With his debut album, Felov reveals a new and much more soulful side.
‘For What It’s Worth’ lands on Transparent Audio – familiar territory for the Dutch producer who’s had a string of releases for the label, as well as on similarly dark and techy imprints like Flexout, Overview, or Midas Touch. But unlike the usual signings, Felov presents a full LP with a change in direction – a sound that feels more true to himself, that he’s finally confident to share.
With 10 tracks, Felov achieves album excellence: An end-to-end listen, individual stand-outs, and strong variety of sound while keeping cohesion. Not an easy feat with drum & bass.
He’s drawing on second generation liquid heroes like Zero T or Alix Perez – adopting the less-is-more approach, focussing on a good sample or melody rather than squeezing as much as possible out of the DAW. Tracks like ‘Always’ and ‘Stay’ roll stripped-back and steady, with piano and atmosphere used sparingly to draw emotion. While tracks like ‘OWY’ and ‘Want You’ give a little nod back to the darker ends, but remain minimal and within this new world of sound for Felov.
Rounding out the album he enlists a strong cast of vocalists: Verbz & Whitt tell a winter story on ‘Under Pressure’, Lauren Walton glides on the emotive ‘Take Care’, and finally T.R.A.C & Luke Truth tag-team for a highlight moment on the ‘Pieces’ – where Felov halves the tempos for a brief foray into hip-hop.
It’s also a credit to Transparent Audio – who stay with Felov to explore a sound intended for headphones in solitude, more so than 1AM at Lakota. UKF were interested to understand more about the approach – so we sat down with the Rotterdam-based producer to dissect his new release…
Thanks for taking the time to do this. I’ve been loving the album.
Ah nice, appreciate that. Yeah, I’m really excited for it to come out. It’s been in the works for over a year and a half now, so it feels like a big moment for me.
It honestly feels like a new chapter. I’ve been releasing music since around 2021, but I always limited myself to that deeper, minimal drum & bass sound. I felt like I was stuck in a loop before diving into this album – just trying to keep momentum going, rather than creating what I actually wanted to make.
This project is really personal, so finally seeing it come to life is a strange feeling. I’ve been working on it almost daily for so long, and now that it’s nearly finished, it’s a bit bittersweet – but maybe more on the sweet side.
How do you feel your sound has developed since those early releases?
At the start, I was heavily inspired by artists like Bredren or the deeper minimal side of drum & bass. But I’ve always loved more soulful sounds too – stuff coming out on labels like The North Quarter or Footnotes.
I always knew I wanted to move in that direction, but I think I was a bit scared of it. It’s harder to make – it’s more emotional, more musical. So I stayed in my comfort zone of dark and minimal because it was working, but that also started to burn me out.
With the album, I just took a step back and asked myself: why did I start making music in the first place? For me, it’s about creativity and emotion. So I detached from my old releases and just let everything flow.
That completely changed my sound. If you compare this album to my earlier work, it’s a very different direction – but it made me rediscover my love for making music.
Was part of that hesitation – about going more emotional – the risk of it sounding cheesy? Liquid can be hard to pull off in that way sometimes…
Yeah, definitely. I’m always my own biggest critic.
What really helped was stripping everything back – I actually removed Instagram from my phone, stopped listening to new releases. It was just me and the music, not worrying about opinions or caring about whether it was cheesy – if I was listening back and genuinely feeling something, I trusted that.
I figured if I like it, someone else probably will too. That mindset helped me stop overthinking and just go with it.
Was there a particular artist or track you were aiming towards?
One artist who really inspired me recently is Zar. I discovered his album ‘Anima’ while I was still working on mine, and hearing that from start to finish – that’s what drum & bass is for me.
It showed me how emotional and powerful the genre can be, even with something as simple as a drum loop and a piano.
And then there’s older stuff too – artists like Halogenix and Alix Perez. Tracks like that have this timeless, nostalgic feeling. Submarine actually talked about this in his recent interview with you, too – and I totally agree. You can listen to them years later and they still hit. That’s the feeling I wanted to capture with this album.
You mentioned moving to Rotterdam – did that influence your music?
