Aquasky first appeared on the electronic music scene as a breaks / jungle outfit in the mid-90s. Dave Wallace, Kieron Bailey & Brent Newitt all grew up in the late 1980s U.K. dance scene and met in 1993.

"At that time we were all writing music for separate projects but had a mutual appreciation for what each other did. In 1995 we were all going to DnB clubs and decided we should make something like that. It was the era of Roni Size, Krust, ltj Bukem, Omni Trio etc.," says Newitt. "So our first productions were kinda in that style, certainly in a Bukem style The first tracks we wrote were signed to Moving Shadow as a part of a three single deal. From then on, we have written music together every week in a variety of styles."

Newitt says they try to be a little different from others in the world of electronic dance but to still keep it "in the same ballpark."

"We like our music to make people dance, so the beats have to be slamming and the bass has to destroy cities!" he says. "We have never stayed in the same genre for that long, and it's usual for us to go from working on a Hip Hop track to Electro to Breaks to anything!"

The main recording platform they use is Cubase SX 4. They have used Cubase since it was first introduced and sometimes toss Ableton Live 7 into the mix (but usually rewired, running with Cubase).

"'Back In The Day' we started off using 8086 PCs (with green screen!) running Cadenza and a basic MQX M32 MIDI card -- for all you geeks!" says Newitt. "The main instrument for years was an Akai S950 sampler, which I think (along with the samples we used obviously!) helped define our sound. We used to use four-track cassette machines for vocals synced up via SMPTE, and at one point we didn't even have a record player to sample from so we sampled from Cassette; but again, this all added to the 'sound' in a good way."

When it comes to instruments, Aquasky uses whatever fits the track. Ease of use is key according to Newitt. When you have an idea you want to get it down quick. If you have to spend ages fiddling with the gear you could easily lose the inspiration.

The synth they use most is the A1 (which came with Cubase SX3 and was removed from SX4). Newitt says they use this in every tune and it is a mainstay in their tracks over the past four years.

"The bundled A1 virtual analogue synth that used to come with Cubase SX is something we use heavily," says Newitt. "The Battery drum machine is handy for drums as we have a huge amount of samples and we can create our own custom drum kits. The Kontakt sampler also gets used, but that can be a pain to use."

Since they are primarily dance producers, their approach to live music is, obviously, different from the approach of the average band.

"A lot of our shows are DJ gigs. We have done live shows with a fully live ten person band in the past also, but this proved to be very costly and time consuming, and we stopped doing them shows," says Newitt. "We're currently working on a show at the moment , which is based around DJing and Ableton with live vocalists (The Ragga Twins). This is a good mixture as its easier to tour around the world, as we play all over the world, so it makes more logistical sense for us this way rather than trying to fly a ten piece band around the world!"

When out on the road Aquasky uses whatever mics the venue provides -- which Newitt says are usually serviceable. In the studio, they are a little higher end.

"We now use a Neumann U87 with a Focusrite preamp , This is a great sounding combination for most vocalists, although we sometimes use a AKG c3000 or AKG solid tube for some of the male rapper vocalists as I find they have a pretty harsh sound which sometimes works better on a full on kinda vocal," says Newitt. "We just run the Focusrite out straight into our soundcard and then record and comp in Cubase. I don't use any plug-ins on the input and try to use as little processing from the Focusrite as possible. To be honest, the Neumann sounds great on its own anyway! So you don't need to mess with it too much."

Aquasky is now selling their music as WAVs and MP3s direct -- as well as on vinyl and CDs, All their music comes out a couple of weeks before the official release date. It is also cheaper to shop at the band's Passenger/ 777 shop as there is no one else getting the middle-man cut.

"First, you had big labels who signed artists. Then you had artists starting their own labels but selling music via a distributor," says Newitt. "Now you have artists with their own labels and own means of selling their music directly to the punters."

Aquasky are always touring. The will also appear on the next Breakbeat Bass Volume 4 mix.

"They have been a great success over the last few years and fills in the gap during the labels artist album projects that we are busy with on our Passenger label," says Newitt. "We have The Body Snatchers , Backdraft, Nick Thayer, The Ragga Twins and Aquasky albums forthcoming, so it's madness over here sorting that all out!"