Celebrating five years of VTO Records: The artists behind A New Beginning
As VTO Records celebrates its fifth anniversary with A New Beginning, the artists behind the release share their favourite label tracks, the stories behind their music, and what the milestone means to them.
Five years is a significant milestone for any independent drum & bass label.
In that time, VTO Records has built a catalogue packed with heavyweight neurofunk, helped introduce new artists to the scene and established itself as a label with a clear identity. To celebrate the occasion, A New Beginning brings together familiar names and fresh talent for a release that reflects where the label has been and where it's heading next.
Rather than simply reviewing the music, we asked every artist on the compilation the same three questions. The answers offer a fascinating insight into the producers behind the tracks, the music that inspires them and what being part of VTO Records means five years on.
The tracks that inspired the artists
Before talking about their own music, we wanted to know which VTO Records release had made the biggest impression on them. There are some clear favourites, with a handful of tracks appearing more than once, but every answer reflects the respect these producers have for the label's catalogue and for each other.
Roadboyz
"Invaders - Tr Tactics"
Netsphere
"Nerv3 - Construct"
TRCD
"Mel - the madness"
Thelena
"I have two.. One is Money Maker by CrucifyMe, he is an amazing producer!.. The other is Prisoner by HighThere & Kaizen Flow. Both tunes are dark, emotional and incredibly powerful – exactly the kind of Drum & Bass that inspires me."
Sindicate
"Stonx - Cemetarium, the original is my absolute favorite! Anizo was able to elevate this track with his remix, with a little different vibe but super epic and heavy."
FractalOne
"Fav tune hands down for me is TLM by Kaizen Flow, still creeps into my mixes even today"
Diode
"CrucifyMe - Dogfight is super dope.
I love how it’s fun yet mean at the same time. Great mix down and I can’t get enough of Crucifyme."
TR Tactics
"There are loads of great releases on the label, but if I had to pick one, it’d probably be 'Prisoner' by Kaizen Flow & High There. It was one of the first VTO tracks that made its way into my DJ sets."
Lee UHF
"TRCD - The Beast- This track had stayed longest in my sets of any other track on VTO Records. IT was an early release that also got a VIP, and to me is exactly how Neurofunk should sound."
The Fi5th
"Kaizen flow - TLM"
Bad Ace
"I'd have to go with 'The Beast' by TRCD"
Titanz
"Real tough one that. All the stuff is really good, but for me, 'Invaders' by TR Tactics is my all-time favourite."
Gravitape
"Invaders - TR Tactics."
Rieger
"Profuze- Hold Up"
Stonx
"Kaizen Flow - TLM"
Anizo
"This is a hard question. I've spent the morning playing through the catalogue to refresh my memory and avoid recency bias, and there's just so much amazing stuff on the label. I think I'll go with 'Bad Ace - Renaissance', because I have a major soft spot for those apocalyptic cinematic vibes in neurofunk and this track hits it perfectly. I'm a sucker for sinister melodics with my chaos. Special mention to 'SIREN - Self Destruct' though, because that main bass is just texturally revolting in the best way."
Nemean
"Cemetarium - stonx"
Kaizen Flow
"Cyntax - Your Time is Now "
It's interesting to see the variety of answers. While a few releases crop up more than once, there's no overwhelming favourite. Instead, it reflects the depth of VTO's catalogue over the last five years and the genuine appreciation these artists have for each other's work.
Next, we asked them to tell us something listeners should know before pressing play on their own contribution to A New Beginning.
Behind the music
Every track has a story.
Some came together in a single late-night session, others spent years sitting unfinished before finally seeing the light of day. We asked each artist to share one thing listeners should know before diving into their contribution to A New Beginning, and the answers reveal just how different every creative process can be.
Roadboyz
"I made it one day in the early hours of the morning, having barely slept."
Netsphere
"For me, this track is about the feeling of constantly moving forward, even when everything around seems unstable. I didn't set out to tell a specific story; rather, it captures a certain state of mind—tension, energy, and that moment when chaos begins to resolve into order. I want everyone to find something personal in it. If, after listening, you feel the urge to play it again and discover new details, then it worked."
