Embracing Life Beyond Scrolling: A Journey to Reignite Passion and Authenticity with Liquid Drum and Bass

Dj Cemtex
Apr 25, 2025
6 min read

Been a while since I published a blog and a lot has happened in that time. Like, I’ve aged approximately five years in social media years, which is basically a lifetime!

Quitting Social Media - well, scrolling anyway

So that’s it, I’m done with social media! BUT WHY? Well, let’s just say I was scrolling so much that my thumb was starting to develop its own social media presence!

I was totally fed up unconsciously grabbing my phone and opening the apps (mostly Insta and Borebook) and scrolling until something took my fancy. And by “took my fancy,” I mean one of two things:

Food-related posts, especially ones for cuisine I currently really like or things I want to try in the very near future, like tonight. Because who doesn’t want to plan dinner while procrastinating?
Gossip, hearsay, and conjecture - usually related in some way to the Drum & Bass scene but not always. Because nothing says “I’m living my best life” like reading about who played the most still yet to be released dubs at a rave in 2011!

Why is this important and why am I telling you all about this? It’s important because I love food, I love the variety of cuisines, and most of all, I love the feeling you get after eating something really tasty! It’s like a hug for your insides!

However, I can’t say the same thing for gossip, hearsay, and conjecture. It adds absolutely nothing of value to my life! I wanted to stop the random fruit machine type of input I was receiving from the channels and platforms I was on. Pull to scroll or refresh newsfeed, and what do you get? A delightful buffet of conversations from people you met in a smoking area once back in 2011 arguing about if the output of 'Looking Good Records' was better than 'Good Looking Records' or a bunch of boomers asking what time Tesco is open over Easter - just google it ffs! And yes, I can hear you rolling your eyes.

Anyway, I wanted to do away with that because, as I said earlier, it doesn’t add any value to my life. So, while pondering that, obviously with FB and Insta still installed on my phone, what was I going to do? Scroll, that’s what I was going to do! And then I accidentally clicked on an ad that was about as relevant to me as a flip phone in 2023. But wait, it gets better! Somehow a hair had gotten onto my screen, so my natural reaction was to swipe it away, however it wasn't a hair, it was a ruse to make me swipe the advert which resulted in me entering a world of popups and ads that made me seriously question my life choices!

How underhand, I thought to myself. Brilliant advertising but really underhand! Now they'll have a record of me clicking that ad, and as a result, I'll be bombarded with a million more of them because I took the bait! At this point, I'm convinced my phone is conspiring with every advertiser out there to make my life difficult.

But then I paused and asked myself the question: what do I actually want from Social Media? Because it’s not this! I don’t want to be manipulated into clicking ads or, worse, into liking and subscribing to things I don’t care about. I want honest conversations with my pals, I want to chat in a smoking area of a rave knowing full well I’ll probably never see them again (but if I do, we’ll do that awkward 'do we shake hands or fist bump' thing and I look forward to that), and I want serendipity, not a curated feed that feels like a buffet of blandness.

So just like that, I’m done… will I ever post again? Most probably, yeah! How else are you going to know I’ve written this? And how will Paul’s dad from Rotherham know that someone his son met once in 2011 in a smoking area of a rave wrote some words on a blog? However, the benefits to me and my personal life since I stopped scrolling have been immeasurable! Like, I can now remember what my cat looks like without having to scroll through my phone!

Mental Health

By far the biggest factor this has had is the effect on my mental health. At first, I didn’t really see or feel it. I had a bit of FOMO but was glad to be freed from the pressure of posting and ‘keeping the algorithm happy’. Then after a few weeks, I started to consciously research and tend to my passion for food (cooking and eating it) and I began using the internet with intent - like a knight on a quest, except my dragon was a recipe for the perfect lasagna!

And with that, I felt like for the first time in a very long time, I was in control. I wasn’t being manipulated or cajoled, I didn’t feel the need to tell or show anyone photos of my dinner (how 2011 of me!), and I realized that absolutely none of that mattered or matters anymore. And the simple truth is, it never did! It’s like realizing that the sock monster doesn’t actually exist and it’s just your laundry skills that need improvement! (this is lies - it does exist and it's my Mrs! but also my laundry skills do need improvement, but I digress...)

Music Tastes

This led me to another revelation: I love ALL sorts of genres of music, not just the ones I’m served up! We should all celebrate what we love, not just what we think will get us clicks and likes. Now, I was a little apprehensive about doing things like this previously because you know, music-wise, I’m mostly about Drum and Bass or Jungle, but recently I’ve fallen back in love with House music, especially the type people refer to as Progressive House. It’s like the comfort food of music!

Just like food, our musical palate develops and morphs into something different. While I think I’ll always be into DnB and Jungle, right now the sounds of all types of House music really pique my interest. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good long smooth transition in a DJ set? It’s like a warm hug for your ears!

All of this got me thinking, which Drum and Bass or Jungle artists, DJs, or whatever play that way? Who digs deep? Who understands the art of the delivery? So I went searching my archives, and two really stood out to me - LTJ Bukem and Marcus Intalex. These two absolute stalwarts of the scene knew exactly how to deliver this music. Others come close, but who’s doing it for you? How do you like your music delivered? Like a pizza, hot and fresh, or like a bad sitcom, awkward and forced?

Which leads me to Calibre. I didn’t mention him earlier because in recent years he’s transcended the Drum and Bass scene and become an all round DJ, not just a Drum and Bass DJ. This was epitomized by a recent gig I went to where he played for 4 hours straight. All the bases were covered - dub, house, breaks, dubstep, drum and bass, jungle, everything! And it was all delivered seamlessly. If you’ve not heard him play live, and if any of what I’ve said resonates with you, you should go and see him. Trust me, your ears will thank you!

New Music and a Brand New Liquid Drum and Bass Mix

Anyway, this has led me to the point of this blog entry. I want to share with you how this has made me feel, and the only appropriate way I could do that was with a brand new season of mixes, kicking off with what I’ve called a ‘Soul Mix’. This Liquid Drum and Bass mix is full of singers and instrumentals with a sprinkling of outright classics and ultimately music with soul.

I had an absolute blast putting this one together, diving into archives and my inbox to uncover those past, present, and future classics! The full track listing is on the page, but it's got tracks by Calibre, Lenzman, Alix Perez, Salo, LSB, and many more of that ilk. It’s like a musical buffet, and you’re all invited!

I’ll leave the comments open as your words and feedback are always welcomed. I’ve also popped a few links to some of the other DJs and music I’m feeling at the moment to help set the scene of this blog entry.

I hope you enjoyed the read along with the mix, and I’ll see you on the next one, which I promise I won’t make you wait as long for! Unless, of course, I get distracted by another cat video!

Thanks, Ant!