On 21/06/2021 northern Drum & Bass duo Bad Habitz & MC Frost are setting off on an epic journey, that they’re dubbing Mission4Mind, to raise money for the Mind organisation. They aim to start the adventure off by playing a set on Bloc2Bloc radio in Manchester & finish with a celebratory rinse out on London’s Kool FM. We caught up with them both to find out more…
Tell us about this adventure! Who’s idea was this & how did you come up with the Mission4Mind concept?
F: One morning me and Jade (Bad Habitz) were talking about the negative impact lockdown has had on us, our friends and the music industry, and we were thinking, what could we do in the UK that’s a bit different, you know, as a form of having a break from the whole situation? We thought, why don’t we just go out one day for a walk like we normally do, but not come back! Just take a backpack & tent, and see where we end up! Being artists, I suggested we walk from bloc2bloc to Kool London and do a set at each radio station.
BH: I got straight on the phone with Mind and within the day, the whole event was a go hahaha!
Why did you choose the Mind charity to support?
F: Given what we were discussing when we came up with the idea it was only fitting we to do this to raise awareness & money for mental health charity.
BH: Mind has supported me in the past, so naturally I thought of them first. We believe in what they do, they provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problems. They are always campaigning to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They offer a judgment free safe place for everyone and will never give up on anyone.
How much are you hoping to raise?
F: We’re looking to raise £10,000!!
BH: At first I thought wow, that’s a little bit ambitious, but Frost said why not? Dream big! I did some research into how Mind spend their money. Their 24 hour community Side By Side costs £21 an hour to run. Take that and times it by 24 hours, 365 days a year. That equals £183,960 per year, just on community support!! When you look at it like that, £10,000 is definitely a great target to strive for.
F: If everybody just in the drum and bass scene could donate just £1 imagine how much we could raise!!
We love the idea of starting with a set on Bloc 2 Bloc then finishing on Kool. Why’d you chose those 2 radio stations?
F: Because of the support and love not only that they have shown me and Jade individually, but the whole scene. Bloc2bloc always supports the up and coming and they are the future!
BH: And Kool London, one of the longest standing drum and bass radio stations, have been nothing but accepting of us both making us feel like part of the family straight away.
How long is the walk in total & how many miles will you be covering each day?
BH: We have given ourselves 8 days to complete the challenge, it is 175 miles in total!
F: weheyyyy 175 bpm hahaha
BH: I need to add a few more on for me then being a 182bpm kinda girl hahahaha
F: On average it’s 22 miles a day but we have staggered it, one day we will be walking a few miles less, and the next a few miles more.
What D&B tunes will you be playing to give you that extra bit of energy when you’re feeling tired?
BH: Well, you know loads of mixes will be smashed out, including your very own LoveThatBass Radio show on Mixcloud. As for individual producers I’ll deffo be sticking on my usual faves at the min, Filthy Habits, Kenderick, Upgrade, Serum, Ego Trippin, jheez so many producers dropping bombs right now!
F: Voltages album Balance over symmetry 100% is going on the playlist. LSB & DRS Space age vol 1 & 2, and we will be locking into livestream’s for sure!
BH: If anyone wants to send any tunes to keep us going feel free, the inbox is alwaysss open
Will you be posting updates along the way? Where’s the best place for people to stay up to date?
F: Yeh we are gunna be posting updates along the way. Mainly on Facebook but we will share stuff to instagram aswell. Live streams from our Facebook pages, Bad Habitz DNB & MC Frost and we will share those to the event page aswell, go give it a join, type in Mission4Mind!
BH: We will be posting an itinerary on there so you can see what towns we will be walking through. If you wana meet us when we are passing through your town, just give either of us a message to let us know!
Where should people go to sponsor you on this adventure?
F: Our just giving page www.justgiving.com/Mission4Mind
BH: Anyone who wants to get involved in other ways such as sponsoring us with equipment feel free to get in touch
Who Are Mind?
Mind provide advice and support to anyone that’s suffering a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. Check out their website to find out more about their efforts https://www.mind.org.uk/
Bad Habitz In The Mix
Listen back to the exclusive DJ mix that Bad Habitz laid down for us back in October. Full tracklist is available here.
