After three years, Audio is back with a new album, this time on Blackout. ‘Where The Chaos Lies’ tells a story about AI and the reluctant acceptance of its power nowadays. Those who know Audio and Blackout already know what to expect: an album full of drums, power, and rollers. But there are some firsts on this album, too. It’s the first time he has had that many collaborations on an album, with Black Sun Empire, Burr Oak and Aenygma on the list of features.
With ‘Where The Chaos Lies’, Audio further cements his legendary status in the neurofunk drum and bass scene. After experimenting with his sound on his previous album [Unsocial], we now see an artist who knows who he is, isn’t afraid to take challenges, and is ready to go full-steam ahead. We had the chance to talk with him about this new album, the full-circle moment at the Blackout event on April 19, and how he got into neurofunk in the first place.
What’s the story behind the album?
It’s about the insurgence of AI and how rapidly it’s becoming involved in really intrinsic things, and now creative things, like artwork, videos… It’s everywhere, and it’s undeniable. As a bit of an older guy, it’s about my fear of Terminators taking over. This album is my reluctant acceptance of AI into the world. I used AI to generate the artwork. It’s my image put through the AI machine. It’s my take on what’s happening. To me, albums are always a snapshot of where I am in my life, musically, emotionally, whatever the situation is, because that’s what the albums were for the artists that I grew up listening to. It was like a little time capsule into their world and what was happening at that point in their lives. And for me, albums are the same. This is my seventh solo album. I love the process.
Was this AI theme there from the start of the process?
It wasn’t. I hung out with Black Sun Empire in Utrecht because I was playing at Blackout. They asked me to come a few days earlier and get in the studio. The rest of the artists that were on the lineup back then were there, too. I was there for five days, and I found it super inspiring being around them because coming out of the back of COVID, I had not been in studio situations with people. Being in other people’s studios and talking to like-minded people was nice. I fully admit that before then, I was in a bit of an “I don’t know what to do”-mindset. I felt a bit disheartened with everything, but after those 5 days, the tank was full of enthusiasm again.
Shortly after that, I asked them if I could make an album for them. They’re good friends of mine. I’ve known him for years, and then the AI thing naturally came after a couple of tracks. I kept going back to this same thread of artificial intelligence. It was always around me while I was writing tunes. I started using samples and stuff describing AI. It was like a snowball down a mountain; it became bigger and bigger, and then it’s undeniable that that’s the thread through the album. I don’t like to force things, but I like to see what happens, and I came to the forefront of this project. It all naturally fell into place.
Talking about samples, the intro is one. Where is it from?
It’s from another musician doing an Interview and talking about the process of writing an album. It resonated with me because it’s how I feel. I appreciate the audience and the fact that there are people who enjoy listening to my music. But I would still be here writing tunes and being creative if there were no audience. The audience is not the main thing for me. I do it on my own. I acknowledge the audience, and I thank them, but they’re not necessary for me to be able to do what I do. Throughout my career, I’ve always written what my heart felt. I’ve always made decisions based on what my heart tells me and my gut feeling. I write for myself, and I’m blessed that other people enjoy that result.
You say that albums are snapshots of where you are in your life. What does this album tell us about you?
I’m very comfortable with my position and place in the drum and bass scene. As a young man, I felt a sense of desperation to try and get in there, and then once your foot’s in the door of the scene, you get accepted by people. At this point in my life, I feel accepted, and I feel completely comfortable with who I am within the drum and bass scene, what my role is, what I do, or what I’m known for, embracing that and just running with it. Full steam ahead. I found my place by putting myself in the scene. I think it’s just built up over time. There’s self-confidence, a belief in yourself that only comes with doing something for a very long time. Whether it be stripping an engine down- if you’re a mechanic, you do it hundreds of times by the end of those years. It’s like the 10,000-hour thing. You reach that point where you know you can go into the studio and make a half-decent drum and bass tune. You can go out there and play a good set. Time gets you there. Getting to that point where I feel comfortable has been a slow burn. I feel like I’ve carved my name into the rock of drum & bass. I’ve done my bit. I don’t know if there was an exact moment, perhaps a realisation of coming to the end of the process of this album. It took me 14 months from the start to handing it in.
You talked about how the idea of the album came about before playing in Utrecht for Blackout, and now you’re releasing your album on the same day as the Blackout event… A full-circle moment!
It’s kind of an unofficial launch party. It feels great. I’ve known Black Sun Empire for many years, from when I first came into the scene to when I took my first step on the ladder. They were the first big label that approached me to get a remix, and they booked me. They were always very supportive from the very start of my career. I’ve known the guys for 20 years, so we’re good friends. I released on Blackout number two very early when it started. It feels like a full circle moment for everything, the album, for me to return to Blackout… It’s perfect.
