BC Recordings and RAM Records. Their music is identified with drum and bass and electronic music, and their work sits within the techstep and jungle-related side of the genre.