TRCD
"Confused Mind was first started 8 years ago, but was never released. So I gave it a clean up for the album, it was a track I always thought about going back to at some point."
Thelena
"My music always comes from a real place. As a Ukrainian female artist, I carry my emotions, my story and my love for drum & bass into every track. I truly believe DnB is more than just music – it’s a way of life, and I hope people can feel that energy when they hear my track."
Sindicate
"I‘m German, but I have also Turkish roots, so I love bringing that heritage into my tracks and using those Middle Eastern scales in Drum & Bass. ‘Nazar’ refers to the belief that a jealous or envious look can bring bad luck, while the blue eye-shaped amulet is believed to protect against it."
FractalOne
"It was started during Covid Lockdowns in China in 2021 and revived 5 years later."
Diode
"I like playing around with my tracks for these releases. Brain tag was a really fun one because it’s my vocals and I did some work on the processing of the vocals to make me sound a specific way I can control the energy with certain shifts in some of the foreman. Very fun track. The second drop to brain tag VIP is nasty AF and I’m sure if you’re a good DJ you’ll play that one as the main hit.
The initial drop is dope too. It’s fun and great to mix into but I’m very proud of this track."
TR Tactics
"I had loads of fun making this one. I started it while I was living in Prague and finished it back home in Austria, so it really travelled with me. Fun fact: the little vocal phrases are my own voice. 😆"
Lee UHF
"So this track has actually touched 5 different computers in a year during the process of making it. On 2 occasions, I had to borrow other studios to complete it due to a meltdown at home. It has been one of the most infuriating tracks to finish, despite it sounding so simple. It also for me is a sound I'm trying to chase at the moment. It's not a purist Neurofunk sound its got very big elements of a sound from the early 00s called Doomcore I used to Love. And finally a third fun fact is the name sounds like it's chugging like a train and my son loves Thomas the Tank Engine, Chugga Choo is a song on that kids TV Series."
The Fi5th
"I started the track in 2024, but it was left in the pile of unfinished tracks up until recently. It had potential, so I knew I had to finish it. The original version contained a vocal sample of myself but I decided to remove it prior to finalising the tune as it no longer suited the theme and it ended up working out so I decided to leave it out. I really dig the vibe of the intro and build up of the track and the energy it has throughout. I hope people enjoy it. 🙂"
Bad Ace
"With 'Perception' I wanted to make a track with shuffley drums and an old school rave feel about it. Really had fun with it"
Titanz
"For us its a real turning point a massive diversity for us as were very much dancefloor style but Tabernacles is showing another side to our work."
Gravitape
"The track was inspired by the dark, gothic atmosphere of the Pinocchio tale, specifically the story of Harlequin. By the way, the lyrics were written right after playing the game Lies of P."
Rieger
"Probably my most favourite track I've ever worked on"
Stonx
"I was super excited organizing remixes of my Offworld EP with these two. Anzio's a longtime collaborator, I absolutely adore his attention to detail and massive mixdowns were perfect for Cemetarium. Nemean was my first choice for Supernova Zero, his aggressive powerful chops transformed an already intense track. Both artists turned it up to 11, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do."
Anizo
"I had so much fun remixing this. I think me and Stonx are a really interesting blend of styles. He writes the most powerfully funky basslines, so rather than try to step to him on his own turf, I decided to lean heavily into the dark sci-fi vibes of the intro and really pump up that threatening atmosphere as the musical core of the track. My favourite approach to remixes is to take a more minor element of the original and see what would happen if it was the whole focus. I love how it turned out this time."
Nemean
"The tune one of the few ideas I nailed straight away with almost no rewriting to the sections or structure of the tune."
Kaizen Flow
"To this day nobody has guessed what the title stands for 🤣 was also special for Kaizen Flow as we started it a very long time ago and finally getting it out is a good feeling"
There's no single formula for writing drum & bass. Some producers spend years refining an idea, while others capture the magic in one session. What comes across most clearly is the passion every artist has poured into their contribution, giving A New Beginning a real sense of personality from start to finish.