There are quite a few collaborations on the album. One with Black Sun Empire, one with Burr Oak, and another one with Aenygma. Can you tell me more about those?
I have a track with Black Sun Empire because they’re my guys. I had to do a track with them. The collaboration with Aenygma happened through Akov, who is both a phenomenal drum and bass producer and the lead singer of Aenygma. He’s got a phenomenal voice. I’ve never delved into that world of vocals because I want everything to sound how I want it to sound, and I don’t like compromising with people. It’s why I don’t collaborate with a lot of people. If you look back, I’ve done a lot of stuff on my own because I work better on my own. But for this album, I wanted to challenge myself. I remember watching a movie, and at the end of that, they played Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’, a classic track from the 70s. I wanted to do something with that same message but in a drum and bass form. I had this track playing on a loop and then spoke to Akov at a party on New Year’s Eve and said, “Look, I’ve got this idea. I know you sing. Do you think you could have a go?” he asked me to send the idea over and no lie, two hours later, I had the vocals back with with a chord progression to go with it.
Another collaboration on my album is the one with Burr Oak. I’m a big fan of their music. Their album was a masterpiece. I wanted to connect with that kind of newer generation that is coming up into the scene and becoming those big names. It was really cool to see what we could come up with together. They taught me that you sometimes have to throw away the rule book. I got into D&B quite a few years ago, and I got used to how drum and bass sounds, the structures and song arrangements and things like that. Getting into a fixed pattern of how you do things is very easy. With them, listening to their songs, I’ve learned that that doesn’t apply anymore. It’s a free-for-all. Especially with the arrangement of ‘Rave Machine’, there’s no middle breakdown. Rip out the rulebook, throw it out of the window, and see what happens. That’s what I learned.
Your previous album, [Unsocial], came out in 2021. How have you seen the drum & bass scene evolve since your last album?
After COVID, a whole new generation was into drum and bass that had not come up in the scene the normal way, which would be going to raves with older people. That’s created a scene of their own, which is this TikTok D&B phenomenon. It’s great, has an energy, and it’s good. I have to remember that things don’t stay the same. They evolve. Whether I think it’s cool doesn’t matter. The wheel has to keep turning. I don’t like the social side of it, but that’s purely because I didn’t experience this when I was a young kid. It was all about “Does your tune smash? Is it going off in the raves? Are the DJs playing it?” That was the yardstick for how big you were. Much of the drum and bass scene is based on social media and your content now rather than your artistry, music, and how you conduct yourself. For me, these last things are the core and most important elements. I do think there is a place for what I do. There are people who appreciate what I do. There always will be, regardless of what’s happening in the mainstream.
You’re talking about how people used to discover drum and bass by going to raves rather than looking on social media. How did you find your way into the drum and bass scene, and especially into neurofunk?
I’ve been listening to jungle drum and bass since ‘95, at school on the tennis court, smoking cigarettes with my mates, and listening to pirate radio stations, Kool FM, when it first started… When I left school, I started going to clubs with my mates. I’ve always known I wanted to do something with music, so we used to go raving with a group. I’ve literally experienced the birth of neurofunk, with Ed Rush and Optical dropping ‘Wormhole’. That was the Big Bang. I went to the launch party for that album. I bought it as soon as it came out, so my introduction to neurofunk was when it started. I felt like I needed to know everything about whoever was using that sound, what they were doing, when the releases were coming out… It slowly grew. My friends and I used to throw parties, and in ‘98, we booked Ed Rush. In 2000, we booked Bad Company UK. All the while, I was in a studio trying to make tunes myself and DJing. It has always been my dream to be on Virus Recordings. I’ve done three albums for them now. I was the kid standing in front of the DJ booth watching Ed Rush on the decks, and now he’s my friend. Neurofunk met me rather than the other way around. It was meant to be.
What would you tell someone who’s in front of the DJ booth now and wants to get that spot behind the decks one day?
There is so much help online with tutorials. When we had a studio in ‘97, it wasn’t a laptop. It was a room full of machines. You had to know what everything did, and every machine came with a manual you had to read through. It was very different back then, but it’s easier now, which is great. The most important thing is to stay true to yourself and do what your little voice in your heart tells you to do. Be the artist that you want to be, and don’t be persuaded by someone else because it’s fashionable or popular. That never lasts. I’ve been blessed to have a career for 20 years now. I’ve been DJing, producing and releasing records. It’s a blessing that came from working hard and making the music I love… I can’t make stuff that I don’t enjoy. I tried, I thought, “Why don’t I just make something that’s popular right now? I know what to do, so I’ll put it out under a different name,” but it’s just not possible. It always turns into an angry neuro track. That’s just to say, stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone you are not.
I want to give a final shoutout to Blackout, a big shoutout to UKF for the upload of ‘Flip Mode’, and a big shoutout to all the drum and bass heads. Drum and bass for life!
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