Chase & Status @ Arena Riga | Friday, 10TH of MAY 2024! Yes, Chase & Status, the kings of the global drum and bass scene, are back, and all genre enthusiasts are on cloud nine with joy. The authors of the hottest “Boiler Room” are flying to Riga on May 10th! Get ready to tear up the dance floor… and don’t forget to buy your ticket in advance!

Age restriction 18+

Chase & Status Bio 2021

As one of the most successful British bands of the last decade Chase & Status have achieved widespread notoriety and universal respect for their achievements. Consummate professionals at every level, Will Kennard and Saul Milton, are contemporary vanguards of UK electronic music. Together they’ve channelled their deep-rooted passion for rave culture into five highly-acclaimed, best-selling albums, an incendiary live show and a wide range of projects that have established them as an iconic outfit. With their sixth studio album going to number four in the official album charts and a plethora of massive live shows completed in 2022, Chase and Status are looking forward to what’s to come in 2023.

Lauded by their peers, and elders, in drum’n’bass, dubstep, hip hop and beyond, Chase & Status maintain an unsurpassed level of diversity and professionalism thanks to their consistently high work ethic and genuine love for what they do. This is a unit that is fueled by authenticity, promoting good vibes and high energy from the studio to the big stage and on to dance floors worldwide. Merging influences from UK rave, sound system culture, hip hop, RnB, grime, punk and a myriad of other musical styles, Chase & Status have an unparalleled back catalogue of groundbreaking productions and showstopping collaborations, setting the benchmark for contemporary crossovers.

In 2022, Chase & Status released their sixth studio album, What Came Before, distilling 15 years of unparalleled experiences into a bold, invigorating sixth album; informed by global tours, sold out headline shows, five albums, multiple awards, chart success, underground kudos, top tier collaborations and remixes, and, above all else, that unwavering dance floor energy that remains as tangible and transformative now as it has since the very beginning. This pure, unadulterated exhilaration is the glue that binds all of these experiences together, cultivating a legacy of positive vibes, unforgettable moments and the continued progression of British club culture.

With time to reflect, as many have, over the past couple of years, they’ve found space to take stock of their achievements and channel everything they’ve learned into a project that encompasses a broad range of influences, while keeping true to their core ethos. On the dance floor is where they got their education and, over 20 years on, it’s the dance floor that still provides the cornerstone of their inspiration. What Came Before aims straight at the heart of the rave; blending emotive arrangement, dynamic artistry, exceptional features and epitomising that raw, boundless energy that makes British dance music so compelling.

The album marks the inception point for the duo’s next phase; while on forced hiatus they also went back to square one with their live show. Combined with music from the new album, the visual reboot represents a complete overhaul of their live show… With What Came Before Chase & Status prepare to embark on the next chapter of their illustrious career as a seasoned act ignited by the same excitement and anticipation that was present back when they first arrived.

In 2019 they unveiled ‘RTRN II JUNGLE’, a cultural movement which celebrated 15 years of the duo, paying homage to the music and culture that inspired Will and Saul to set off on their path to glory back in the mid-nineties. As the influence of that pivotal decade came full circle, with today’s generation embracing the fashion and music of the era, Chase & Status tapped into the feeling of that vibrant period from the early to mid-nineties when jungle music first appeared, revolutionising the rave scene in the UK and, eventually, all over the world. As a result of their efforts, and meticulous, innovative creativity, Chase & Status sparked a jungle revival in the UK, reigniting the movement with packed out headline shows at Drumsheds, Boomtown, SW4, Parklife, Love Saves The Day and many more.

The album rejuvenated the jungle scene and achieved widespread success, reaching No.12 in the UK charts and amassing over 43 million streams worldwide. RTRN II JUNGLE was a passion project, which allowed the band to express their deep love for jungle music, and pay homage to the roots, introducing a new generation to their lineage. The album was also No.1 D&B Jungle album of 2019, and charted in the top 20 Dance albums sold that year, sitting side by side with the year’s biggest pop dance albums. Offshoots from the project include the RTRN II Fabric mix CD, a live performance streamed from fabric in conjunction with Beatport Live and the forthcoming RTRN II DANCE Festival. RTRN II DANCE is an extension of the RTRN brand, celebrating the best of drum’n’bass, a one-day festival taking place on Clapham Common in south London, with Chase & Status curating a huge lineup to hopefully unite all their fans who have not been able to dance together for a very long time.

The four opening singles from RTRN II JUNGLE illustrated its core ethos – with the hard hitting “Retreat” ft. Cutty Ranks echoing in your ears long after hearing it, the euphoric “Heater” feat. General Levy, “Delete” feat. Burro Banton, the heavy VIP of “Big Man Skank” and ‘Program’ featuring Irah, which has notched up 14 Million streams. Parallel to their work on the LP, the band have curated RTRN II JUNGLE raves in London, with a huge street party at Notting Hill Carnival and a sell-out show at the Printworks in November 2018, which included jungle legends Randall, Brockie and MC Det, DJ Ron and the mighty Saxon Sound. Channeling the original spirit of jungle, Chase & Status demonstrated their production prowess – this time presenting a clear cut insight into their history and celebrating a pivotal period in UK rave culture.

