FD returns with his second full album for the label he calls home, The North Quarter.
From The Ashes emerges six years after Better Days (2019), and while it keeps a similar balance of soulful, gritty, and occasional downtempo flavour, it’s observable that Freddie drew on influence from some difficult years in-between each LP release.
Forces came from all angles. From covid cutting Better Days’ lifespan, to a serious case of writers’ block, burnout with bleak news cycles, and of course, the health issues of his friend and label boss, Lenzman. There’s strife behind this six year wait – but the result is a truly exceptional listen.
Fourteen tracks deep, the highlights come early and often. He credits ‘What I Needed’ as the track that unlocked a new mindset for the album – writing for himself, not others. Then there’s ‘Sweet Self Destruction’ – one of FD’s finest moments not just on this album, but across his discography. He works with Minx for her drum & bass debut, where they unlock new levels in each other, conjuring vivid settings and feelings from the lyrics to the mixdown.
‘Trife Life’, which dropped earlier this year, is already a TNQ classic – complete with Fox delivering wisdom over a beautiful breakbeat. Ambient and downtempo moments like Dragon Fruit and Noi Na deliver the melancholy, while ‘Gorilla Glue’ and ‘Don’t Ramp’ provide the exact opposite – club-ready Freddie’s cheeky grit in full effect.
Big 6 and LBW (Lil Bass Wobbler) keep things rolling, as well as ‘Cold Neon’, marking yet another key highlight – written with Lenzman as their first collaboration since ‘Joanie’s Theme’ (Metalheadz, 2014). It’s this stripped-back style – where the bassline glides wide across the frequency spectrum – is a subtle stand-out found across this album that delivers the superiority factor.
From The Ashes drops in a year where soulful drum & bass is thriving – newcomers emerging, veterans refining. Even still, From The Ashes comes right at the tail of 2025 to take a top spot. We dialed into FD’s Zurich-based studio a few months ago (right after Sun And Bass) for a chat through the album and how it all came together.
Freddie, how was Sun And Bass?
It was so good, as usual. This year was my 14th – I’ve barely missed one since 2011. But yeah, this year was pretty special.
What made this year special?
Well there’s a pretty big personal reason behind it, in that Teije (Lenzman) couldn’t be there. As you know, SunAndBass is very much a family thing, and because he couldn’t make it, it felt really important to all of us to do him and the label proud. He definitely wanted to be there, he just couldn’t. That made it feel like we had to deliver.
We also really came together as a team this year. The house where me and my partner were staying was right by the roundabout near Al Faro, so everyone was constantly dropping in. We don’t get that kind of time together often – and although we’re label-mates, we genuinely like each other as people. Spending time like that felt good, and I know it would’ve made Teije happy too.
And for me personally, I was absolutely done by the time I arrived. It had been a mad few weeks – so just being with friends and being able to breathe was nice. Of course, I had a massive comedown when I got home – all the emotion hit me at once – but it was beautiful while it was happening.
Were there any standout moments from the week?
We always go for dinner before our label night, and that was a lovely moment. Weirdly, I didn’t actually hear that much music this year. Normally I’m quite strategic – picking what I need to see – but I ended up missing a lot. I was so wiped after Sunday (seeing Calibre and Anile) that I skipped Monday completely, which meant I missed Breakage, Jubei, and Kid Drama – and by all accounts, that was apparently a good one.
So instead, I focused on catching my mates’ sets – Adrian (Satl), Matt (Anile). The upside of that was I did hear my tunes getting played. Anile dropped a couple, and DRS pulled up ’Don’t Ramp’ at Bal Harbour – the first rewind of the party – which was a buzz. I also remember playing ‘LBW’ in the gazebo and being so happy with how it sounded.
Another great moment was during Cian’s (Zero T’s) set. He mostly played his own tunes, and everyone was going mad. His partner, who’s not a fan of drum & bass, turned to him afterwards and said, “If this is what people regard as good music now, we’re in trouble.” And he just replied, “Well, you were a minority of one – everyone else loved it.” Haha. That summed it up perfectly.
You mentioned you were feeling pretty zapped from the album – so let’s get into that. It’s been about six years since Better Days came out. What made you want to do another one now?
