When talking about how British underground dance music has evolved, we’ve been blessed with many DJs and producers that have come through the ranks, to lead the charge, over the last five years. A mastery in multiple electronic fields is no mean feat, of which only the very best in the game are able to accomplish. The same can certainly be said for London-born Freddie Baker who has undoubtedly gone from rising star to established British artist over the course of the last five years. With Bakey comes an array of sounds. Boasting an armoury of uk garage, bass, 140, breakbeat and jungle at his disposal. Drawing inspiration from drum & bass in his formative years lent itself as an enabler to trialing a sound design that pushes compact drum patterns with motoring hooks and a formidable low-end.
During the period he was living in Leeds, his time on dancefloors at, now permanently shut, venues like Subdub, Wire Club and The Old Red Bus Station gave the young producer plenty of inspiration throughout his university years in which he studied music production. The word evolution is appropriate when speaking about Bakey. His distinctive breakbeat garage fusion has unearthed a bassier yet more dynamic sonic that has created euphoria around the 22 year old star. A now grittier and club-focused direction where Bakey now calls upon a wide range of multi-genre influence in his DJ sets and production design.
This eclectic DJ and producer has now showcased his talents around the world with a hectic touring schedule last year that saw him reach Australia, New Zealand and India. Having now played on some of the biggest stages around including: Glastonbury, Boomtown, Warehouse Project and Outlook, as well as collaborated with some of the most forward-thinking names in dance music such as his brother Breaka, Capo Lee, Champion and Sam Binga, we are witnessing an artist that is growing into a true powerhouse within the world of electronic music. Off the back of a debut 4-week residency at one of London’s best nightclubs in Phonox, where he brought through heavyweights across a spec of genres in Dismantle, Zed Bias, Sully, and Miley Serious, it’s safe to say he’s joined the upper echelons of artists in the scene. There is no doubt that this esteemed talent will go on to establish himself further within this exciting scene we currently have.
As a Warehouse Project resident since 2024, he became the first artist to sign with them. Releasing a monumental 3-tracker titled ‘Backrooms’. Now, with a huge single out called ‘Senses’ on July 18 through the same label, we thought we’d catch up with the London-raised, Leeds-formed, Bristol-based artist.
Early Influences?
My brother got me into the electronic side of things. He’s a lot older than me so he was already listening to cool producers at the time. He put me onto a lot of drum & bass, that was my main influence at the time. I feel like I still use that influence in my sound today. Even the dancefloor style, murky, bass-heavy tunes are sounds that helped me. Two artists that spring to mind are Alix Perez and Breakage, I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from them growing up. I guess these bits were my entry point at the age of 12. My brother was just listening to it around the house and I was intrigued straight away.
What was the first move for you? Was it production or DJing?
It was definitely production. I didn’t start DJing until just before I started university. Making beats was always the thing I wanted to do more. I was of course making drum & bass beats, but I also experimented with trap too. I started on GarageBand, then swiftly on to Logic which I’ve been using ever since. This was all the way through secondary school. I used to go to the Mac rooms when I could and use Logic there. That was basically my production experience to begin with. Just trying lots of stuff out that didn’t go so well. As I got older is when I wanted to DJ because I could then actually play my music out and practice mixing them together. This was definitely something I wanted to do more when I got to university.
Would you say your university experience helped your musical development in any way?
Yes, to an extent. The DJing side of things, there were opportunities to play at parties. My brother also gave me some tips on the best places to go out in Leeds and listen to great music which ended up really inspiring me, like Subdub and The Wire. Both are sadly closed down now.
Were you part of any types of collectives or brands throughout this early stage of your career? Or were you just pushing your stuff individually?
I stayed pretty individual. I was putting out loads of edits throughout lockdown, doing guest mixes for a bunch of platforms. When the sit down parties started happening after lockdown I was getting booked to play for brands like 23 Degrees. That was my first taste of playing out in venues really.
It seems you were a product of the lockdown graft. What were your memories of breaking through into the club scene post sit down events?
It happened quite quickly. I remember getting my first bookings in Liverpool and places around the north. I don’t really remember a specific thing as such.
And in terms of tunes, were there any in particular that you’d say put you on the map.
It’s hard to say. I was churning out a lot of tunes at the time on soundcloud. I guess I can say it was the ‘Time Is Now – Bring it Back’ EP in 2021, that was the first thing that had quite good traction in my opinion. It got loads of good feedback from people in the scene too.
At the time, you were releasing quite a few EP’s with similar sound design. Was this intentional? What sort of place were you at musically?
I was at university during the time I was making these and I realised that I also liked the slower genres. I was really into people like El-B and that darker side of garage. I was definitely trying to push that sound a lot more in those bodies of work. It still kept a drum & bass influence, from my younger years, in regards to some of the sonics.
Were there other artists that you were being influenced by at the time?
Yes for sure. Zed Bias and MJ Cole were two artists I also loved to watch. Alongside the drum & bass artists I mentioned earlier.
