Drum & Bass in Focus: Gifta
In our new series, we focus on the past, present and future of Drum & Bass music and related genres, and today we caught up with Gifta, one of the scene’s most formidable new artists.
When it comes to Drum & Bass, Gifta wears many hats. She’s a deft DJ and producer with a penchant for the faster, darker side of D&B, and she heads up Phase Records, a label and event series based primarily in London. Born in France and raised in East London, Gifta’s inspired by the gritty underbelly of D&B sound and culture, producing tech-heavy rollers with skatty undertones. She champions the music she wants to listen to, with tight drum work and strong basslines dominating her productions, sets and mixes.
It’s fair to say that Gifta epitomizes the new era of D&B. Resourceful, progressive and inclusive, she’s a true grafter and born leader. She helps new talent maximize their potential and finds new ways to progress the culture, all while bringing it back to its roots by championing diversity and inclusivity with actions rather than words.
Gifta’s Phase Records imprint encapsulates all of that. What originally started as an online community founded during COVID evolved into a platform for emerging D&B talent with VA releases, events and festival takeovers. Today we’ll chat to Gifta about her D&B journey so far, how she juggles multiple roles and her vision for the future of the culture.
Getting Started
Gifta – Gabs to her friends – grew up playing violin and drums and listening to her dad’s jungle and breakbeat collection. Gifta got into Jump-Up in her teens, a genre that emerged from D&B and jungle, and met her group of raving buddies while at university in Essex. “I’d always loved the culture and then I had the community that Drum & Bass offers,” Gifta says.
Gifta started DJing in 2014, but it was only when she lost her job during COVID that she was able to turn her full attention to music. “The entire Drum & Bass scene went online, and I formed this community which eventually became my record label,” Gifta says. “In the past two or three years I’ve felt like there’s no other option and I will spend the rest of my healthy life fighting to do this full-time.”
She took lockdown as an opportunity to start producing, and her first release came out in 2022 on Phase Records. As the label grew and flourished, so did her productions, with an increasingly dark, pummeling sound unique to Gifta. “Like any skill, you need to be disciplined, but there’s also a lot of great resources out there like D&B Academy, and different patrons and producers offer lessons,” Gifta says.
In the last two years Gifta’s career has ramped up significantly. “I’m currently having the busiest summer I’ve ever had,” she says. “But now it’s about maintaining that momentum and proving it’s not just a one-off.”
The Power of Community
If Gifta’s going places, she’s taking her community with her. Phase Records has given a platform to some of D&B’s most promising young artists, including Dapreme, Lucidik, ALBEES, Dopplershift and Premonition, and soon Exile, Coppa and Gifta will release their new EP Levels. The four-track project encapsulates the dark, dirty corners of D&B culture alongside hyper-technical breaks and pummeled percussion.
Phase Records has cultivated a thriving, diverse community with their own sound, but Gifta is quick to thank the labels and artists who helped her along the way. “Hospital Records have been so good to me,” she says. “And equally so many people I speak to, whether artists or ravers, have been really welcoming.”
Gifta says that social media has created a bigger up-and-coming scene than ever before, and that in itself is a scene. “Everyone’s goals are different, and I see a lot of people getting down about where they’re at,” Gifta says. “Then they’ll tell me they’ve been going at it for 2, 3, 4 years. And I’ll tell them I’ve been going at it for ten years – and it takes time. I think if you love the music and you love the scene then whatever part you have in it matters.”
Slow and steady wins the game, clearly. This summer Phase Records had their own stage at Hospitality on the Beach in Croatia, and they have an upcoming remix album coming out in January with contributions from some of Gifta’s idols.
“It’s so easy to compare yourself to others, and to look at people who seem to be an overnight success. But do you want to be an overnight success?” Gifta asks. “I mean, if I was an overnight success when I was 21 I would have pissed it all away.”
And it seems like Gifta has no plans to take her foot off the gas. “I find the most exciting thing happens every other day,” she continues. “It does feel good, but I’m always looking at the next thing. It’s a harsh industry and the hamster wheel won’t keep turning if you don’t keep running.”
