Hi, Who are you?
Hey, I’m Drone an electronic artist out of Bristol and this is my new baby Evil Sky.
What’s your ethos?
The ethos of the label is to release all sorts of electronic music and not to be confined to one specific genre. Whether that’s club music or stuff that’s a bit weirder and more experimental. I see the start of this project as a blank canvas, there are no rules for how to approach it and I almost feel like I’m starting from scratch again but in a good way. The idea behind it was to be a home for my own productions and to build something to allow me to keep developing as an artist and try and push the envelope and dip my toes into other realms if you like. The whole thing is really exciting to me and I’m looking forward to seeing it develop in the years to come.
Tell us your origin story…
I had been toying with the idea of setting up my own imprint for a little while. I never really wanted to start a label and sign other people’s music it was more just wanting to create a home for my own productions and to keep pushing myself as a producer. A place where I can continue to evolve and release music that excites me. I see Evil Sky more as an extension of myself than a label. After speaking with friends and showing them some of my ideas the general feedback I got was “What are you waiting for?” So at the start of 2024, I began putting things in motion and got the ball rolling.
Where are you based? Tell us about your local scene…
I’m based in Bristol. I enjoy living here, the city has so much to offer music-wise and also outside of music. The local scene here is pretty healthy for all sorts of genres and there are so many artists and labels doing really great stuff. When I first came to Bristol I remember seeing labels like Bandulu, Sector 7, Hotline etc. with this whole DIY ethos. They were pressing records, throwing in-store parties at Idle Hands and over the years they’ve put together some of the sickest club nights and shows I’ve ever been to. For me, that stuff was super inspiring. After becoming good friends with people like Boofy, Hi5, Kahn & Neek and seeing the blood, sweat and tears these guys were putting into their music and their releases it really fired me up and gave me this hunger to push myself too. I’ll never forget some of those early Bandulu in stores at Idle Hands. Being able to walk down the road and link up with all sorts of people at those parties was so sick. Stuff like that created a real sense of community within Bristol and opened me up to so much stuff at a young age. I have definitely seen changes over the years with clubs and venues closing which can be absolutely heartbreaking at times, however for me Bristol is still such a hub for all sorts of music and I find it a really inspiring place to live.
Do you have a specific sound or vibe?
I guess maybe for my own productions there is a certain sound that I have developed over the years. The goal for Evil Sky however is to release all sorts of stuff and not to be associated with just one particular sound or style. Personally, I love all sorts of electronic music and always will do but then as well as that side of things I like to listen to a lot of rap and hip hop and also listen to a lot of bands and heavier sort of music. I see Evil Sky as a big melting pot that I can chuck all sorts of stuff into and see what comes out.
Do you have a regular artist roster- who can we see releasing with you?
For now, it’s just going to be for my own releases and stuff that I make with friends. The next release has a couple of vocals on it which I’m really excited about. One of those vocals is with Nottingham MC Kyeza who I’ve been a big fan of for a while now. There’s just something about MCs from Notts that I love. I feel like Nottingham gets overlooked regularly as it’s not one of the big main cities in the UK but the amount of sick MCs from there is ridiculous. Getting Notts MCs on hard electronic beats is something that I’ve been experimenting with for the last couple of years and this next one that I’ve got lined up for 002 is something I’m really proud of.
Tell us about your A&R process…
To be honest there isn’t really one at the minute. As mentioned before for now it’s just going to be a place for me to put out my own tunes with some collabs and vocal bits here and there. I want to make the whole process as natural and true to myself as possible so for now it’s just a one man band.
What makes you different from other labels?
I guess as it’s just myself at the minute it’s less about comparing myself to other labels and more about getting my head down and putting out stuff that I love and stuff that I find exciting. If that resonates with people then that’s a bonus. There are so many labels popping up these days I feel like things often get oversaturated and stale quite easily. People often look to quantity rather than quality. I’m trying to avoid that at all costs and just continue to put out music that I love and present it in the way that I want.
What does it take to run a bass music label in 2024?
I think it’s important to put out quality music that’s fresh and original. People often see a certain formula or sound that works so they try to replicate that. Take a risk and try something different and who knows it might just pay off. Certain things age better than others for sure, but for me, it’s about longevity and creating a sick back catalogue that you can look back on when you’re old and really be proud of.
What have you got coming up that we should look out for?
I’ve just dropped my first EP on the label which is called Airtight. The EP is made up of 3 cuts which are all quite different from each other. This first release is a great example of where I’m at right now as a producer and the sort of things I wanna push going forward. That’s available now on digital + vinyl. I’ve got some vocal tunes coming on 002 and then something a bit different lined up for 003.