Finally, we asked what it means to be part of VTO Records as the label celebrates its fifth anniversary.
Five years of VTO
Five years is a milestone worth celebrating, especially for an independent label in a genre as competitive as drum & bass. Some of the artists on A New Beginning have been part of the VTO family for years, while others are making their debut, but every one of them recognises what the label has achieved since it first launched.
Roadboyz
"Very proud to be surrounded by great artists."
Netsphere
"It is a great honor for me to be part of the VTO Records anniversary compilation. Thank you for the trust—I am delighted to share this important milestone with the label and its artists."
TRCD
"Good to be giving the artists the opportunity to showcase their music."
Thelena
"It’s a real honour to be part of such a special release. I’m grateful to represent Ukraine and female artists of neuro alongside so many other incredibly talented artists. I really hope this release reminds people all over the world how powerful music can be in bringing us together."
Sindicate
"I’m proud to be part of VTO’s 5-year milestone, and having my debut on the label with this release makes it even more special. I’m excited to contribute to VTO’s next chapter."
FractalOne
"It's an honour to be able to help celebrate 5 years of VTO with a massive line-up of amazing artists and stoked to be a part of the release."
Diode
"I’m glad to be a part of the VTO team. They have a great selection of music with amazing producers makes me feel like I’m in the game. Cannot wait to see what’s in store for the future of VTO."
TR Tactics
"I’m really happy to be part of this release and celebrate such a big milestone with VTO Records. I’ve been working with the label behind the scenes for a while doing mastering, so it’s been awesome to watch it grow. I think the five-year mark is just the beginning."
Lee UHF
"It honestly feels like more, its been a long road but I personally am very proud of the back catalogue of music we have managed to put together and I'm in awe of the artists who have worked with us. Definitely a project I will tell my grandchildren about in the future"
The Fi5th
"I'm very humbled to be sharing this release with the other artists on this release and I really appreciate their sound and commitment to the genre. It's great to see new faces on the label too and remixes from brilliant artists I'm excited about the future of this label and thrilled to be part of the project."
Bad Ace
"Feel very privileged to be on something like this along with some awesome artists!"
Titanz
"were both buzzing to be a part of the album. its great to be acknowledged an be alongside the gang."
Gravitape
"Finally, we’ll be able to get feedback from the audience who hears it, and we’ll understand whether we managed to convey the story to the listener properly."
Rieger
"A pleasure =)"
Stonx
"Its a pleasure to be involved with more like-minded people pushing artists in our beautiful little dirty underground noisy scene"
Anizo
"It feels amazing to finally put something out on a label I've respected for years, alongside such an awesome roster of artists. I'd be proud of myself if I was psychologically capable of that. VTO has been on my list of target labels for a long time so when Ollie (Stonx) contacted me with the offer to remix one of his tracks, I about shat myself with glee. There's some serious new talent appearing on the label recently too and I'm humbled and slightly terrified to be a part of it. Impostor syndrome is no joke."
Nemean
"Feels great to be a part of VTO and I'm stoked that my debut is on this release with a remix that I'm super proud of!"
Kaizen Flow
"Massive! Very glad to be a part of it and it is fitting that the vip comes out on the same label. Wishing all the artists and behind the scenes label guys the best for more success! And thank-you VTO for making it possible 🙂"
A New Beginning
Looking through all three sets of answers, one thing stands out more than anything else: the respect these artists have for one another. Whether they're talking about their favourite VTO release, the story behind their own track or what it means to be part of the anniversary album, there's a genuine sense of community running throughout.
A New Beginning isn't just a celebration of five years gone by. It's a snapshot of where VTO Records is today, bringing together established names, exciting newcomers and producers who all share the same passion for pushing neurofunk forward.
Congratulations to Lee UHF and everyone involved with VTO Records on reaching this milestone. If these answers are anything to go by, the next chapter is going to be just as exciting as the first.
A New Beginning is available now in two parts:
