Since the release of his debut album Lazers Not Included in 2013, Wilkinson’s been no stranger to top-charting success. Whenever his name is mentioned, we’re pulled to think back to the classic ‘Afterglow’ with Becky Hill, a song which truly transformed casual fans into devoted members of the drum and bass community. Yet, reducing this pioneer’s work to one hit single overshadows his consistency; releasing countless dance anthems time and time again is something to not only be admired, but celebrated. With previous albums such as Hypnotic (2017) and Cognition (2022) achieving number 1 in the Dance UK charts, for Wilkinson, it seems the only way is up. Now that the doors for 2026 are open, it’s time to see what other tricks he has up his sleeve.
Wilkinson’s latest collection Infinity embodies 14 beautifully crafted tracks, 11 of which have graced the public eye ahead of launching the full album. As these tracks were released separately, with ‘Eternity’ being the most recent, it’s given fans a teaser of what’s to come next (without giving away too much, of course) while also enabling each track to shine in its own right.
This fifth studio album is set to release on his self-owned label Sleepless Music, a project close to his heart which has championed his artistic direction since 2021. Over this three-year-long project, he also welcomed new faces and joined forces with the likes of Camo & Krooked, Mefjus, and Kaskade alongside some gorgeous voices such as Emily Makis, Julia Church, North, Paige Cavell, and ILIRA. In true Wilkinson fashion, this album pushes the limits of dancefloor drum and bass while also touching on experimental elements.
Infinity arrives after Wilkinson’s busiest year yet. From sold-out tours across North America and Australia to releasing hits such as his remix of KETTAMA & Interplanetary Criminal’s ‘Yosemite’, this album marks a time where ambition and balance have been fundamental.
This past year, Wilkinson has learnt to ignore the noise and pressures of social media and focus on what music really means to him, and this album lives up to this effortlessly. From heartfelt lyrics to melodies that hold a pinch of grittiness, every track is a testament to his resilience.
So, let’s hear it from the man himself. Wilkinson is back with UKF to discuss the making of his new album Infinity, touring life, and even a dip into countryside living…
Hi! How has the start of the year been for you with regards to life in general, the work on your property (I see your setting up a Vineyard!) and your recent touring to New Zealand and Asia?
I’m really good thanks. Just catching my breath amongst all the album promo! The start of the year has been amazing thanks. I had a bunch of shows across Europe and Asia and managed to squeeze in some much need holiday time out in Thailand after EDC. And yeah, I released ‘Eternity’ ahead of my album announcement, which the feedback has been amazing on!
Yeah, I’ve also set up a vineyard which is super exciting and the start of new journey for me which keeps me outside in nature and constantly humbles me! I’ve loved having to learn a new skill and essentially go back to school.
Massive congratulations on the forthcoming album! In your view, how is this album different from your previous albums? And how does it feel to reach the stage of your career where you are releasing a fifth studio album? Not many artists can say that!
Fifthe studio album does sound kinda crazy and, to be honest, when I signed to Ram Records back in 2010 I doubt I ever thought I’d get to 5. Every album journey has been different for me. My first album took a long time, there’s a lot of pressure on the first album, finding my sound, I remember feeling like it was going to really determine my musical path so it took a while and I wanted to make sure I got it right especially with the quality of the albums that were coming out at the time on Ram. Cognition andPortals were finished during covid so there was no touring going on, I feel like those albums came together pretty quickly. With Infinity the journey has been quite different. During the making of this record I’ve moved studio, moved house, moved record labels and been touring internationally more than ever. The roll out of this album has been over three years which is definitely a long time, and there were moments that I thought I’d never mange to pull it all into a complete album but I’m so happy I finally have. I’m also really glad that most of the tracks have had the exposure of being singles. I’ve always found that album tracks that aren’t singles don’t reach as far as singles and often enough those are the tracks that really show the depth and experimentation of an artist.
Why did you choose the title ‘Infinity’ for this album?
Apart from the fact this album took an infinity to finish haha, actually around the time I started this record I was falling to sleep most nights to videos explaining the context of Infinity, I think the entire reality of it made me feel very small and insignificant in the world and my worries and stresses would fade away and I’d have a decent night sleep! The sound of the word also has a rich, cinematic, epic feel to it which I guess is one of the aspects to the sound I’ve been trying to create during this chapter/album.
It sounds like there’s more to it than meets the eye! Now, tell us a bit about how this album has shaped your recent shows, or maybe the reverse…
It’s always a balance when I make music. I’m aware my audience want songs. But they also want to rave. So the process is always a battle to find that balance. But for sure being out there every week DJ’ing means I get to test music out, see the response and react to it, whilst trying to maintain the musicality, structure and ensuring my music travels further into people’s everyday lives than just in a club or festival on the weekend. I think in recent years it’s been a challenge for me to find the balance between this drop culture on social media where it’s all about the first 10 seconds of every drop, to my more flowing subtle songwriter style of making tunes and DJing but those challenges also drive the exploration of sounds and ideas.
Alexandra Palace was the event that shaped the finishing of my album. Building that show and the structure of the tracklist being 100% my own music allowed me to fill the gaps that I felt there were in the album.
As for the producer collaborations on the album…how did some of these come about?