Going back to the beginning, when Will and Saul appeared in 2003 they excelled on the DnB underground with a series of well-received EPs and support from the scene’s top tier, including luminaries such as Fabio, Grooverider, Zinc and Andy C who signed their first LP, ‘More Than A Lot’, to his iconic independent label Ram Records in 2008 which went gold within three months of release. Three years later their follow-up ‘No More Idols’ pushed them into the mainstream domain with chart successes including their Top 5 hit ‘Blind Faith’ (with Liam Bailey) and ‘End Credits’ featuring Plan B. While the album itself was the second best-selling LP by a British band in 2011, hitting No.2 in the UK album charts and certified double Platinum with over 850,000 copies sold to date. That year they were also nominated in the Best Band category at the prestigious Brit awards, picking up the gong for Best Video (for ‘End Credits’) at the Q Awards and NME Awards.

The band’s ability to traverse a variety of musical styles became even more apparent on album number three ‘Brand New Machine’. Featuring collaborations with Nile Rodgers, Pusha T and Major Lazer, among others, the album further demonstrated Will and Saul’s diverse palette and showcased their talent for presenting their take on a variety of genres with authority, authenticity and precision. Their fourth studio album ‘Tribe’ brought in a selection of UK features, including Craig David, Emeli Sandé, Shy FX, Slaves and UK grime stars Bugzy Malone, Kano and Novelist. Again, the LP was a vehicle for their dexterity, delivering 17 cuts that explored a wide range of moods and textures, fully representing the UK sound. A clear-cut indication of the band’s overwhelming success and popularity is the fact that they have clocked up over 1 Billion streams across their entire discography.

The band’s universal appeal has led to consistent national radio support, global festival bookings and tours across the planet. All the while, they have retained a credible approach to their music, with its roots firmly entrenched in the underground club culture from which it’s inspired. In 2009 Chase & Status began crafting their now renowned live show which they debuted at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend that year. Their live set up includes the legendary Andy Gangadeen on drums and enigmatic front man, Takura on the mic. The show features an exhilarating mixture of lighting, video and guest appearances from vocalists including Plan B and Tinie Tempah as well as Delilah, Liam Bailey, Maverick Sabre and Mali who all appeared on ‘No More Idols’. The live show continues to draw in record attendances through five sold out UK tours, three sold out European tours, two sold out US tours and a slew of headline festival appearances across the globe.

Besides their own music, Chase & Status have been involved with production for superstars like Rihanna – who credited the duo with being intrinsic to her 2009 LP ‘Rated R’. After being signed to Roc Nation for four years, between 2011 and 2015, they produced three Rihanna albums – Rated R; Talk That Talk and Unapologetic. They were the first UK artists to have American rapper Snoop Dogg on a dubstep track. Plus, they produced Rita Ora’s No.1 UK hit ‘RIP’, Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Sirens’, and contributed to the soundtrack for British gangster movie Harry Brown, starring Michael Caine. They’ve also remixed drum’n’bass classics ‘Original Nuttah’ by Shy FX and UK Apachi, and Origin Unknown’s timeless ‘Valley of the Shadows’, as well as high-profile acts such as Jay-Z, for whom they reworked ‘D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)’ from his album Blueprint 3.

In November 2014 Chase & Status won Red Bull’s Culture Clash event, forming the Rebel Sound soundsystem with Shy FX and David Rodigan. Competing against Boy Better Know, A$AP Mob and Stone Love, they went all out, utilising their network of musical connections to record a plethora of exclusive dubplates and hilarious bespoke video transmissions, including an opening ‘report’ by legendary news anchor Trevor McDonald and an intermission from the Kurupt FM crew. The victory was indicative of the band’s consistent drive to go above and beyond to achieve their ambitions, also evident in the ‘RTRN II JUNGLE’ project, for which they travelled to Jamaica to record original parts for the music that appears on the album, taking it right back to the source. The original reggae songs were then released as a special limited edition run of 7-inch vinyl records, giving fans a chance to own the recordings which were then sampled to produce the music on the RTRN II JUNGLE album. Innovation and originality at the forefront of their creativity as always.

Due to get back on the road in 2022, the band are raring to go and already deeply immersed in their next full-length recording. Still driven by the same energy that sparked their love for music, Chase & Status are the offspring of a lineage that dates back to the 1988 Summer Of Love. As one of the definitive British electronic music bands of the 21st Century they continue to make an exceptional contribution to the culture they love and adore.