I’d been thinking for a while that I wanted to take on another big project. But from a commercial point of view, doing an album these days almost feels pointless. People don’t really consume music like that anymore – you spend all that time writing 15 tracks and most listeners will pick one and say, “Yeah, I like that one.”
At the same time though, I really wanted to do it. For me, an album is a statement of intent. It’s important for the art and for the culture that we still make bodies of work with more meaning than just a track here or there. An album lets you tell a story and show where you’re at as an artist in a way singles never can.
What was your mindset like when you started writing?
I was pretty fed up with drum & bass at the time. I was struggling. Every time I sat down, I was trying to write ‘Double Drizzle’ again because that tune did so well for me – everyone played it, it felt like a big moment. But trying to force that again is just a false way of working. It’s not real.
So I was uninspired, unexcited – and then one day I just thought, “Right, grow a pair. I’m going to write exactly what I want to write, what I want to hear. Fuck everyone else.” And I had a lovely time. I really liked the track (‘What I Needed’) that came out of that session. Then I did the same thing a couple more times, and before I knew it I had about 30 ideas that I actually thought were good. That’s when I realised it could be an album.
How did things progress from there – working with Teije and TNQ again after Better Days?
We’d given each other a lot of shit during Better Days. We both like doing things our own way, and we can both be stubborn. When something means that much – the label for him, the music for me – emotions run high. It happens.
We’d spoken about it and agreed that if we ever did another album, we wouldn’t let it affect our friendship like that again. So I told him I thought I had an album, we talked it through, and he was immediately up for it. He said, “Of course I want to do it.” And we agreed to try and be nice to each other this time, haha. Once that was settled, we were off.
When did all that start to happen?
I think it was at ADE when I was in Amsterdam – October 2024. I can’t remember exactly, but I wrapped this album up pretty quickly in the end. I’m a lot faster now than I used to be.
Once you had those 30 ideas, how did you whittle them down into a final album?
The way we approached that big pool of sketches is actually how Teije has been working for a long time, and a method he persuaded me into using during Better Days. I like that approach because you end up with a lot more material. You might think, “I can’t write anything worthwhile in an hour,” but if the vibe is good, it’s good – even if it’s just a rough break, a random bassline, or a sample. And sometimes that quick sketch becomes something worth finishing.
So we built up a big pool, and then the conversation with Teije went: “I really like these ones.” “Well, I really like these ones.” Initially, Teije suggested for me to take the album in a direction that explored my electronic music influences and that side of my sound. I thought to go heavy would make sense, because to me it feels like that’s what people want at the moment: more bangers, more dance-floor stuff, right? So I was still struggling a bit with the idea of making music for others, and not being brave enough to do what I want or feel.
But as the process went on, some of the more techy ideas just weren’t working. I’d try to push them and think, “This could be something…” but it wasn’t happening. Then new ideas came along that felt more natural. These ones started to come together into a cohesive project – and a vibe that I was more happy with. So I started leaning into that direction more deliberately. I felt braver and more comfortable with my own convictions.
Like on ‘Trife Life’?
Yeah! The album was basically formed by then, but that track helped cement the whole palette and direction. It tied everything together sonically. It was quite an organic process in that sense – but also shaped by what was already in the pot.
The key was to make sure the final selection still felt cohesive. We could easily have ended up with a random mix of techy tunes and musical ones that didn’t belong together. Instead, we pushed everything towards a unified sound. Even a heavy track like Gorilla Glue – which is kind of a Double Drizzle sequel – is built from organic, musical elements. All the samples and keys are jazz-inspired rather than overtly electronic, so even the heavier moments still feel part of the same world.
Feels like this album overall is slightly moodier than Better Days. Was that something you set out to do or just how the music evolved?
Well… making this album has been tough – given the situation with Teije. It made me feel very sad, worried… all of it. That’s definitely part of why the music has a darker edge.
We’ve been living with this reality for a long time now – three years, really – even though he’s only made it public recently. We’ve known from the start where things were heading, and that’s been hard to process.
