Contributing WriterNeed 2 Know first appeared on a Rinse FM guest show with some unreleased tracks that never saw the light of day. A decade on, the tunes have changed, but the vibes haven’t; the production and label project launch with a distinctly British club sensibility and naughty cuts designed for the dance floor.
The artist behind it all “doesn’t particularly subscribe to the idea that an artist needs to explain themselves.” As such, there is no grand launch manifesto here, just effective, characterful sounds designed to work equally at 2 am in the club, 7 am in someone else’s kitchen or alone in bed in the aftermath. This first EP was chosen on a sunny Barcelona afternoon from 10″ dubplates and, in his own words, “it’s pretty bait.”
Hi, Need 2 Know. Thanks for speaking with us. How has your 2026 been so far?
Yeah, cool. Thanks for having me. 2026 has been good, busy musically and a little convoluted looking back at it. I think my plans last November were to release something with my own vocals on, but we’ve ended up here!
Your new EP ‘So Bad’ came out on 30th October on your eponymously titled label. Can you tell us about it?
I made ‘So Bad’, ‘Give It Up’ and ‘Here 2 Stay’ on consecutive days and sent them off to get dubplates cut that same week, probably four or five summers ago.
‘You and Me’ came the following summer as part of a piano album I wrote. That’s actually why I decided to release music under my own name. I was walking to pick my son up from his guardería, listening to tracks, and decided it was time to put something out myself. I had made a little video of us with the track, as Apple does with your photos, so it kind of stays with me every time I hear it.
‘Sometimes’ was made in about three hours while I was waiting for the digital masters for the EP. It’s a little more condensed, with similar drums, pianos, organs and dub delays, but you can hear the more current approach to the mixdown.
The Need 2 Know imprint is a new venture. Its sound sits between UK garage and underground house, with a distinctly British club feel. What does the label stand for, and why did you start it?
The name Need 2 Know came about when someone asked me about a set of tracks while I was playing something else. It’s been kicking around ever since. It’s just a name now. I could’ve called the label something else and chosen a different producer alias, but that would’ve just been more work for myself!
There’s no grand ethos behind it. It’ll mainly be tracks from my archive, some remixes and potentially music from close friends who make bangers too. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek.
First appearing on stations like Rinse FM, your roots very much lie in the underground. Who are your biggest musical influences, and where do you find inspiration for your tracks?
My dog’s called Wiley, which pretty much says it all! He’s the reason I went and sold records from a backpack on sale or return when I was a clueless kid.
Slimzee, EZ, the entire Dreem Team, Spoony on BBC Radio, the king MJ Cole, Ramsey and Fenn. My era was when garage turned to grime, so Slimzee tapes were gold. I’ve even got a track on Pay As U Go Crew’s final ever Rinse FM mix, so childhood dreams were fulfilled a good while ago!
The EP comprises five tracks. Did you take a different production approach on each one, or do they share a common thread?
It’s pretty hard to explain how I made the tracks. I made three on consecutive days, which is quite common for me. Sometimes I make 20–30 tracks a week. I’ll have a concept in my head, flesh it out and see where it goes.
Anything half decent that resembles a full track, I’ll cut to dubplate so it doesn’t get lost in the sea of files on my computer. Having something to play and physically hold makes it kind of real.
I actually prefer my first mixdowns. They’re quite raw, which I like. The person cutting the dubs varies depending on where I am, so it’s always interesting going back through records you’ve made yourself over the years.
You first played these tracks out more than a decade ago. Why release them now, and how have they changed since then?
Yeah, so these aren’t the exact tracks from back then; they just have the same sound or fall under the same umbrella. One of those older tracks is coming out next summer, and I think it’ll be around 15 years old by then!
Honestly, the main reason I’ve released anything under my own alias is a combination of taking some ADHD meds, walking to pick up my son every day with headphones on, and friends telling me for years to put my music online. Eventually it worked!
I make a lot of music for other people, but when you’re creating stuff with other people in mind, it’s not really you. I think my wife is sick of me asking her about music she has no interest in, and she actually tells me she doesn’t like the vocals I use.
The EP tracks are the same pre-masters I sent off for cutting dubs. Maybe a few automation tweaks here and there, like the volume on an intro or breakdown. I think the final drop on ‘Give It Up’ got turned up at some point.
What are your go-to plug-ins and instruments in the studio?
Moog sub-bass and 808s for basslines, piano and organ one-shots, and synths for pads.
Plug-in-wise, I like Airwindows, Moog Saturator, Fuser, Wavesfactory Trackspacer and Spectre. Fuser is great for getting tracks finished without worrying about phase alignment.
The Need 2 Know tracks are really just basic sounds with layers of processing. Just nice tones!
Thanks for sitting down with us. What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
Music-wise, I’m trying to get another release sorted before Christmas. Probably another house and garage original, hopefully with a vocal I’ve recorded here in Barcelona.
Real-life-wise, just watching my son grow up and trying to teach him how to MC! Haha.
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