“I wrote the bare bones of The Loop in a day. From a compositional standpoint, the idea was to use a single loop of music to create a track. I spent some time on crafting the performance of the track and making the flow of the sound work over time into a looped arrangement. It’s not something I’d normally do, but I sent it to a couple of friends before I’d started adding drums – just the bare bones arrangement. One of them immediately left me a message after listening to it once in his van and suggested I do a beatless mix, as it was already sounding amazing. I think I must have known this deep down as I wouldn’t have sent it out like that otherwise, and I decided to be bold and keep the original track beatless.”

“When I finished it, I sent it to John Digweed and also Dave Clarke. John signed it immediately and Dave played it as the final track on his very next White Noise radio show, calling it a “masterpiece”, which obviously blew my mind! I have been a huge fan of Dave for many years; Red 2 and 3 being some of my most prized vinyl possessions. John Digweed has been a great supporter of my music. And after a chat with him on the phone I decided to do a ‘club mix’. I have always hated that phrase – hence calling it The Extra-Vaganza AF Mix – but wanted to produce a classic-sounding record with a range of mixes to suit different DJs and sets, whilst sounding like it could be from the golden days of progressive/tech-trance in the 90’s. I think it has turned out just like that. It’s also a nod to one of my favourite records from back in those days: Shakespears Sister  – Black Sky (Dub Extravaganza Part 2). But at the end of the day, the original seems to have been an absolute hit at John’s shows since he started playing it. I think it will also work mid-set as a short respite from four-to-the-floor beats!“

“I wrote this track shortly after my son was born, while my wife and he were in the room. He slept through most of it which I thought was a good sign! The track is at its heart a celebration of his life. I poured my emotions into the performance, with the expression and joy of having my firstborn here with me. But it’s also an expression of the hardship that we’ve all been through these past couple of years and are now hopefully emerging from. It’s melancholic but also positive. So many people have lost loved ones through the pandemic. But life springs eternal. That’s the circle. The loop.”

“The last year has been an absolute whirlwind for me in terms of my music. To have the backing and support of one of my favourite labels and actual childhood heroes – because looking back I was basically a child when my mum bought me my first John Digweed CD – blows my mind every day. I am a strong believer that you manifest out of life what you put in and hard work does pay off in the end. You just have to work and believe in yourself, and you can achieve whatever you set your sights on.”

Bio

It isn’t uncommon for people to take a break from dance music and make a subsequent comeback, but not many people take a 15-year break in the Welsh wilderness then sign all 5 of their first completed productions to a prestigious imprint such as Bedrock. Up steps Aubrey Fry who has done just that, following the purplest of pandemic production patches during which time all other pursuits had to be put on hold.

First came inclusion on John Digweed’s gargantuan 2021 Bedrock mix compilation sequel, Quattro II, with the track Hard featuring alongside contributions from luminaries including Robbert Babicz, Josh Wink, Darren Emmerson, Bushwacka!, Miles Atmospheric, and Quivver.

This was shortly followed by his first solo release for the label in May 2021 with the 4-track Dystopia EP, featuring the tracks, Nature, Tyrant, Topaz and Dystopia. The EP successfully shows off the contrasting sides of Aubrey’s productions, with elements of breaks, techno, and electronica juxtaposed to great effect for audiophile listeners and dancefloors alike.

Next up is of course The Loop, which is creating so much industry heat that the Bedrock phone does not cease ringing as people scramble to find out what that mysterious track is at that John has been finishing his sets with….

Aubrey caught the DJing bug in 1996 after his mum bought him John’s seminal mix album, Renaissance: The Mix Collection, Part 2 as a Christmas present. That mix, alongside other genre-defining albums such as Carl Cox’s F.A.C.T cemented his love for beats and bleeps.

Aubrey had already been exposed to the scene for some years, with raves put on by Emotion, Obsession and Genesis raves being held half a mile from his family home. He would often wander over in the dead of night and watch with fascination at the carnage being unleashed,

Consigned to DJing in his bedroom for many years, as is often the way, Aubrey eventually started to get to play out at the odd local free party. But it wasn’t until he moved to Brighton that he properly cut his DJing teeth, with regular spots in clubs like the Ocean Rooms, Escape and Funky Buddha Lounge. He soon became a resident for hedonistic, multi-genre club night Stompaphunk, playing alongside fellow Brightonians of that era, like Serge Santiago, Radio Slave and David Parr as well as heavy hitter guests including Derrick Carter, Craig Richards and James Holden.

During his time in Brighton, which was a true hotbed for dance music at the time, he undertook a music technology course where, as well as learning the skills he needed to start making his own music, he forged lots of contacts leading to subsequent work with Phil Hartnoll of Orbital, Thomas Gandey, Dino Psaras, Joti Sidhu, Juno Reactor, Sian Evans (Kosheen), Adam Freeland, and many others.

Reflecting his DJing heritage, Aubrey’s productions mirror his eclectic musical tastes, with forays into everything under the electronica umbrella, whilst always keeping one foot in the rave.

For press interviews and images: book@aubreyfry.com