And I guess it’s kind of ironic that the last album was called Better Days, because it hasn’t really worked out that way. It came out just before covid. I’d poured everything into my biggest body of work, everyone was buzzing about it – and then there were no gigs, no shows, everything shut down. It was like: “Cool album… but music’s off.” That was a brutal pill to swallow.
All of that definitely shaped my perspective going into From The Ashes. During the pandemic, I even stopped reading the news because I couldn’t handle how negative everything felt. And even without that, it’s impossible to ignore the state of the world. We’re in a pretty bleak place, and there’s a lot happening that I don’t like.
So yeah – hard stuff on a personal level, and hard stuff globally too. And I’m a very oversensitive person. That has to seep into the music somehow.
It sounds like a lot of that influence is subconscious – not something you sit down and plan, but something that bleeds into the creative process.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s a conscious decision. And the whole debate about whether politics and art should mix is a weird one for me – of course they should. But at the same time, I never really do it overtly because I’m not sure how comfortable I am putting that side of myself out there. Everything feels so skewed – the way we talk, the way we consume, the way we form opinions.
But I do sometimes think about whether, because I have a platform – however small – I should use it to try and enact positive change. And one conclusion I’ve come to is that with instrumental music, that’s harder than people think. Maybe that’s a lazy excuse, but that feels like the case to me.
I’m not in a bubble when I’m writing. If anything, I’m more sensitive to what’s happening around me because I’m constantly trying to draw inspiration from it. Of course I feel everything – and I’m appalled by a lot of what’s happening in the world. But that’s how it’s always been, and how it probably always will be. So even if I’m not writing about specific events, those feelings inevitably shape the music.
On a more personal level, tracks like ‘Sweet Self Destruction’ feel dark in a very internal, emotional way. And even Trifle Life – probably the lightest track sonically – has some heavy lyrical content. Were those ideas briefed by you, or did they come from the vocalists themselves?
That was all them. The brief I gave both Fox and Minx was minimal – just a few descriptors to point them loosely in a direction.
With Fox, I know him well personally, so I wasn’t surprised that he went that way. We’ve talked a lot about people doing things in music for self-gain rather than for the love of the craft, so it makes sense that he’d explore that.
With Minx, it was different. I don’t know her as well personally, but she absolutely nailed it. One of the reasons I asked her in the first place was because I knew her writing was phenomenal – even though she’d never done a drum & bass tune before. I knew she’d deliver something powerful, and she did.
All the lyrical content on ‘Sweet Self Destruction’ was hers – I just worked with her on the tone of the delivery. She’s a big-hearted person and her music usually reflects that, so the original take was more gutsy and full-on. I just kept asking her to soften it, to make it more restrained. But all the emotion, all the ideas – they were hers.
The vocal mix on that tune is so good – the contrast between the rapping and singing really hits.
Yeah, the way she alternates between them is beautiful. The singing is silky smooth and massively emotive – I often had tears in my eyes while working on that track. When you really listen to what she’s saying, it’s heavy. Deep and vivid.
I heard Submorphics play it earlier in the summer on Rinse FM. The tracks were all great, but when that came on I was like, “Whoa… what is she saying?”. I honestly wouldn’t have guessed it was one of yours at first.
Really? That’s interesting. A lot of people say they can usually recognise my stuff straight away. I still don’t think I necessarily have a signature sound – maybe I’m just not as aware of it – but yeah, this one definitely stands out. It feels different to anything I’ve done before.
That actually brings me on to another side of the album. There are a few tunes – Big Six, LBW, Cold Neon – that don’t necessarily sound the same but feel like they’re part of the same sonic world. They’ve got this minimal, spacey roller vibe. That feels like one you own?
I’ve had really good feedback on that one (Big Six) actually. And I’m glad you feel like those tunes sound like me – because to me, they felt a bit different. I definitely don’t want to be plagiarising anyone’s ideas, but if it sounds like me to the listener, that’s a good thing I guess.
Feels like you’re tapping into your LIN style with it. Speaking of – I feel like I’ve heard whispers of more LIN material floating around. What’s going on there?
Haha… yeah, we’re on it. I don’t know how much I want to give away. It still feels quite tight, and maybe it’s good to keep some mystery around it. But me and Adrian (Satl) are sitting on a lot of music. We’ve written about 20 tunes – most of them basically finished – and mostly not drum & bass!
