'Just Hold On' - the latest collaboration with DnB titans Wilkinson and Sub Focus

Written by Ben Hargreaves

EP Released 24 April, 2020.

If you are unsure who Wilkinson or Sub Focus are, there’s a good chance you don’t follow Drum and Bass, or have been living under a rock. These DnB titans are arguably the biggest names in the UK scene, having played b2b one another more times than anybody can count, including playing at Rampage, South West 4, and plenty of other festivals and radio shows (I’m looking at you BBC Radio 1). If by some rare chance you don’t know either of these names, go check out ‘Afterglow’ and ‘All For You’ by Wilkinson, and similarly ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Desire’ from Sub Focus.

‘Just Hold On’ is the first release of the year for both Wilkinson and Sub Focus, whilst also being their first joint track since their 2019 monster hit ‘Illuminate’. Let me start things off by saying that this track feels different to any of their previous collaborative, or individual releases. It feels like a slower BPM than what you would ordinarily find in Drum and Bass, and that’s ok, as you’re taken back to the roots of Liquid DnB that you had many years ago. A smooth blend of what sounds like a synthesiser at the forefront of your mind, combined with the female vocals repeating “Just hold on”, provides a comfortable, chilled track rather than the harder faster expectation. When you get into the middle of the song, that slower bassline feels quite comfortable with the overlapping synth tones which sounds eerily familiar to Ronald Jenkees ‘Guitar Sounds’ (take a trip down memory lane here and you’ll hear the resemblance almost straight away). ‘Just Hold On’ continues to assimilate the synth/liquid hybrid genre for the remainder of the song, and definitely closes out the track in a positive manner.

For the first track of 2020, ‘Just Hold On’ is definitely different to what I would have expected, but has rightfully earned a spot on my playlist. It doesn’t feel like the kind of song to be played at a live DnB gig, but definitely would get a few plays in a work office, or around the house when you’re wanting to relax yourself, rather than getting up and bouncing around to the likes of ‘Illuminate’. I look forward to future releases from both Sub Focus and Wilkinson, after being quite happy with their newest track!