Tommy Sunsets is a rising UK DJ/Producer with plenty of skills for all to see. We spoke to him recently to discuss his label QRUK, his recent BBC Radio 1 support, and his upcoming release “What Is The World”…

WWD: How has 2021 been so far, good or bad? why?

I can’t lie, the lack of social interaction has taken its toll a bit however, I was lucky enough to keep my job and the pandemic has given me loads of time to focus on music and side projects. That being said, I’d do anything to see my pals!

WWD: What artists and labels did you look up to when starting out, any that have had a big influence on you or been an inspiration?

An artist that will always stand out for me is Mall Grab. I’ve been onto his stuff since the beginning and seeing the way that he has developed his sound up until this point is quite inspiring. As I used to listen to quite a lot of Lo-fi I’d have to shout out Shall Not Fade for how they’ve always kept to their roots.

WWD: You hail from north London – how much does that influence your sound?

I’m from a small town just north of London but luckily it’s only 25 minutes by train. The club scene in my area is quite commercial so my group actively searched out decent events which I found shaped my sound a lot. As we grew up and people went to uni, we were lucky to have people across the country in places like Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Nottingham. Being able to hit the Nottingham Bass scene one weekend and then a Techno rave in Liverpool the next was a proper trip.

WWD: Should dance music be socially and politically aware? Or is it more about escaping every day life?

I believe it’s right to acknowledge the part that politics plays in the rave scene but there is a time and a place for it. Bringing people together from all walks of life is sound and it should be about inclusivity and a social escape, not another way to divide people over their beliefs.

WWD: Where do you start on a new tune? What gets you going?

My process is quite simple, I’ll always start by grabbing all my samples from kicks to hats to stabs and then start placing them from the beginning of the track. I’ve tried other methods like starting from the middle and working backwards but I’ve found this works best. Something that has really helped recently is leaving my automation cycle to the very end, it just keeps things a bit cleaner and easier to visualise.

WWD: Do you set out to make a certain style or just experimental and see what happens?

My productions will totally depend on the mood I’m in on the day. I don’t always want to be making slammers so I set up an alias ‘Tom Tramonto’. It’s just a place that I can put more of the chilled and housey stuff, so that I’m never forcing it. The last thing you want is for your productions to feel like work and I’ve found an alias has added to the excitement of making different styles.

WWD: Tell us about the new one on your label QRUK – how did it come about? Where and when was it written? What’s the aim behind it?

The plan for the label was always to support the people around me and to have a home for my own tracks. This EP was written at home during lockdown as I’m lucky to have a half decent home setup. The inspiration for the track comes from Ukrainian duo ARTBAT. I’ve always liked their stuff and wanted to try and replicate and expand on some of their ideas. At the end of the day it’s meant to be a peak time roller and I’m looking forward to hearing it on a pair of Function Ones.

WWD: Is it hard not having club experiences to feedback into the music making process?

The way I look at it is, the music is getting made either way so why sit on it? You can always make more! One big bummer is that less DJs are checking their promos at the moment so I’ve been making more of the chilled out vibey stuff. This kind of stuff is much better for home listening so you still get a little kick from people hearing and downloading it.

WWD: What was it like being on BBC Radio 1 Introducing last Sunday?

It’s always a pleasure being played on Radio 1 and I can’t thank Jaguar enough for her support over the last year or so. Having the EP broadcast to a larger audience massively benefits the label too.

WWD: What you most looking forward to post-pandemic?

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot is stepping back into Printworks. Our last night out was Eric Prydz @ Printworks so it was nice that we went out with a bang. We’ve got a couple of festivals sorted like Dekmantel but it being on is anyone’s guess. Besides that, a decent curry and a few pints wouldn’t go a miss.

WWD: What are you working on next?

The main goal for the future is pushing the label and launching the ‘QRUK Presents’ event series. It’s something that we’ve always wanted to do but naturally things have massively been put on hold. Hopefully by the time things kick off the label will be in a decent position and be able to throw something nutty. Alongside that, just focusing on productions and looking for new artists to support.

Tommy Sunset’s “What Is The World” Ep is out on Friday 12th February
Grab it here – https://www.beatport.com/label/qruk/88103

Follow Tommy Sunsets on Facebook and SoundCloud.