HD-4884: “I’m Drawn to the Side of Drum & Bass That’s Constantly Mutating”

8 hours ago 1

HD-4884 is in the midst of the latest chapter of his career, and he swung by to chat about his love for drum and bass, where he feels the genre is heading, and more.

While some artists have championed subgenres of drum and bass like jump-up and dancefloor, the genre also has a deeper, more experimental side that offers added creativity and emotional depth. That’s the realm of DnB that HD-4884 calls home. This DJ, producer, visual mastermind, and genuine creative has been carving out a niche for himself in the scene since making his break, and the latest chapter he’s opened is already taking hold.

“I’ve always been passionate about drum and bass experimentation that can live inside it,” said HD-4884 about his roots in the genre. “There’s so much room to play with sound design and rhythm. I come from a progressive rock background, so I’ve always been drawn to music that feels emotional and intense.”

HD-4884 mentioned that bands like The Mars Volta and Animals As Leaders shaped his mentality on musicianship, and that drum and bass carries that same energy. It was Noisia and other more experimental DnB acts who helped guide him towards the heavier, cinematic, detailed side of the genre that’s more emotionally charged.

I’m drawn to the side of drum and bass that feels like it’s constantly mutating, the side that challenges the listener and builds a full world around the sound. For me, drum and bass is where I can bring together everything I care about: sound design, visuals, emotion, aggression, and storytelling.

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Sharing similar sentiments to other artists in the drum and bass scene, he feels the community in the US is in an interesting place. “It’s growing quickly, and promoters are becoming more open to putting it on festival lineups, which is exciting,” he shared. “At the same time, I think there’s still a lot of room for people to open up to the darker, heavier, and more experimental sides of the genre.”

HD-4884 said that the resurgence of drum and bass in the US “has been building for a while,” but that the timing was right for its growth to take hold. “Genres move in cycles, the same way fashion does, and it felt inevitable that drum and bass would come back around,” he said. “It had a big moment in the late ’90s and early 2000s, and now a new generation is discovering it through a completely different lens.”

Many American bass music listeners grew up around dubstep and American bass music. Drum and bass gives them something that feels new, but still carries that intensity they already understand. It has a sound palette that people haven’t heard yet, so it makes sense that people are connecting with it now.

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According to HD-4884, much of that energy is centered on accessible dancefloor and jump-up sounds, but he feels that people will begin to “crave more grit” as the scene evolves, which is where he’s placed his creative efforts. “I also think people are finally experiencing how powerful drum and bass can be live,” he continued. “On a big system, with the right crowd, it hits differently. Promoters and festivals are starting to recognize that, and it opens the door for the genre to keep expanding here.”

That growth and expansion is going to continue, but HD-4884 hopes that it does so while also still amplifying the genre’s culture and history. “As people get more comfortable with the tempo and start digging deeper, I think there’s going to be more interest in the experimental sides of drum and bass,” he said. “Neurofunk, cinematic, DnB, techier sounds, and more emotionally intense records are going to have more space as listeners start wanting something with more edge.” That’s where the soundscapes he’s crafted come into play.

The future I’m excited about is one where the scene keeps growing, more artists get real opportunities, promoters keep taking chances on the sound, and drum and bass in America evolves without losing its grit.

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The releases in his discography and those he’s been working on have been rooted in the heavier, more cinematic side of drum and bass. ” I’ve never wanted it to just be music for the dancefloor,” he claimed. “The music is the most important thing to me, and I want it to make people feel something real.”

Much of what HD-4884 creates is rooted in a darker emotional place, drawn from real experiences he’s had. “I want the music to speak to people when life feels fucked up, when they’re overwhelmed, angry, exhausted, or trying to process something they can’t fully explain,” he explained. “That emotional weight is always at the center of the project.”

What has changed for this artist is his mentality on how far his vision can go. Once he started playing bigger stages, it opened his mind to the idea that all sides of drum and bass can exist together. “Now the goal is to keep refining that world and bring it to bigger stages,” he said. “I feel ready for that. I want to keep pushing the sound, keep experimenting, and bring something fresh into drum and bass.”

That experimentation has come through in the new chapter he’s embarked on, after plenty of patience and behind-the-scenes building. He mentioned that one of the bigger struggles he’s faced has been finding “the right voices” for the music, because he’s very specific about emotion. “I don’t want vocals to feel like they were just placed on top of a track,” he shared. “They have to belong inside the world of the song.”

This is evident on “Red Eye Tourniquet,” a track that’s due for release on September 4 after a near-six-year production process. “I had the track in progress for a long time, but it never felt fully complete,” said HD-4884. “I knew what it needed emotionally, but I hadn’t found the right person to bring that out.” Everything finally clicked when Josh Rubin, also known as XLVR, joined the project. “His delivery gave the track the weight and humanity it was missing. It felt like the song had finally found its voice,” HD-4884 continued.

Another massive leap for HD-4884 arrived earlier this summer, when he took the stage in Belgium at Rampage Open Air. “People were dancing the entire time, and they were really open to experimentation,” he said. “You could feel that the crowd understood bass music and drum and bass on a deeper level, which made it the perfect place to test some of the heavier and stranger ideas I’ve been working on.”

The energy in the air was electric when he joined Gracie Van Brunt on stage as a guest during her Dome set, which became a standout moment as they premiered their upcoming collaboration. “That moment felt really special because it brought together the music, the visuals, and the live energy in a way that felt very true to what I’m building with HD-4884,” he said. “She was great to perform with; we’ve had a great time collaborating.”

HD-4884 and Gracie Van Brunt at Rampage Open Air 2026

Building off that was a set during VISION Recordings‘ takeover at Church, which was right before Thys of Noisia. “[It] was honestly a dream come true,” he said. “I had all of these experimental, heavy edits I wanted to try with that audience, including a remix of The Mars Volta, and the crowd went feral.”

Thys complimented my set afterward, and I couldn’t believe it. I look up to him so much as a producer, so that meant a lot to me. That whole experience felt like a confirmation that there is space for what I’m doing, and that this darker, more experimental side of my project can connect on bigger stages.

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Looking toward other artists whose sound he’s had his ears tuned to lately, HD-4884 said he respects KOAN Sound, The Caracal Project, Billian, and Sleepnet for their sound design and forward-thinking approach. “I’m also always paying attention to headliner artists like Sub Focus, Arcando, Dimension, Chase & Status, Koven, REAPER, and Delta Heavy because they’ve helped bring drum and bass to wider audiences,” he continued.

To showcase his style and open the doors to the world he’s created, HD-4884 dropped off a mix for the Drum & Bass Devotions series. Press play and you’ll be immersed in his world that’s filled with darker, cinematic soundscapes and experimental edits he’s created, along with a hearty helping of unreleased IDs and his favorite tracks right now.

I wanted [this mix] to feel like a journey instead of just a collection of songs. Everything in the mix is intentional, from the energy shifts to the tension and release. It has heavy moments, emotional moments, and some more unexpected edits that show where my head is at creatively. For me, a DJ set should still tell a story. I want people to feel the grit, emotion, and cinematic side of the project, but I also want it to hit hard live.

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Give this exclusive mix from HD-4884 a spin on SoundCloud and stay tuned for more to come from this creator.