S.P.Y. is the stage name of Carlos Lima, a drum and bass producer and DJ from São Paulo, Brazil, who is based in Bristol, UK. His work spans drum and bass and related styles including liquid funk, jungle, bass house, bassline, breakbeat, breaks and dance music. He is associated with the acts Damage Inc and 8 Bits.

Career

He moves to London in 2003 with the aim of working as a graphic designer, then turns to music production. His first release appears in 2005 on Metalheadz’s compilation The Winter Of Content, with the track “Till Dawn”. The following year he makes his debut single release with “Black Flag / Double Dragon” on Med School Music, the label created by Hospital Records. In 2007 he releases “Ghost Ship / Silent Sleeper” on the same label, after which his work with that project ends.

After that, he releases music on a range of drum and bass labels including Samurai Music, Soul:R, Spearhead Records, Critical Music, C.I.A and Innerground Records. He also works with artists such as DJ Marky, Total Science, Kasra, BCee, Flava D, Inja, Nu:Logic, Etherwood, London Elektricity and Diane Charlemange.

Albums and EPs

In 2012 he signs exclusively to Hospital Records and releases his debut album What The Future Holds, which receives the Best Album award at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards 2012. In 2014 he issues Back To Basics, a second album released in two parts and containing 24 tracks. He follows this with the BRSTL Hardcore EP in 2015, made as a collaboration between Hospital Records and NEST, a sublabel of OWSLA. In 2017 he releases the three-part EP Alone In The Dark. His third album, Dubplate Style, appears in 2019 and is noted for its old-school style.

Label

In 2021 he founds DARKMTTR Records, on which he releases much of his own music and some releases by other artists. He is also listed as a member of the label.

Family

His brother Jorge also makes drum and bass music under the name Unreal.