How do you view the evolution of your sound? You now seem to appeal to a wider audience within the underground community.
I guess it comes from playing gigs and seeing what the crowds react to. From there, just wanting to make those sounds more accessible for a wider audience. I’d probably say I don’t even like the majority of my old stuff now. I do play the odd older tune from time to time if I’m playing with Capo Lee for example. But learning more and more about production is making me evolve as an artist.
What artists have you loved collaborating with over the last few years?
Production wise, Sam Binga for sure. We’ve brought out a lot of tunes together now and it’s always very natural working with him. My brother Breaka is obviously another one too. Djing wise I’d also have to say those two. Dismantle is also someone I really like going back to back with.
Your Bakey and Breaka all night long shows have always been a great spectacle.
It started out at Corsica Studios around 3 years ago. From there we said we should try and do this every year. We’ve tried to level it up and work with Percolate. Playing with my brother, he loves to go through the genres so it lends itself really well as we try to cover as much as we can over the course of the night. We have a lot of crossover between us, yet still have our own distinct sounds. It works well and has a good balance.
You’ve also toured with your brother. How was that? Seeing places get down to your stuff so far away from home.
Yes, it was great. We’ve toured Australia, New Zealand and India. All really cool spots. In Australia and New Zealand they were very much tapped into the culture. We went there as the speed garage craze was becoming more popular. We don’t really play too much of it back home. It was nice to see they knew lots of the ‘headsier’ tunes. The main thing we did out there was the Boiler Room Melbourne which was well received online.
Talk to me about your recent Phonox residency. A real marker as to where you’re now at in the scene as a performer.
Yeah this was my first residency. It was so special. Being able to host up-and-coming DJs that I rate alongside legends that I’ve looked up to was a great feeling. It was also super stressful because I also became the promoter, stuff like checking ticket sales isn’t something I’m used to doing. But as I say, it all came together and was a really special moment for me in my career. Phonox was a wicked place to have my first residency, it ticked all the boxes for me as a venue. I’d love to do more at the venue in the future. Corsica Studios is another venue I rate highly in London so that would also be a great one for me too.
What tracks that you’ve put out more recently would you say has been a real standout for your career?
The ‘Backroom’ release on Warehouse Project I was very proud of. It was quite a different route to my other stuff. Going a bit darker and ‘headsier’ with it. I also did another single called ‘Wouldn’t Believe’ on Warehouse Project before that which I’m also very proud of.
You have incorporated more Dubstep flavours to your sets as of late. Is that something you’ve always been into?
It’s always been there for me since I started. I’ve never felt like I’ve wanted to make any of it as of yet but it’s a sound I love to incorporate into my sets when I can.
Let’s talk about your upcoming single ‘Senses’.
This tune summarises my sound and where it’s at now. Again, via Warehouse Project. It has an element of surprise, it sounds like two different tunes. When I went out partying, it’d be the sort of thing I get excited by. Hearing different sounds come together. It does feel like a soundsystem tune as well. It’ll do well on the big rigs. There’s more to follow after this release for sure.
How has festival season been so far? You’ve had some wicked bookings so far, with more to come.
Parklife is definitely up there. I had MCs from Levelz including Truthos Mufasa, Chunky and Sparkz perform with me. I’ve also had Glastonbury more recently. I really loved going back to back with Sam Binga at the Firmly Rooted stage. The soundsystem is unreal and everyone seemed to love it. I also played Shangri-La stage which was a bit of a different set to the one with Sam. I was playing more of my usual stuff. I also did a back to back with Yemz at The Hive which was cool. I can’t wait for Outlook at the end of July. I’ve also got We Out Here in August, which is my favourite festival to play. I’m going back to back with Izco. I can’t wait to get down there. I’ve also got Boardmasters just before We Out Here. A notable one to wrap things up is Waterworks in September. I always enjoy playing there. The sound is always really good.
Looking towards the end of the year, Is there anything else you can reveal to us?
As I said about my release ‘Senses’, there’ll be something following this single in the foreseeable. I’ll also be doing some more stuff with the Warehouse Project label and just generally getting back into club season.
As someone who’s now curated lineups and is very much at the forefront of the UK electronic scene, I’d be interested to know if there are any DJ’s/artists that we should be keeping an eye on.
DJ wise, there’s a girl called Nio-B who’s a very talented dubstep selector. I’d also like to shout Josi Devil and Fold, I’m a big fan of both their productions.
Favourite venues in the UK to play at?
Phonox definitely. Wire back when it was open in Leeds too. And a final one, I’ll go with Village Underground.
And how about places you love to perform at?
Definitely Scotland. Anywhere in Scotland is always great. Going over to Holland is always an experience too. They’re always getting involved. I have to shout out Germany too. I played Berlin quite recently and it was definitely one of my favourite shows of this year.
Follow Bakey: Instagram / Soundcloud
