Dr Vades have sixth sense for fishing out a viral song. The Multiplatinum selling producers are musical practitioners who have conjured up the perfect formula to turn almost any sound, into a sure-fire hit, the results….so good they’re medicinal! Composed of siblings Kane and Jay Busia, Dr Vades are the production powerhouse with an impressive collection of hit productions for the likes of Kojo Funds, Raye and Stormzy under their belts. They are the East London based duo who have championed a movement of African influenced music into the mainstream market, all the while working on some of your favourite R&B and UK Rap records! Their euphonious production skills have blared through speakers across the globe, sending listeners waves of emotion from feel good weekend vibes to love-struck feelings, rewarding Jay with a shiny plaque for his contribution to Bryson Tiller’s breakthrough single ‘Don’t’. Dr Vades represent the future of Afro influenced music by marrying Afrocentric sounds with a range of genre’s in pursuit of perfection, pushing limits and defying odds to create genius records.


First major release, ‘Ringtone’, was the perfect prescription for a hit starved junkie in need of a mid-season fix. Sampling the iconic ‘Opening’ ringtone, the record featured Blanco’s fast flowing lyricism accompanied by an eclectic mixture of good vibes and energy with further features from Loski, LD and Chip. Never the types to sit around twiddling their thumbs, this May sees Dr Vades return with their Womack & Womack inspired single ‘My Love’. The melodic record offers a fresh slice of heaven striking a balance between classic soul and UK House with stellar vocals from the multi-talented songbird Camille. A record soon to be on lips and minds across the UK, ‘My Love’ is the early summer jewel you can expect to immerse you in a head bopping, toe-tapping frenzy from May through to December.

 

For years, the brothers have been concocting their own unique musical styles only recently fusing together. Growing up and making music in East London there was plenty of space to adapt and evolve the cultural music trends of electronic dance and fix them to your own DNA. The side effect was Kane being able to make his name with huge funky house anthem, ‘Tribal Skank’. With Funky harnessing great similarities to Afrobeats [the up-tempo beats and the repetitive fast-paced lyrics spilled over percussion heavy instrumentals], it was no surprise when Kane better know at the time as Tribal Mags, was invited to take his club classic to Ghana in 2011. Beyond being the only UK opening act for Fabolous amongst future stars including WizKid, ‘Tribal Skank’ opened Kane to new opportunities, resulting in him cutting records with renowned Ghanaian artists Tiffany and Sarkodie. On his return to the UK, Kane began to transition into Afrobeats explaining “Everything from the BMP to how the emcees would flow over the beat was essentially identical, so the transition happened naturally”

 

Whilst Kane was making waves through the Funky House and Afrobeats, Jay in contrast, started out as early as eight years old, working tirelessly on mastering the technicalities of mixing and engineering. Once confident in his skills, he began creating music with his best friend, and now Grammy award winning producer, Scribz Riley. By the time I was 15/16, I would emcee non-stop with my best friend Scribz Riley. It was a silly but fun time and we had a laugh” Finding himself at university but not caring about his course, Jay took a leap of faith and dropped out to peruse a full-time career in music. “I told my brother I was going to grip my passion with both hands and really perfect my skills, then I was going to use his contacts to blow and that was my goal!”  He recalls, laughing now at the risk that he took, “Really there was no other option. It was either university or a chance to be really happy doing what I do best..…. [it was] a no-brainer really”.

 

Referencing the likes of Pharrell, Kanye West, P Diddy and Timbaland as their influences, Dr Vades themselves have played a pivotal role in crafting some of today’s biggest gamechangers in the industry. Between them they’ve worked on the remix to Raye’s ‘Friends’ and have played a hand on Kojo Fund’s tracks; ‘My 9’, ‘Dun Talkin’ and ‘Check’. The brothers were amongst the first to inject a dose of authentic African influence into the melody and mix in instrumentation that would be at home in a dance hall. They channelled their version of Afrobeats into Kojo Funds, now considered a pioneer of the genre, after discovering his voice by chance. Only until recent years were they producing for and managing him. Adding soulful sounds reminiscent of old school classics to the Afrobeats created an effect that was, and still is, contagious. Today, the closest cousins to that sound are known as Afroswing and Afro Bashment.   Having spent time in the studio with the likes of Burna Boy, Yxng Bane and Stormzy, Kane says, “We really push ourselves especially when it comes to who we work with because it’s a constant challenge to create a new sound and we live for that creative buzz.”

 

Nearly ten years on and at a time where the sounds from generations past are being revived, Dr Vades capture the same energy and unity of those before them, combining Jay’s love of old school RnB jams and Kane’s for clubland sounds ranging from Garage and Grime to House and D&B. Dr Vades strike a healthy balance. "Making music is literally all we've ever known. Nothing has changed. The vibe has always been the same. Every single day we listen to music. We do research on music. Every day is the same." It was in Jay’s home-built bedroom studio that the brothers created Dr Vades with the aim to never create two tracks that sound the same. The name honours those people in their lives who helped to shape them. For Kane it’s the modern legends of their time, in particular Dr Dre, as his solo project alias was Dr Kane. Whereas for Jay it’s Darth Vader who was the inspiration for a childhood nickname that stuck and evolved as his style of production and interest in producers like Pharrell Williams & Kanye West did. Now Vades represents the futuristic, intergalactic sounds that play into their music crafting great soundscapes to delve in to. Citing themselves as music historians due to their never-ending search for fresh sounds, Dr Vades mean business and with this have embarked on a journey to become the best versions of themselves, delivering reputable records that will stand the test of time. Our advice to you, tune in and allow yourself to be led on a euphoric musical journey, one modern classic at a time.