Toronto’s own leaving Radio 1’s D&B Show after five years

Roughly five years ago, it was announced that DJ Friction would be leaving his gig as host of BBC Radio 1’s The D&B Show to focus on his career as a producer and DJ. This week, his replacement—Toronto, Canada’s René LaVice—dropped a similar announcement, stating that he’d be leaving the show in September.

“The next phase of my journey will be different,” LaVice wrote in a statement. “As I step back from the Radio 1 D&B Show in September, I’ll be committing more time to my label and our wonderful family of artists,” as well as focusing on his work as a producer, DJ and other undisclosed bits.

Over the last five years, LaVice definitely represented the current drum & bass sound, but as of late, his imprint Device Records has taken off after its March 2020 debut. We at HRDNZ are fans, with recent releases from Kleu, Aktive, and René himself catching our interest. This may be the perfect time to turn the heat up on all things Device, and for René, who has seen releases on Ram Records and Metalheadz over the last few years.

What happens to The D&B Show?

What’s next for The D&B Show, you ask? Word is that Charlie Tee will become the first permanent female presenter for The D&B Show as it moves to Saturdays at 11pm. Charlie released a statement about the news, saying “Drum & Bass is such an integral part of UK dance culture and I genuinely believe that right now, its sonic direction is the most prolific it’s ever been! This will be an exciting new chapter for the genre, as the show joins the iconic weekend line-up on Radio 1, in a brand new slot. I cannot wait to showcase the incredible next generation of talent in drum and bass and it’s an honour to be the first woman to do so.”