Hey, how’s it going today?

It’s going good, I’ve had a productive start to 2025. Been back in the studio working on lots of new bits and getting ready for the year ahead.

In 2024, you launched your own imprint, Evil Sky. What led you to make this decision? Why was now the right time? And what’s your ultimate goal for the label?

Starting my own imprint has been something that I’ve been kind of toying with for a while now. I had been sat on the idea for maybe like a year or two, I had lots of music stacked up that I wanted to put out. This is a new platform for me to continue to grow as an artist and to put out whatever sort of music that I want. I guess my ultimate goal for the label is to build up a back catalog of music that I can be proud of and to also reach out into some different areas and experiment. It’s just me running everything at the moment, I find it really exciting, and I’m looking forward to having a go at some different things and seeing what happens.

You’ve worked closely with the 1985 Music crew, releasing several tracks on their imprint. What’s the story behind your connection with 1985? How did you first start collaborating with them?

I first got in contact with Alix, I think it was around 2018 or 2019. I just hit him up on Instagram one day and sent some tunes over. He was feeling the tunes, so we spoke a little bit on there and exchanged some music. Soon after that, he hit me up to ask if I had anything I would be happy to put on the Edition 3 VA, which he was putting together at the time. This was a track called ‘Blood Orange’ which was my first release on the label. Soon after that, he asked if I was up for doing a full release which then became my first EP on 1985 ‘Evil Sky’. Ever since then, I’ve worked closely with Alix and the label, and it has all happened pretty naturally. I’ve released various projects on the label including my debut album ‘Dance With The Devil’. That was a project I was really proud of. I feel like it gave people a glimpse into my range as a producer and the various styles that inspired me. It was also really sick having so many of my friends and favourite artists being a part of it. It’s been really great being surrounded by so many wicked artists on the label over the past 4/5 years. Especially playing the label shows as well, they’re always good fun.

You recently did an incredible back-to-back with two other 1985 artists, Cesco & Hijinx right before Christmas. How was the experience for you?

I’m good friends with Cesco and Hijinx. We all live in Bristol and I feel like we’re into similar things and similar styles of music, so it was really good fun. It felt more like just going around your mate’s house for a big mix. We all got to showcase some new music from ourselves as well and play a bunch of stuff we’re feeling at the moment so yeah, I can’t complain. It was great fun!

On the topic of collaborations, are there any other artists you’d love to work with, whether for DJ sets or music production?

Production-wise; I would love to get in the studio with Commodo. I think he is such a unique and forward-thinking artist. He’s constantly raising the bar and releasing some really innovative and fresh music. Another artist I would love to collaborate with is Machinedrum. He has released such a variety of music over the years and worked with some incredible producers and vocalists, and I would love to sit down with him one day and have a go at making some stuff together.

Walk us through your production process. Do you usually start with a specific element? Are you more of a sample-based guy, or do you synthesize most of your stuff?

I used to try and synthesize a lot of stuff and make patches and things from scratch. Nowadays, it is a lot more sample and audio-based and I use a lot of hardware like guitar pedals and effects units. I feel like that has really caught my attention and given me that sort of hunger and drive to try a bunch of different things when I’m making music. Don’t get me wrong, I can sit on my laptop all day and knock out ideas purely just on the computer, but if I’m in the studio at home most of the time I will start by messing around with sounds and pieces of audio. Jamming on different bits of outboard gear to try and create some weird sounds and textures. I feel like nowadays that stuff holds my attention a bit more. Just getting really lost in making weird sounds and going from there. I’m having a lot of fun with it at the moment because at the end of the day, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, it can get stale after a while. It’s important to keep things fresh.

Speaking of production, are there any secret VSTs you’re loving right now? Maybe a lesser-known plugin that adds a little extra magic to your tracks?

I’m not sure if it’s really a lesser-known plug-in, but I’ve been using quite a few of the SSL bits recently. The channel strip and the vocal strip in particular. I’ve been using those a lot on buses and vocals when I’m working with vocalists. I also use a lot of the Valhalla plugins, I really like the look of them, and they’re really fun to use. I would say the Valhalla Freq Echo is probably one of my favorite plugins. I use that in pretty much every tune whether it’s subtly on a send or a bit more extreme to make something sound a bit more crazy. I find it’s great on weird textural stuff as well as little vocal or percussion hits

What’s next for Drone? Can we expect any new releases, projects, or upcoming shows?

I’ve got plenty of releases lined up. Me and Emsz have a track dropping soon, which I’m looking forward to. Emz is one of my favorite vocalists and is also based in Bristol so look out for that one. Then for the rest of the year, you can expect some more stuff coming on Evil Sky. I’m also gonna be switching up the styles a bit this year and releasing some different stuff that people may not necessarily associate me with. It’s all music though at the end of the day. I’ve got some great shows lined up already for this year. Me and my brother Snowy will be at Hit & Run in Manchester at the end of this month. I’ll also be playing Fabric for the first time in March which I can’t wait for! That’s for the 1985 takeover. Fabric is a proper bucket list one that I have wanted to play for a while now. Then I will be over in the USA again in April for another tour as well as some other tours lined up throughout the rest of the year.

For this Adrenaline episode, where would you suggest listeners tune in? Is there a specific vibe or mindset they should bring to the mix?

I would suggest listening to it if you’re going for a drive or a run, or if you’re in the gym. There are quite a lot of uptempo tracks in there. I wanted to showcase a variety of different stuff that I’m really into at the minute and also a bunch of my own productions in there as well as some forthcoming bits that you can expect this year. So yeah, I would say maybe a more uptempo sort of setting if you’re doing something active or even just at home cleaning the house or something like that. Maybe it could give you that motivation to go in.

What’s your favorite track in the mix, and why does it stand out to you?

I would probably say the first track in the mix. It’s a brand-new remix from Cesco of a Machinedrum tune that came out on his most recent album. These are both 2 amazing producers I look up to and are constantly releasing some of the freshest electronic music. To hear Cesco’s take on a Machinedrum track was wicked, I think he smashed it out of the park with that one. For me, it’s a winner.

TRACKLIST

1. Machinedrum, Topaz Jones, Ezra – RESPEK (Cesco Remix)
2. Cimm – Biting Back
3. Drone – Streets Of Rage Ft. Kyeza
4. Fixate – LifeAquatic
5. Cesco & Emz – Pretty & Plump
6. Drone – Memories
7. Visages – From Lead To Gold (Drill FR 4 Visages Edit)
8. Cimm – Ether Mendes
9. Drone – Pale Blue
10. Two Swords – Glacial Gaze
11. Mayhem – On Toppa Dat
12. Glume & Phossa – Shift
13. Rico Nasty – Rage
14. Drone – Organised Chaos
15. Envy – Don’t Chat
16. Shades – Flame Unbroken
17. Boofy – Cry Me A Medley
18. Neffa-T & Cimm – Always There
19. Hijinx – Pirates
20. Drone – Overtone
21. Napes – Shooters Hill Ft. Snowy
22. Two Swords – Blunted
23. SubMarine – All I Need