It's hard to believe that former rapper Dary and producer Jreel merged to create Ill Blu in just 2008, especially considering the explosion of the production duo following the release of funky club banger Frontline featuring Princess Nyah, which was an integral moment in the growth of the funky scene. Since then, the funky scene has become somewhat obsolete but the north Londoners are kept busy working with artists from all genres, clocking up radio rotations and perfecting a variety of production styles. One to watch soul singer Jacob Banks (YOLO), emerging pop star and Roll Deep collaborator Camille, they even ensured underground rapper Sneakbo snuck into the Top 40 (Wave, Zim Zimma, Ring A Ling). Amongst these projects and having brought remixes (Cheryl Cole, Hot Chip, MJ Cole) to a standstill, Dary and Jreel have been focussed on their new sound. Previous EPs like their first, Bellion in 2010 to 2012s Illusions hinted towards their ability to produce house – which they actually discovered around the time of Frontline but they had no idea how to push it out, so it simply stayed on their hard drive. Not just generic house either judging by the labels who picked up the tracks, such as Hyperdub (Burial, Ikonika, Terror Danjah), Numbers. (Jamie xx, SBTRKT, HudMo) and Kerri Chandler’s label, Mad Tech (Krystal Klear, Citizen), proof of how on the radar the pair are when it comes to releasing relevant and innovative tunes. 　　Fine tuning their love for bass and appreciation for a decent melody, the natural progression musically has been to slot into the electronic house fusion side of affairs although adamant they’re not simply ‘mouse clickers,’ using Logic; Jreel plays keys competently and drum meister Dary is learning the guitar in order to understand the theory behind what makes a great song, a great song. The first single to showcase the evolved act is the slightly stripped back Fall Out, the garage reminiscent track features the soulful vocals of Jake Isaac. “Because we’re so known for making the hard energy stuff, we wanted to make records that were still exciting but had a level of emotion running through it and didn’t just rely on a hook,” James explains the new foray. Also, waiting in the wings are more up tempo summer anthem smashes, from the bass warped to the string laden and spacey vibe and an underground club banger we’re sure a few specialist DJs will be biting off their arm to get into their sets. 　　No longer are Jreel and Dary simply two friends sharing a love for music, their tried and tested formula previously supported by Rinse, BBC Radio 1Xtra, FACT, Mixmag, etc., and enjoyed by revellers at their gigs throughout Europe are about to be unleashed to the masses. Make no qualms about it, the upcoming singles – set to be released independently – are simply the tip of the iceberg, 2013 is literally a way to get the “we’re not just funky” message across, whilst simultaneously hopefully nabbing chart positions alongside future festival bookings with the aim to release a full length Ill Blu album the following year. Ultra keen to rollout the new material and with a deeper perspective and understanding of the music industry, Ill Blu as artists are looking forward to people finally hearing what they are truly capable of creating.