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Bio
Future Engineers (Lee Batchelor and Keir Cleminson) have been producing drum & bass music since 1996, with releases on labels such as LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking Records, Blame’s 720 Degrees, Renegade Recordings, Partisan Recordings, Temple Records and Vibez Recordings.
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Lee Batchelor and Keir Cleminson first emerged in 1997 with their seminal 12 " ("The Silence / Shattered”) on Renegade Recordings, followed soon after by acclaimed releases on Partisan, Good Looking Records and 720 Degrees. Nearly three decades later, they remain recognised as a forward-thinking and highly respected drum and bass act, known for music that blends atmosphere, emotion and technical precision.
Their partnership is rooted in a lifelong friendship. Having grown up together in North London before reconnecting in Glasgow during the early 1990s, Lee and Keir were surrounded by music from childhood. Both were exposed to the creative world of studios, rehearsals and live performance through their fathers’ work in the music industry. Keir’s father was the lead guitarist in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, while Lee’s father co-produced several of the band’s albums and later co-produced “Slide Away” for Oasis’ debut album, Definitely Maybe.
Inspired by London pirate radio and the rapid evolution of UK rave culture, the pair followed the progression from hardcore and jungle techno through to jungle and drum and bass. When Lee moved to Glasgow in 1994 with a growing collection of studio equipment, the two began experimenting with their own productions.
A defining moment came in July 1995 when they heard LTJ Bukem’s first Radio 1 Essential Mix. The deeper, more musical and atmospheric direction of that set helped crystallise the sound they wanted to explore. Their first step into this territory was “The Silence”, an Amen-driven atmospheric drum and bass track that LTJ Bukem later cut to dubplate, opening the door to a lasting connection with Bukem and Good Looking Records.
Good Looking Records
The relationship with Good Looking Records began in 1999 when LTJ Bukem selected a track entitled “Timeshift” to be part of the third volume of his legendary Progression Sessions mix CD series.
It was an instant fans’ favourite due to the futuristic synths and technological vibes that would become two abiding ingredients of Future Engineers’ sound. In the ensuing years, the duo released tracks on a variety of labels under the Good Looking Organisation umbrella – such as PHD’s Ascendant Grooves, Tayla’s Nexus Records and Blame’s 720 Degrees. The latter proved to be a particularly significant outlet for them within the Good Looking camp and their 12”s, “Changes in State”/”Rogue Comet” and “Momentum”/”Organism” played no small part in the fast growing reputation of the label.
Technetium EP
By 2001 they were so highly regarded by the Good Looking Organisation, having almost all of their new music picked up by the labels within, that Lee and Keir accepted the offer to sign an exclusive artist contract.
In addition to agreeing a structured release schedule, this presented an opportunity for Future Engineers to showcase their DJ talents at some of the Progression Sessions nights throughout Europe. It proved to be a good year for the Engineers; a track entitled “Merge” was selected to appear on MC Conrad’s Logical Progression Level 4 CD, and the boundary pushing, dance floor shaker “Echo-Location” was one of the highlights of LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad’s Progression Sessions 6, recorded live in the USA. 2002 saw the release of the “Technetium EP” – four slices of hard-edged, techno-orientated, atmospheric drum and bass – which was widely acclaimed by fans and music critics alike. This actually turned out to be the penultimate Future Engineers release on Good Looking Records – the last being a remix of Pariah’s “Midnight” in 2003.
Almost three years later, in early 2006, after a lot of support and guidance from LTJ Bukem, MC Conrad and the rest of the Good Looking Organisation over the years, Future Engineers’ request to terminate the exclusive contract they had signed with them was accepted amicably. This event marked the beginning of a new era and they did not hesitate to make their mark on the scene once again. Lee took over the helm and released the popular “Down-Time” on PBK's Camino Blue Recordings, a three track plate (including the much anticipated “Eon”) on ASC's Covert Operations, "Eden" on Subject 13's Vibez Recordings and "Bionics", which marked the launch of Electrosoul Systems Kos.Mos.Music label.
Transference
In 2008 Lee moved to Brighton and lauched Transference Recordings, a digital outlet for Future Engineers music. The "Ellipse EP" marked the start of a new solo chapter for Lee, and the title track "Ellipse" recieved notable DJ support from Calibre. A string of releases followed, including remix duties by Electrosoul System, Sunchase, Marso and Gala, Operon, Cutworks, Radicall and Dauntless.
In 2014 Lee immigrated to Melbourne, Australia and continued to develop the Future Engineers sound. This saw the release "Eternity" on Safire's Plasma Audio, a remix of Naibu's "Fighting for Attention" on Mav's Scientic Records and a remix of Radicalls "Allure" for Transference.
In 2022, Keir returned to the studio, marking a new chapter for Future Engineers after a 20-year hiatus. The duo re-emerged with “Circadian” and “Immersive”, relaunching Transference and reaffirming their reputation for deep, atmospheric and forward-thinking drum and bass.
Their 2023 follow-up, “Larni” and “Disconnect”, received support on Drum&BassArena’s YouTube channel, with "Larni" also receiving DJ support from Technimatic. Together, these releases signalled a renewed creative momentum. With Transference active again and new music underway, Future Engineers continue to honour their roots while pushing their sound forward.
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