Yeah, definitely. Before that I was living in a small, pretty remote town. I moved there in 2019 for work, just before COVID, and I didn’t really know anyone.
I was quite isolated, and music became my escape. But after a couple of years I realised I wasn’t happy there anymore.
Moving to Rotterdam changed a lot. It’s so vibrant – there’s always something going on, loads of different cultures, and every part of the city feels different. That’s definitely influencing my music now.
That said, about 90% of the album was actually written before I moved. That was a much more internal process – writing in solitude. The final touches happened in Rotterdam.
Do you think that isolation shaped the sound of the album?
Yeah, 100%. I started writing it at a time when I wasn’t in a great place – I’d just come out of a relationship and felt quite stuck.
Music was always my escape, but even that started to feel like it was fading. So with the album, I wanted to channel all of that – the emotions, the struggles – into the music.
I honestly think you write your best music when you’re not feeling great. You can really hear that emotional side in the album.
If I wrote it now, living in Rotterdam where life feels a lot better, it would probably sound pretty different.
Are you working on new music now?
Yeah, I took a bit of a break after finishing the album – just to reset and focus on life, friends, family.
But I’ve started making music again over the last few months. I want to keep exploring that softer, more liquid sound from the album, but also bring in new influences from the city.
I’m still going into the studio quite open-minded – just seeing where it takes me.
How did you land on the final tracklist?
I had around 14 tracks to start with. Then I looked at some of my favourite albums – like ‘Lost in the Dream’ by The War on Drugs – and thought about why I keep coming back to them. They’re cohesive. They feel like one body of work, not just separate tracks.
So I aimed for around 10 tracks and tried to create something you’d want to listen to from start to finish – something with longevity, not just music that lasts a week and disappears.
It was like putting together a puzzle – making sure everything fit together as one complete piece.
What’s the meaning behind the title and artwork?
The title ‘For What It’s Worth’ really reflects how I approached the album. I felt detached from my old music and even from the scene at times. This was about rediscovering what making music means to me – whether it’s still worth it?
For the artwork, I wanted something personal. I used old photos – almost like creating a memory capsule.
I mean, I feel like this is a cheesy thing to say, but I had this idea of giving the album to my parents. I wanted it to feel like more than just music – something meaningful I can look back on in 10 years.
Not cheesy! Nice angle for inspiration. Are you close with your parents?
Yeah, big time.
Are there any tracks that stand out to you, a favourite maybe?
‘Stay’ is a big one. I actually started it a couple of years ago, but at the time it felt too far outside my comfort zone to finish. But then later, when I revisited it, I realised it fit the album perfectly – even though it was older, it really resonated with me.
Another one is ‘Pieces’ with T.R.A.C. and Luke Truth. That came together super quick – I was packing my things, about to move house – and before I packed away all my studio stuff, I thought I’d do one more session. So I made the beat in about two hours.
It was a bit of a happy accident, but everything just clicked. Even now I listen back and think, how did I even make this?
What about some of these darker tracks, a little less on the liquid angle…
Yeah, I wanted variation. If it was just ten tracks of piano-led liquid, it might get repetitive.I love how drum & bass has so many different shades, so I wanted to reflect that.
There’s something for different listeners – whether you’re into more soulful stuff or deeper sounds – and hopefully a reason to keep coming back to the album. That’s what an album should be about.
What did making this album teach you?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and make music you actually want to hear.
Also, don’t compare yourself to others, or get caught up in social media. Just focus on why you started making music in the first place.
So a few big lessons for me during this process, and ones I’d want to share with everyone who’s making one or thinking about making one.
Anything technical you’ve taken away?
Honestly, it’s the opposite. I used to always overthink everything and try to make my music more technical. Push the boundaries and keep adding.
But with this album, I kept things way more simple. Some of my favourite drum & bass tracks are really minimal – just a good drum loop and a strong hook. Sometimes – a lot of the time – that’s all you need.
What do you want listeners to take from the album?
I want people to see drum & bass the way I see it – as something more than just club music.
It can be emotional, personal, and meaningful. It can hit you in the same way as an indie or rock album – something you sit with, not just dance to in the early hours of a night club or festival.
