Drum ‘n’ bass DJ and producer Lincoln Barrett aka High Contrast draws clubbers to the dance floor, but he isn’t the type to smoke anything, drink alcohol or do any drugs.

Known for his soulful, uplifting, melodic-heavy drum ‘n’ bass music with urgent beats and graceful grooves, Barrett says he has tried alcohol before, but he says, “ I stopped when I was like 18” and never tried it again. “I’ve never drunk to excess or had a hangover or anything like that, you know?”

So, being surrounded by hundreds—sometimes thousands—of pissed-off-their-tits and loved-up party-goers doesn’t make him feel pressured to get drunk or cracked-out?

The Wales-based DJ laughs through the telephone and says, “No, I mean, I’ve kind of always just looked around at the state of people, whether it’s jumping at pubs on the streets in Britain or at nightclubs, and that’s kind of a good anti-drink or drug message.”

He says, “The thing is, I’m kind of a control freak—I like to know what’s going on, so they don’t have appeal for me. And when I did drink, it was more of a depressant effect, and I am quite a low-key guy anyhow, so I shouldn’t get any more withdrawn and melancholic, but yeah, today I don’t even think about it.”

We partygoers can be grateful for Barrett’s devoting so much time in the studio, for he is really productive with making music: He is only 31 years old, and he already has released four outstanding albums and countless unforgettable remixes.

He also is busy working on a new album—his fifth—that he expects to release later this year or early 2012. Talking about the upcoming album, he says, “I think it’s sounding like the most personal album yet because I’m using less samples and writing more of the melodies myself, so it kind of sounds more direct and, like, coming straight from my head.” The album also will feature a few collaborations, including Underworld. He adds that he doesn’t think he can reveal the other collaborators yet. He also says that some tracks on the album aren’t drum ‘n’ bass; some are “dubstep-ish”: “It’s kind of my own take on dubstep,” he says.

Barrett first made a big name for himself after releasing True Colours, his debut drum ‘n’ bass album, at the young age of 22 years old. When the album was released in summer 2002 on Hospital Records, the buzz around his drum’ n’ bass kicked off with a big bang as songs like “Make It Tonight” and “Return Of Forever” were getting played out a lot. His music delights because much of it has soaring synths, jazz samples, stellar vocals and a warm, seductive, epic feel.

“I think when I’m making music, I’m kind of bypassing the intellect to an extent,” he says. “I mean, I’m more just in my little home and so I’m not really thinking about what I’m making in an obvious sense. It’s more just kind of trying to find the groove that I just click with in my heart and it just kind of happens without my realizing it. But, yes, when I’m making a track, I’m certainly looking to get to the point where it makes me want to get up and dance [laughs] around the studio.”

Talking about the music-making process, he says, “I have to kind of spend some time in the studio before I really get into the zone and then you kind of get on a roll, and when I’m doing that, I don’t go out much [laughs] and I kind of stay home in my own little world.”

Following the release of True Colours, Barrett DJed around the world for a couple of years, and he earned mad props as a talented DJ who mixes in key. He plays sets that are energizing and irresistible to dance to; he doesn’t bash you on the head with harsh beats, and he creates a feel-good synchronicity through his music and DJ sets.

“Only those who are kind of really musically trained and know what keys are what and what would work with each other mix in key,” Barrett says. “So, the mixing in key program is a good system for organizing my records going by key, so I can just immediately know what will be in key with each other.

“Now, that doesn’t tell me what record to play, because you still have to make the decision what would work so that they would sound right together, but sometimes you want to throw something in discord in and change it, because if you constantly mix around the same key, you can get a bit of kind of a plateau in terms of the vibe on the dance floor, so if you throw a wild card, you know that you’ll change the atmosphere and the vibe in the club, so I think the more knowledge you have about what you’re playing musically, the better it is.”

Barrett also has released memorable, lively mixes for Fabric and Mixmag. In addition, he rocks as a remixer: Check out his energetic, popular mix of Missy Elliot’s “We Run This” and his sweet, lovely mix of Basement Jaxx’s “Hey U,” which sings along in one’s head long after the song is over. He also fires up British singer, composer and songwriter Imogen Heap’s gorgeous “Headlock” and Utah Saints’ “Something Good ’08,” delighting with urgent drum ‘n’ bass beats and calling for a run to the dance floor.

High Contrast also had success with the awesome 2004 High Society album, a fresh album with jazz, funk and electro elements; the 2007 album Tough Guys Don’t Dance, which features the hot, intense “If We Ever”; and the 2009 Confidential album, which features 12 of his tracks that he made between 2001 and 2009, as well as many of his remixes.

He also has produced some house tracks under the alias Two Fisted Tales. “That was just a bit of fun really,” he says. “I’m always kind of dabbling in other genres, and I finished a couple of house tunes and thought it would be fun to release them and came up with a silly name [laughs], and I guess if I make any more, I’ll put them out under that name, but right now I’m really concentrating on drum ‘n’ bass.”

Asked about his best and worst DJ gigs, he says that he feels that he is in a “privileged position” because most of his gigs go well. He says, “I haven’t really had a bad gig for years, so I don’t know—I guess the highlight is probably playing at the Brixton Academy events in London, and I’m also playing at festivals, like Glastonbury.”

Barrett lives in his hometown just outside of Cardiff, Wales, where he grew up. He travels a lot and plays regularly at a Hospitality Records night in London at the Brixton Academy, which can hold almost 5,000 people. He also often plays in Leeds, Sheffield and Cardiff, and he recently played in Prague as well. “We’re just kind of forever expanding,” he says, talking about Hospitality Records events.

He says he’s happy living outside Cardiff: “I like living in this little town because I can just be left to my own devices really and just keep my head down and do my own thing,” he says. “It’s where I grew up, and my friends and family are here, and there’s a lot more space and fresh air than in somewhere like London, but the drum ‘n’ bass scene is pretty good. There’s a lot of young guys producing and DJing, so yeah, it’s pretty good.”