Step 13 is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 live drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

 / rock and roll

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...

 band from London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

History

Step 13 was founded in 1996 as a collective of djs and musicians, linked by a common interest in music experimentation. Originally known as Step 13 Recordings, they would DJ jungle

Jungle

A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...

 and drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

 at free party

Free party

A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...

 events and club nights across South and East England and throughout London.

In 2000 Step 13 hosted their first regular club night, Mixamotosis at Madame JoJos in Soho

Soho

Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...

. The night was the first to be exclusively dedicated to UK Hip Hop and saw artists like DJ Skitz, Roots Manuva

Roots Manuva

Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...

, Rodney P

Rodney P

Rodney P is an English MC who entered the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. He started out as a member of the London Posse, one of the UK's first home grown hip hop acts who were highly influential in the development of the genre. Rodney P has had one of the longest and most respected careers in UK...

, Estelle (musician)

Estelle (musician)

Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...

, Skinny Man, Scratch Perverts

Scratch Perverts

The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.-Biography:The Scratch Perverts originally consisted of 4 members; Tony Vegas, Renegade, First Rate and Mr Thing. The Scratch Perverts later expanded to an 8-member...

, and Task Force

Task force

A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...

 performing.

In 2002 Step13 formed a band to inject a new lease of life into the drum and bass scene which was suffering from musical stagnation. Based at Studio 7K in East London, the band originally had 13 members, their first live gig came in June 2003 at Cargo in Shoreditch

Shoreditch

Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...

. Within a short time they developed a sound and feel to their music, in part taking up the genre which Roni Size

Roni Size

Roni Size is a British record producer and DJ, who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective...

 Reprazent

Reprazent

Reprazent is a British drum and bass act formed by Roni Size. Their debut album New Forms won the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. Their follow-up album In The Mode featured artists including Rahzel, Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine and Method Man.Roni Size resurrected Reprazent in 2008...

 had begun.

In 2006 Step13 established the first live drum and bass band night in the UK, NRFTW (No Rest For The Wicked) at the Rhythm Factory, Whitechapel

Whitechapel

Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...

.

By 2008, and with female vocalist Lucy Randell, who sings on the fourth The Streets

The Streets

The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...

 album Everything is Borrowed

Everything Is Borrowed

Everything Is Borrowed is the fourth album from The Streets. Released in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2008, and in the United States on 7 October 2008, Skinner describes the album as a "peaceful coming to terms album" and as containing "peaceful positive vibes" which stand in stark contrast...

, Step 13 spent the summer touring music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

s, including headlining at Kingston Green Fair, and appearing on two stages at the Glastonbury Festival

Glastonbury Festival

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

.

2009 has seen Step 13 concentrating work in the studio, but have played out in London a few times, notably at seOne

SeOne

SeOne was a nightclub in London, United Kingdom. It claimed to be London's largest licensed nightclub with a capacity of 3,000 people. It was located on Weston Street underneath the London Bridge transit centre. The licensing authority requiried the nightclub to scan and retain clubbers' ID...

 club at London Bridge

London Bridge

London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...

. And also again at Glastonbury Music Festival in June.

In their own words

According to their interview on Channel4Music http://www.channel4.com/music/myband/bustawidemove

"...Step 13 was formed from a group of four DJs and producers in 2003. Sick of the DJ fever of the late nineties and full of post millennium apathy they formed a band in search of fresh vibes and a new way of taking their music to the people.
The following years saw experimentation with different line ups and instruments. Band members came and went, some confused, some excited many dumbfounded but never bored, they eventually evolved into an seven piece featuring drums, bass, guitar, keys, samples/synths and sublime vocals from MC Ishu (Manasseh sound system) and Lucy Randell.
Their enthusiasm for eclectic music saw them dabbling with drum and bass, dub, psychedelia and rock to create their own hybrid sound which they call Broc’n’Roll, left-field drum and bass with bite.
After making a strong live debut at London’s, Cargo and being hailed as a key live drum and bass act by Knowledge magazine, Step13 went on to perform at many venues and towns throughout the UK. Since the start of 2005 the band has taken time to write a complete new set of material. The upfront live drum and bass vibe is still strong, but the ideas are more focused with a few eclectic surprises.
Step 13 consider ourselves champions of humanitarian causes and strive to bring about peace and harmony through our music. Call us old hippies but It's all about peace and love."