Drone Presents: What Comes Next EP
Bristol-based Drone has been making music for more than a decade, but there’s little interest in keeping the sound locked to one particular lane. Across recent releases, the producer has moved between tempos, textures and heavier club-focused material, with the What Comes Next EP continuing that approach.
There isn’t necessarily a set formula behind the shifts. “A lot of the time it comes naturally to whatever I’m feeling at that moment”. The result is a project that has gradually become broader without losing its weight. “I have enjoyed the evolution of my sound in recent years… It’s been really exciting to show people different sides to my music and where I want to take things.”
That willingness to move around can arguably stem from being exposed to different sounds from a young age, noting that his father played in bands and his house was always full of records and CDs. Drone also spent his teenage years playing in bands before electronic music became the main focus.
Perhaps a pivotal moment came at around age 14 when his father took him to see Chase & Status in Brighton. “I had never experienced anything like it before or heard those sorts of tunes on a big system."
Rinse FM was another constant, while the Caspa and Rusko Fabriclive album provided another reference point. He later saw the pair in London around the time of its release.
Those experiences sit alongside early memories of sifting through his parents record collection as a child, where he showed particular interest in Nirvana's Nevermind. “I thought that because I was so young and it had that sticker on the front I would get in trouble listening to it. I used to listen to it upstairs really quietly so I didn’t get caught.” The album remains a favourite.
FL Studio arrived towards the end of school and quickly became a fixation. “I had no idea what I was doing on there at first but there was something about it which drew me to it and made me want to learn more and more.”
The influence of heavier music is particularly difficult to miss. Drone went to plenty of gigs growing up and played bass in a hardcore band around the age of 17 or 18. The experience gave him a direct connection to the physicality and intensity that we evidently see in his music.
“I think there was something about the intensity and the heavy riffs and rawness of that style of music that really resonated with me."
There was plenty else in the mix too, including hip hop and vocal-driven music. When asked who he considers the strongest producers across any genre, his current list includes Josi Devil, Commodo, Coido and Breakage. “All of those artists are constantly pushing things and making some of the most forward thinking music." Then there’s Alchemist. “He’s my favourite producer… I probably listen to his music every day whether I’m at home or out and about travelling.”
It’s a combination of influences that makes an exact genre classification difficult, which is perhaps the point. Drone's approach is less about adhering to a particular set of references and more about taking elements from different places and seeing where they lead.
The production process has changed alongside that thinking. Over the last five or six years, hardware has become increasingly important, particularly pedals.
“I really like the hands on approach. It can be a great way of getting some real interesting and unique sounds.”
There’s also a practical benefit to getting away from the computer. “It also holds my attention well and gets me away from the screen a bit which I like."
His setup includes Elektron, Strymon and Lateral Sound pedals, as well as synths, while FL Studio remains central on the software side. FabFilter, SSL and UAD plugins also feature heavily.
The What Comes Next EP was written during a period when he was making a lot of heavier club material, with the title track becoming the starting point. “I wrote What Comes Next first which is one of my favourite tracks I’ve made recently.”
From there, the EP developed organically. Rather than building out a collection of variations on one idea, Drone wanted the tracks to sit together while showing different sides of the project. “I wrote a bunch of tunes that I thought could fit with that but also showcased some different styles.”
Tempo was another way of creating separation between the tracks.
“There’s a range of tempos on the EP which is something that I try and do when putting together a project.”
The focus remains on experimenting, developing his sound further across a variety of styes and continue evolving as a producer. For now, the What Comes Next EP is another marker in that process.
The What Comes Next EP is out now on all platforms digitally. To coincide with the release we have a limited run of the What Comes Next LS T available exclusively via 1985.co.uk