All sorts of tempos and ideas. And you know what Adrian’s like… he’s a machine. He just writes and writes, and then I come in and finish them. At one point we were planning to push that material and really take it outside of drum & bass, because we thought we’d get more love and value out of it that way.
But then loads of people started asking for more LIN material. “When’s the next release? When’s the next show?” And we were like, “Okay, maybe we need to write some drum & bass again.”
So we can expect some LIN drum & bass then, too?
Yeah. The first track we did back together is actually one that Teije really begged me to include on the album. I resisted. Adrian was like, “If you want to release it as an FD & Satl tune for the album, go for it,” but we’d written it as a LIN tune. The way it came about is classic Adrian – he sat down, made a bass sound on a synth and bounced it into a four-minute file. And I turned that into a full track. And every time either of us has played it, it’s gone off. People love it. It’s a stupid tune, but in the best way.
For me, it’s a LIN tune though, so that’s how we’ve decided to treat it. Adrian came over recently and we made another nine tracks together. Of those, there are about four that we think are really strong. So yeah – we’ve got quite a batch of material, and now we’re just figuring out what to do with it. Whether we put it out ourselves, give it to someone else, drop singles… we’re still working it out.
You’re based in Zurich now, right? What’s the scene like there – do you find it more of a sanctuary these days?
Yeah, definitely. My partner got a job here, so we moved together, and it’s ended up suiting me really well. It was difficult at first – it’s a unique place – but now it feels right for where I’m at in life. I’m at a stage where slowing things down a bit makes me feel good.
That said, there’s a lot happening musically. I was surprised how active the scene is – there are loads of crews just in Zurich, and promoters constantly have to avoid clashing on the same weekends. When I first moved, I joined a long-running collective called Mute, and when that wrapped up, a few of us started our own night, Hotbox. We’ve been running it for three years now and we managed to land a residency in one of the best small clubs in the city.
For me, it’s about representing the side of drum & bass I care about. The more commercial sound is easier to book, but that’s not really my lane. It’s important to keep the deeper side alive here.
Do you think living in Switzerland has influenced your music – or maybe just the way you approach it?
Hmmm. No, not really. Maybe in a subconscious way? I’ve changed a lot as a person since leaving the UK, and that inevitably affects what I make. Zurich can feel quite similar to London – very fast-paced and money-focused – but I don’t really engage with that side of it. I live in a quiet, residential area and spend most of my time at home, trying to make nice snares. Maybe some of that intensity that comes from the chaos of London is gone, but maybe that also gives what I make a different kind of perspective.
So what’s next now that the album’s out? A bit of a breather?
Definitely. I want to take some time to reflect and slow down. We’ve just moved house, so I’m in a new studio space, and I didn’t leave my old one all summer. Literally. Everyone here swims in the lake or river as soon as the weather’s nice – I only managed to get my feet in twice, and now it’s 11 degrees.
You missed the boat.
100%. But I knew what I was doing. I made that choice. But yeah, I want to recover, recharge, and get some fresh thoughts going. But to be fair, I have loads of stuff bubbling already actually: more LIN material, a load of tunes with Anile, and a few off-cuts from the album that I really like and want to do something with, and a few other bits with some other people too. I’m already sketching new stuff and enjoying the process.
Yeah – less pressure right now I imagine?
Totally. That’s part of why I called the album From The Ashes – it came after a period where I couldn’t write anything I was happy with. Now I know how to approach it differently. Once you remove that pressure and let things flow, the music tends to come out naturally. It’s a huge lesson, and one that will help me any time I hit a creative block in future.
This album felt very different to Better Days. There were more external factors at play, but I also felt freer. I’m better at getting out what I want to express, and I’m more comfortable letting the music go where it wants to go. If you’re forcing something to sound a certain way, you’re essentially saying it needs to sound like something else. But if you let it evolve on its own, it becomes its own thing. That’s a much more honest approach.
I’ve had it on repeat – easily one of my albums of the year.
That’s amazing to hear. I do wonder how many people will actually listen to it end-to-end, but that’s the way I always hope people will experience it.
