On WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25th, STUNNA closes out an action-packed month of broadcasts in 'THE GREENROOM' on BASSDRIVE radio. During this week's edition, STUNNA welcomes UK-based duo NATION to the program for an exclusive guest mix.
NATION is CRAGGZ (CRAIG JAMES) and HASTE (TOM JOHNSON), two longtime friends with storied pasts in the world of HARDCORE, JUNGLE and DRUM+BASS music, coming together to have a laugh and make a few beats. It’s a celebration of their love for the sounds that totally changed their lives in the early to mid '90s and continue to excite them to this day.
CRAGGZ's journey into HARDCORE began when he attended THE REZERECTION rave in 1991 as a 16 year old, hearing the sounds of GROOVERIDER, CARL COX, and STU ALLEN changed his life. Growing up in NEWCASTLE and playing in DEATH METAL band MUTANT, from the age of 14, and on the verge of signing a major record label deal, he jacked it all in, cut his hair off and focused solely on dance music overnight. He attended lots of raves post 1991: FANTAZIA at DONINGTON PARK and CLUB LABRYNTH, to name a few. He was hooked, and followed HARDCORE to JUNGLE then DRUM+BASS. His first major breakthrough came when he signed to DILLINJA's VALVE label as CRAGGZ AND PARALLEL FORCES, with production partner DOUG. World tours, albums, multiple releases and their own PRODUCT label saw them keeping extremely busy in the D+B scene for years. Wanting change, the duo left the original name behind and switched to BATTERY in 2015 to focus on a deeper sound, continuing to release hard-hitting D+B across legendary labels such as METALHEADZ, DISPATCH, RAM, and RENEGADE HARDWARE, to name a few. In 2026, BATTERY founded the MAJESTY imprint alongside good mate and production partner PHILTH, as a label, radio show, club night and general ethos for their attitude to beat making.
HASTE locked on to the growing HARDCORE sound emerging in the early '90s, hearing tunes through the fuzzy crackle of FM pirates in LONDON and snatching glimpses of acts on TV shows like 'DANCE ENERGY.' After properly catching the JUNGLE bug in 1994, he started collecting vinyl at every opportunity and ventured onto pirates like RUDE FM and RUUE AWAKENING, as well as getting involved in the UK GARAGE scene as it started to explode. After drifting away from the D+B sound of the late '90s, he focused on building an enviable collection of old skool records, continuing to be a serious vinyl collector to this day.
He set up RollDaBeats in the early 2000s with co-founder THIJS (aka TARZAN) and built up a strong community dedicated to cataloguing releases and old skool history. The site started out as a DISCOGS competitor, but through its forum, contributors became a source of old skool-related info over the years, used by countless DJs and music aficionados to research and relive the golden era of HARDCORE and JUNGLE. After stepping away from the music scene for a few years, HASTE caught the production bug again. Upon flat-sharing with CRAGGZ and seeing him at work, HASTE started releasing retro-influenced JUNGLE tracks on his own TWILIGHT label in 2023.
NATION is the continuation of both producers' love for the old skool HARDCORE and JUNGLE sounds, coupled with the darker aesthetics of ROCK and METAL, genres of music that the two have followed for decades and initially bonded over as mates. With a huge crossover in skills, the balance works perfectly: both artists have been producing separately since the '90s, and have their own sounds and influences. Coming from the hyper-produced D+B world, CRAGGZ amps up the technical side of things with decades of cutting-edge production techniques, particularly around sound design and mixing. HASTE brings a deep understanding of musicality, arrangement and sample digging, as well as handling the artistic output for the brand. This all comes together to create an ultra-polished end result that retains the grit and energy of the retro sound. With enough NATION music in the bag for an entire album, the duo will be putting limited vinyl and digital releases out from 2026 onwards, mixing TECHNO-influenced HARDCORE vibes, with BREAK-heavy JUNGLE and atmospheric flavors.
Join us this session of 'THE GREENROOM' as NATION unveils an exclusive guest mix created especially for this broadcast. Aso, make sure to grab a vinyl or digital copy of the duo's inaugural release direct from their BANDCAMP page!
*For more information on NATION, visit:
• NATION on Bandcamp
• NATION on Instagram
• NATION on Linktree
• NATION on Discogs
*For more info on CRAGGZ, visit:
• CRAGGZ on Instagram
• CRAGGZ on Discogs
• CRAGGZ on TikTok
*For more info on HASTE, visit:
• HASTE on Soundcloud
• HASTE on Bandcamp
• HASTE on Instagram
• HASTE on Discogs
• HASTE on Tiktok
**Due to DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, listeners in NORTH AMERICA will tune in ONE HOUR LATER than usual (ie: 3-6pm instead of the regular 2-5pm slot)
STUNNA
Hosts
'THE GREENROOM'
Wednesdays
2-5pm Chicago/8-11pm London
www.BASSDRIVE.com
*Show archives available on: Soundcloud
