January 17, 2025 |
Denham Audio is quickly becoming one of the UK underground’s greats. Equipped with a sound rooted in a deep appreciation for the legacy of the rave scene, his sprinting, immaculately designed sets and heavy productions perfectly toe the line between guaranteed crowd-pleasers and delightful unpredictability. Having just relocated to London after being Sheffield-based for over a decade, the artist has toured worldwide, stopping off at some of Europe’s most beloved festivals – Boomtown, Glastonbury and Hideout to name a handful. He’s also got a healthy history of knockout collaborations. Make Me, a bouncing dancefloor hit created alongside Bristol’s Borai, went viral after a MixMag set by techno and house aficionado La La and now boasts over 38 million streams.
Fans will be glad to hear therefore that Denham Audio is back with another high-octane release, this time alongside South London MC, Jianbo via UKG pioneers Locked On Records. A seamless pairing, the release, entitled Fuel, perfectly balances Denham Audio’s penchant for a scorching bassline with Jianbo’s immersive, gritty storytelling, inspired by the spirited hedonism he experienced whilst travelling across Vietnam and Thailand. Here, we sat down with Denham Audio to talk about the process of combining his sonic style with Jianbo, how Sheffield has impacted his sound and the first record he ever bought.
1. Why did you want to collaborate with Jianbo on this track?
I had seen some of his music on TikTok and was really feeling it – then my manager coincidently suggested him while I was working on the instrumental. I always like to work with new people from different scenes and try to make something interesting and unique. So hit him up and the rest is history as they say.
2. You both bring your own distinct sounds to the track – how did you find the process of combining your sonic styles?
Very fluid really – the instrumental was semi done when I approached Jianbo, then once he laid his vocals over it, it was super easy to get the track polished off!
3. What was your favourite thing about collaborating with Jianbo?
Just being super easy going – was fun to bounce ideas across and both be open minded to each other’s suggestions
4. What can listeners expect on this new track?
Think you can expect to hear a perfect hybrid of Jianbo and I’s sounds recontextualised for the dance floor.
5. You used to be based in Sheffield for 14 years before recently relocating to London – how has the city impacted your sound?
Sheffield has definitely impacted my sound a lot, there is such a rich heritage of musical culture. I guess my exposure to the DIY and warehouse party scene there, along with the weekly parties when I was at Uni have shaped the sort of sound I’m into – and allowed me to have access to spaces that are open minded enough to showcase that.
6. What was the first record you ever bought?
Think it was Bax by Mosca, what a tune
7. What’s one track that always gets people on the dancefloor?
Got to be BANG! by Smiff – not stopped playing it all year! Some fresh stuff coming from him on my label this year too.
8. What’s one release from 2024 that you wish you had produced?
Right Now by NewJeans – unreal tune.
9. Who’s one producer or DJ we should have on our radar?
There’s a few. Defo the likes of Bullet Tooth, Oldboy, Mani Festo, LMajor and A For Alpha for sure.
10. What’s coming up for you in 2025?
Kicking off the year with Fuel with Jianbo on Locked On and then following up with a few more singles scheduled later into Q1. After that, who knows!
Photography courtesy of Locked On Records.
