Rudimental: How being a collaborator is on the right track after all

Rudimental and Bipolar Sunshine (Rex Features)

Collaborations between artists are typically orchestrated by record labels hoping to generate the next chart hit, but on this occasion the chart-topping dance act Rudimental had the chance to do their own A&R, picking a rising act with whom to work on a new track. Given the challenge of writing, recording, releasing and performing an original track within a 24-hour time frame, they picked emerging artist Manchester-based Bipolar Sunshine, aka Adio Marchant, the former front man of indie-ska band Kid British.“We discovered Bipolar Sunshine's tune Fire on YouTube and thought it was great – great vocals and lyrics,” Rudimental's Piers Agget tells me.

Bipolar Sunshine provided the lyrics and vocals, while the members of Rudimental, who all play instruments, did the track. Their intention to create “something fresh, unique and soulful” was a success: the resulting track Distance is feel-good funk for the summer, and its first airing went down well at their recent gig at The Vaults in Waterloo.

The Bacardi Beginnings project, created last year to give up-and-coming artists the opportunity to be mentored by established acts, has seen Jessie Ware mentored by Hot Chip's Joe Goddard and Friendly Fires mentoring AlunaGeorge... a formula that seems to work.

(www.soundcloud.com/ bipolarsunshine/rudimental-feat-bipolar)