The Unexpected Story Behind ‘New’ Melodic Techno record

What initially began as a modern interpretation of John B’s Numbers gradually revealed a much deeper musical history. As the artists explored the origins of the track, they discovered a connection reaching back even further to Solee’s 2006 release Impressed, whose melody had previously found its way into Camo & Krooked’s interpretation of Numbers.

Now, years later, those musical ideas have come full circle. Bringing together Township Rebellion, John B, Solee and Iorie from different generations of electronic music, Sequences transforms these elements into something entirely new while preserving the DNA of the records that came before it.

We spoke with Township Rebellion, John B, Solee and Iorie about the unexpected journey behind the record, the musical connections that brought them together, and how a track with roots spanning two decades became a brand-new chapter on HILOMATIK.

‘Sequences’ has a pretty unique story behind it, with elements of many older releases in this version. How did the idea for ‘Sequences’ originally come together?

Township Rebellion: “Actually, we’ve always gone through phases of listening to Drum & Bass, both when we were younger and even today. Whenever we’re at a festival with different genres, you’ll probably find us in the D&B tent. So it wasn’t really a coincidence that John B’s “Numbers” from 2010 recently came back onto our radar.

Once Solee, John B and Iorie were on board, how did the collaboration evolve? Did the track change significantly from the original idea you had in mind?

Township Rebellion: “We actually let John B know quite early on that we were working on something. At that point, it was more of a heads-up than anything else. John B told us that if we were considering turning it into an official release, we should definitely talk about it, especially since ‘Numbers’ had originally been released on his own label.

Last summer, we took the important step of bringing Iorie into the production process and worked on the track together in Berlin. We then took it to Slovenia for mixing and mastering with our good old friend Beltek. After testing the track in clubs several times and getting some absolutely insane reactions, we eventually approached John B and his Camo & Krooked colleagues to see if they would be open to an official release on HILOMATIK. It was extremely important to us to use their original elements from “John B - Numbers (Camo&Krooked)” and preserve the character and feel of the track rather than simply re-creating the melodies ourselves.

What’s interesting is that around 15 years ago, their version of “Numbers” was itself inspired by a Melodic Techno track from 2006, “Impressed” by none other than DJ Solee. So it was a really special moment that we were also able to bring him into the project. In fact, a large part of the harmonic foundation, particularly the notes and the interplay between the melody and bass, comes from DJ Solee’s ‘Impresse’.”

Which elements from the older versions did you feel had to be used for this release?

Township Rebellion: “The most interesting aspect of the track is how the different influences come together. The first two bars use the triplet-based note sequence from John B’s “Numbers”, while the following two bars follow the melodic progression from Solee’s “Impressed”, but played by the Moog Synth from Camo & Krooked.

The fact that this has now become a collaboration between four great artists from somewhat different musical worlds makes the whole story even more special. Beyond the incredible catchy melodies hook and the combination of straight and triplet rhythms, and the old-school character of the original sound is absolutely crucial to what makes the track work. That was something we really wanted to preserve rather than recreate from scratch. Township Rebellion, John B, Solee and Iorie bringing all of these elements, and “Sequences” now on HILOMATIK is a really special story for us. It feels like an unexpected connection between different generations and styles, and ultimately like a very completely natural and modern collaboration.”

When Township Rebellion approached you with the idea of turning ‘Numbers’ into a melodic techno rework, what was your first reaction?

John B: “I was immediately into the idea. I’ve always liked hearing my music taken out of its original context, and ‘Numbers’ felt like a particularly interesting one to revisit because the original has such a strong identity. Township Rebellion’s world is obviously very different from Drum & Bass, but there’s a shared love of atmosphere, repetition and those hypnotic elements that build over time. So rather than thinking, “How are they going to make this work?”, I was more interested to hear how far they could take it.”

‘Numbers’ has been around for quite some time. What is it like to see a track from your catalogue being reimagined by a new generation of artists?

John B: “It’s quite surreal. When you make a track, you’re generally just thinking about whether it works at that moment - you’re not imagining somebody coming back to it years later and finding something new in it. I’ve been making music for a long time now, so it’s really satisfying when something from the catalogue has another life, particularly outside Drum & Bass. It reminds you that a good musical idea doesn’t necessarily belong to one genre or one period of time.”

After hearing the final version, does ‘Sequences’ feel like a continuation of ‘Numbers’ to you, or more like a completely new chapter?

John B: “Definitely more like a new chapter. You can hear the DNA of ‘Numbers’ in there, but ‘Sequences’ has become its own record. That’s what I like about it. I wouldn’t really want someone to just recreate the original at a different tempo. Township Rebellion took the elements that inspired them and built something new around them, for a completely different musical environment and audience. For me, that’s when a rework becomes genuinely interesting - when you can still recognise where it came from, but it has a reason to exist in its own right.”

Did hearing the melody again after all these years bring back any particular memories from the time when you created ‘Impressed’?

Solee: “Since the original version of ‘Impressed’ has remained a regular part of my sets over the years and has almost become a little classic for my fans, the melody has never really disappeared from my life. It’s still very present and something people often ask me to play. So hearing it again now didn’t necessarily feel like rediscovering a long-lost memory, it’s more like reconnecting with something that has been with me throughout my career.”

You’ve mentioned having great respect for Township Rebellion’s sound. What do you think they brought to your original melody that made it feel fresh again?

Solee: “I think they used the melody in a very smart way. Interestingly, Camo & Krooked had already brought my melody together with the elements from John B’s ‘Numbers’ in their remix, creating a very successful drum & bass track. Township Rebellion then picked up on that combination and gave the melodic theme a new Melodic Techno context, where it also takes on a slightly more rave-oriented character. I also really like how they arranged the track for maximum impact and functionality on the dancefloor. The break is incredibly effective, with a strong hands-up moment, and the whole track is perfectly built for peak-time. At the same time, they brought the overall sound firmly into 2026.”

There’s quite an interesting story behind ‘Sequences’, especially considering the different artists and tracks that are connected to it. How did the idea originally come together?

Iorie: “It actually started with Township Rebellion and me wanting to make a modern four-to-the-floor version of John B’s Numbers, the Camo & Krooked remix from 2010. Initially, it was really just something we made for our own sets, so we didn’t have any plans to release it. After we started playing it in our live sets, the reaction from the crowd was just amazing. People really responded to it, and that made us think that maybe we should actually release it. So we got in touch with John B, Camo & Krooked and HILOMATIK, and luckily they were all on board with the idea. Then, while talking to them about the track, We found out that Sequences not only had elements from John B’s ‘Numbers’ (Camo & Krooked Remix) but also the melody from Solee’s 2006 song ‘Impressed’.

That was such a cool discovery for us, because suddenly there was this whole history behind the track that we hadn’t really realized. So we reached out to Solee as well, and he was happy to be involved. From there, it became this really special collaboration between different artists and different generations of electronic music. We’re so stoked that we could bring everyone together and create something fresh from these legendary tunes, while still keeping that connection to the originals.”