After stunning the drum'n'bass community in 2003 with the release of his debut album, True Colours, High Contrast AKA Lincoln Barrett returns to do it all again with the follow up High Society.

Keeping to the tradition of Hospital Records, High Society delivers a funky and uplifting sound filled with soulful vocals, lush strings, infectious rhythms and choice vocalists including Reprazent's MC Dynamite, regular FreQ Nasty collaborator Spoonface and upcoming grime MC Nolay.

RA caught up with Lincoln to find out more about the album and his upcoming tour.

- What's been happening in the world of High Contrast between the release of True Colours and High Society?
I did a lot of DJing after True Colours - playing all around the world visiting places like the States, Japan and Europe. I then had to set aside time to write High Society. Hospital Records were worried that I wasn't going to meet the deadline, they wanted to get it out September because if you miss the September deadline you can't get the same racking in stores due to the Christmas season. After that it would've been best to delay the album until Feburary or March.

- A year between albums is actually quite fast, do you mainly spend your time producing with an album in mind or do you just come out with a slew of singles and come to a point and say, hey I've got an album?
With the first album, I was working on whatever and fitted it to suit an album. High Society was an album from the start. I had a distinct project in mind.

- Is there a meaning behind the new album's title?
I guess there is - the most obvious is that the first album is an introduction to who I am, whereas this is one is more "now I'm an established artist, welcome to the world of high society".

- How did you team up with the vocalists you used on the album?
I produced a tune for MC Dynamite's album and it got well received. I reckon he's one of the best MC's in Drum'n'Bass when it comes to delivering lyrics. Nolay is an upcoming Grime MC that Hospital came across and took a chance with. I became impressed with her flow and depth of lyrics. In regards to Spoonface, he's got a big Hospital connection, we had written the tune a while ago - ragga R&B tinged vocal - it's not quite what everyone expects!

- Angels and Fly sees a different side to your sound. It's on a dirty grimey tip, did you write that tune with the vocalist Nolay in mind, or is the grime sound something that has been of interest to you?
I've been interested in UK Garage and Grime, and I wanted to include that element in the album with a genuine Grime vocalist. It was originally written as a remix for a Dillinja tune but it was too off beat for Dillinja, so I took out the Dillinja vocals and replaced them.

- What processes are involved in making a High Contrast tune?
I'm heavily into sampling, it's become the basis of what I do and it's used as a catalyst to get the process going. I listen to lots of music outside Drum'n'Bass such as Tech House and Classical then I start playing with some sounds and chip away at things until I can say "yeah I can see the finish line". It involves a lot of trial and error - sometimes I can finish a tune in a day and sometimes it will take 5 years.

- What tools are used in the studio when creating beats?
I mainly use Cubase. It suits my particular way of working. I'm pretty eccentric and I know how to get what I want.

- Are you planning to tour in support of the album? Which countries will you be taking in for the tour?
I'll be going to New Zealand, Australia, and the States. I'll also be doing a lot of European gigs including Berlin, Paris, Germany and Amsterdam.