The Qemists

The Qemists are a Brighton electronic-rock act whose music combines live-band instrumentation with drum and bass production. The project grew from Liam Black, Dan Arnold, and Leon Harris playing together, with rock rehearsals and nights listening to jungle feeding the same musical partnership.

Their 2009 debut album, Join The Q, appeared on Ninja Tune. Its guests included Mike Patton, Wiley, and Jenna G, bringing different kinds of voice into the meeting between breakbeats and heavier guitar music. Spirit In The System followed as their second album, extending the combination of rock, drum and bass, and other electronic influences.

Ninja Tune's account of their beginnings places them in a rehearsal barn on the outskirts of Brighton. Alongside playing music influenced by bands such as Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine, they listened to DJ Hype tapes and attended drum and bass nights. Production study then gave them a way to bring those interests together on a computer. That background helps explain why their electronic and band elements belong together: the energy they found in jungle was connected to the music they were already playing. Live instruments and programmed rhythms remain connected to that shared starting point.