Serum

Serum is the production name of Mark Gaunt, a London-based drum and bass DJ and producer whose music connects jungle roots with rolling jump-up. The relationship between drums and bass is central to his approach: in an interview with UKF, he explained that much of a track’s movement comes from the spaces between its main kicks and snares, rather than putting every sound on the first beat.

His catalogue has travelled through labels including Low Down Deep Recordings, 31 Records, Hospital Records, and V Recordings. Wiretap helped bring him to the jump-up audience, while collaborations with Paul T and Edward Oberon opened another melodic route. Take My Breath Away began as a proposed remix before the three producers rebuilt it into a new recording of its own.

In 2017 Serum launched Souped Up Records with Benny V, establishing a home for his own music and a platform for other producers. The label’s playful visual identity sits alongside a clear musical direction, with tracks such as Lumberjack becoming part of its history. Discussing the label with UKF, Serum described a wish to recover the funk and flow of 1990s jungle without always relying on an Amen break.

He also works with Voltage and Bladerunner as Kings Of The Rollers. Their different production backgrounds fed into the project’s rolling sound, with Serum retaining an individual catalogue alongside the group. His self-description of rolling jump-up is useful here: it captures the overlap between those traditions without reducing every release to one fixed formula.