UK Drum’nBass luminaries Sigma have returned with a mammoth new project DAY ONE. Released today via their imprint DAY ONES MUSIC, the 14-track album marks the beginning of a fresh new chapter for the pair, as it celebrates their decision to go fully independent and officially launches their label DAY ONES MUSIC. The album is a full circle moment for Sigma, as it showcases their roots in an unapologetic and bold manner.
Sigma’s influence on the global Drum’nBass arena is truly unmatched. Their career spans over a decade, and they’ve crafted timeless hits like the 2014 single ‘Nobody To Love’ , as well as‘Changing’ with Paloma Faith. Now, after years of experiencing the mainstream record label machine, Sigma are literally taking things back to “day one”. The album features massive collaborations with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Yung Saber, Scrufizer and Danny Byrd, emphasising their collaborative spirit and formidable influence within the industry. In our exclusive interview with Sigma, they discuss their decision to go independent, keeping their ears to the ground and more.
DAY ONE marks your first fully independent album release. What sparked the decision to go completely independent at this stage in your career? 
Well, we’d been in the major label system for a decade and during that time had plenty of great experiences, as well as some that were not so great. There was a point last year when we were no longer under any contracts, and it just felt like the right moment to switch things up and go it alone to see where that path takes us. When we first started Sigma we were completely independent, so it feels like a bit of a full circle moment.
How did having full creative control influence the sound and direction of this album?
It didn’t have a huge impact on the music we were making – it’s still the classic Sigma sound that we’ve always loved which sits between the grassroots dnb for clubs and tracks with big vocals and hooks that are perhaps more ‘radio friendly’. Where the creative freedom did have a big impact was on the ability to make decisions quickly – we could jump on opportunities as they happened without having to go via a label or management.
What were some of the most liberating, or challenging parts of producing this project?
The double-edged sword of being completely independent is that we’ve had to manage everything behind the scenes ourselves. That means communicating with management teams and sorting contracts – it’s a lot! We’ve always been shielded from this process by managers or a label, so it’s opened our eyes a bit to how much work can go into getting a track signed off. It’s also put us on the front line for handling rejections, which is never easy, but being in control of it all and having a project that is 100% our vision is ultimately worth that extra work.
Stream DAY ONE below:
You mentioned fusing the darker sounds of your early work with current club energy. How would you describe the sonic blueprint of the album?
It’s still very true to the Sigma sound. We love all kinds of dnb – from jungle and jump up, to the anthemic big room tracks – so it’s all in there. We’d get bored just making one style, so this is a real melting pot of the sounds that are inspiring us right now.
Drum & Bass has evolved massively over the last decade. How did you strike the balance between the old school sound and contemporary textures within the album?
That’s a good question, we have a broad taste across different styles of dnb so the Sigma sound has always been quite eclectic, but an important part of the process for us is keeping our ears to the ground and understanding what styles are cutting through. As an artist, you’re always mindful of trends whilst staying true to what it is that sparked your own love for the genre, but the great thing about dnb is that it is this melting pot of influences. MC culture is really being embraced right now, and that was something that allowed us to bring in these amazing features on the album – artists like Scrufizzer, Dizzee, and Jamakabi who we’ve wanted to work with for years.
You mentioned this album is about going back to basics. Can you tell us what that actually looks like in practice, creatively or even personally?
The main difference for us personally has been how we manage ‘Sigma’ behind the scenes. We make all the frontline decisions ourselves, there aren’t layers of teams to go through, so that’s really liberating. We’ve built a team around us that we’re really proud of and who believe in what we’re doing; everything is refined – there’s two of us so it’s very hands-on, where we might have outsourced things previously, we’re actively part of the process. The album feels like a real labour of love, something we’re increidbly proud of.
The album has numerous collaborations with iconic artists like Dizzee Rascal and Scrufizzer. What drew you to these collaborators, and what did they bring to the project?
A lot of these collaborators are people we’ve wanted to work with for years – Dizzee was someone we’ve looked up to since we started the Sigma project, so that was a ‘pinch me’ moment when we got him on the track. Everyone we’ve worked with has really embraced the process and trusted our vision; we’ve encouraged artists to kinda reimagine the way they’ve approached vocals, or try different things and sounds that they wouldn’t normally work with. The result is a complete team effort.
What guidance would you give artists either established or emerging, who are looking at going fully independent?
It’s a lot of work! Whatever you do, you need a team around you – there’s simply too much to handle by yourself, but the benefit of being independent is that you can choose that team yourself and be much more involved. We learnt a lot from working with the majors and took that knowledge, those experiences, and those wins and applied them to our own setup. There’s no real right or wrong answer, every artist setup is different, but you’ve got to make sure that however you approach your career, it feels authentic.
Which track do each of you connect with most on the album and why?
‘Chargie’ is definitely a special one for both of us. It was the first track we released from the album in January, so it was the first step on this independent journey and we had no idea how it’d be received. It felt like a litmus test for the new era of Sigma, so the fact that it’s still being played now means a lot. It felt like a ticked box on whether people still connected with ‘Sigma’ as a brand, without it being sold through a marketing campaign backed by a big label – it was a huge confidence boost and reassured us that we had made the right decision.
Stream ‘Chargie’ below:
What’s next for Sigma?
We’re a few dates into our Locked Off album tour where we’re hitting grassroots venues across the UK and trying to keep ticket prices as low as possible. It was a deliberate choice to support these important venues, and gives us the chance to connect with audiences in a much more intimate setting – the way dnb should be experienced. After that, we’ve got shows in Europe and the US, and then we’ll be starting work on the next album. We’ve put a lot of effort into this new era of Sigma so we won’t be slowing down any time soon. Get your tickets for the Lock Off tour HERE
Follow Sigma:
Spotify – Instagram – Facebook – X – YouTube