I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the most respected names in our genre over the years. When I think about who I collab with from a producer perspective, it really comes down to production quality and style. Kaskade is a legend within electronic music as a whole and his song ‘I Remember’ with Deadmau5 was a groundbreaking tune at the time I was beginning my production journey. I used to listen to the J Majik & Wickaman remix on repeat. We’d both been a fan of each other’s music for a while and we’d been chatting about doing something together. Not many people know but Kaskade’s first releases were drum and bass, so the genre has always been at his heart. Our diaries finally aligned when I was in the US on tour so we got to spend a few days together in his studio in Santa Monica where we finished ‘Shine On’.
And with Camo & Krooked and Mefjus, I’d had this idea that I’d started in 2020 which I’d always loved but could never get right. I’ve always considered Mefjus mix downs and production to be sonically at the highest level in D&B, he’s such a talent. The Camo & Krooked boys have been on this epic orchestral musical journey and I love what they’re bringing to drum and bass. So yeah, I thought if I want to get this over the finish line then these guys are the ones to make it happen. I’m so happy with how that turned out!
That’s an exciting range of collaborations. You’re also renowned for spotting vocal talent early in the game (such as Becky Hill and Issey Cross)! What can you tell about us about how you found the vocalists to work with on Infinity and the subsequent writing sessions?
To be honest, I’ve got to credit the incredible producers and song writers that I have worked with over the years. I’ve always been collaborative when it comes to my music and I’ll often get a message or an idea sent to me like, you need to hear this vocalist. I’m often sent an idea when I’m on the road, out of the studio and I strip it back and we write the music and turn it into a Wilks record, produce it and master it myself. Two stand out songwriters who’ve helped me so far on my journey are Brad Ellis & Toby Scott. Two very talented musicians!
With Emily Makis, she’d already made a massive entrance into D&B. I remember playing after her at a club a long time ago, I think it was Norwich or something and I was watching her for her hour set and her energy and confidence was like nothing I’d seen before. There were no stops and starts in her set, just straight back to back vocal tracks for an hour whilst running round the stage. From that moment I knew I wanted her on a record and I’d written this heavy instrumental that just needed a vocal with energy to bring it all together and she smashed it. We recorded it at my studio at my house.
Julia Church, we did this original session over zoom with Toby, Julia, and Olivia Sebastianelli and I’d never worked with a vocal like Julia’s before. The initial idea was really stripped back and gave her so much room to go big with the vocal. It took me a couple of months to get the instrumental right, it needed to be big and heavy but leave plenty of room for the vocal to shine. The sound design took me ages but finally got there and found a style that suited the vocal!
North has this incredible operatic ethereal voice which blew me away the first time I heard it, my friend and songwriter Josh Record had just started managing her and they’d done a session with Toby in Brighton. I’d had one of those days in the studio where I’d deleted as much as I’d created and was shutting everything down for the day. I opened my phone to a bunch of messages and this vocal idea was in there and it instantly blew me away so I powered everything up again and spent the whole night on the record pretty much finishing it in one session. We re recorded a load of the vocal so it worked at the faster tempo and then I remember playing it in New Zealand for the first time and the reaction was exactly what it needed to be. It connected with so many people and I got so many messages about it.
Over the course of writing this album, is there anything you’ve learnt about yourself either as a music producer or personally?
Honestly, most recently the lesson I’ve learned is that sometimes my ambition is greater than what I’m physically and mentally capable of and it’s important to take one step at a time toward a goal and move at my own pace otherwise the pressure builds and I lose my creative flow and things become stressful.
What was your approach to writing tracks such as ‘Eternity’?
‘Eternity’, the vocal idea can first. Mougletta sent this vocal and originally it was sped up. I played around with it and we ended up re recording it in her natural voice, I felt like the melody and lyrics needed to be delivered in her natural voice for it to cut through emotionally. The hook ‘Eternity’ and energy instantly gave me trance so I knew those were the building blocks for the instrumental. That was the production box it needed to be in once I had the chords down in the right sound the rest of the track fell into place. The mix down (like always) took me months and months to get right!
Did you come up with ideas for any of the tracks in any unusual situations or places to normal?
Often enough, I’ll be on a run or in the car listening to music outside of D&B for inspiration and then head to the studio and see what happens. If that’s not working then I’ll buy a new synth or piece of hardware and start messing about with it to see where it takes me. Or, also often enough, I’ll get an idea in the shower or just before I fall asleep when I’m chilled and quickly voice note or sketch something down.
Are there any tracks from the album in particular that pinpoint your future direction as an artist? Where will you take this sound next? Any plans step outside the genre and experiment with different tempos?
I think ‘Ultraviolet’ and ‘Eternity’ and my remix of Kettama & Interplanetary Criminal’s ‘Yosemite’ would be a decent guide for where I want to take my sound moving forward. More leaning towards ‘Ultraviolet’. I’d say more liquid sounds, more breaks, also not just D&B. I’ve always been in my own lane and I want to start stepping out of drum and bass in my production and my sets.
And, anything else you’d like to mention about the album or your future plans for 2026 and beyond?
Just really that I want to thank my fans for supporting me, I know its a cliché thing to say but I really do love my life and feel like I’m living a dream and none of it would be possible without people streaming my music and buying tickets to my shows. Hearing how everyone connects with my music in their own special way, how my music has pulled people out of dark moments in their life, or been the song that people get married to, regardless of it’s popularity, just gives me the drive to be more vulnerable and make more and more authentic music.
I’m taking less shows these days in order to spend more time in the studio, I want to write more music, not just for me but for other artists. I’m really excited about that, and to really nourish my creativity. D&B is thriving globally I just think it’s really important that people get to experience every aspect of this incredible genre and it’s diversity.
