Guide: Stray

Stray is an artist who's just as adept at making low-slung bass jams as he is at lashing out fierce rollers.

Although primarily producing drum 'n' bass - whether it be the rugged, stripped-back rollers under his solo guise or some of the sweetest-sounding liquid as Ivy Lab alongside Sabre and Halogenix - he refuses to constrain himself to one style. Since releasing his debut track 'Timbre' on Kasra's Critical Recordings in 2009, his productions have leaned into the relentlessness of juke and footwork, notably with tracks like 'Prof Popper' and 'Dropping Bombs' on last year's 'Matchsticks' EP on Exit Records.

Unsurprisingly, the late DJ Rashad was a huge influence on Stray experimenting with the frantic Chicago sound. "Rashad played a major part in bringing the music out of Chicago and eventually across the pond. Footwork resonated with me massively and re-ignited my taste for a more playful and frenetic aesthetic. The degree to which such an awkward, imaginative, quirky and hypnotic type of music became adored and accepted into the collective consciousness was what really sparked my creative drive at the time."

The aforementioned tracks are just a few of many that zoom along but slower movers such as 'When It Rains' and 'Matchsticks' completely go against that grain with him adopting a much calmer approach, something the London-based producer believes reflects his personality. "I can't sit still when I'm watching a film, I'm a fidget. I can't stick to writing in any one style for any prolonged period of time either. Maybe this is down to a short attention span or maybe because life just doesn't seem to pass me by at the same tempo."

To gain an insight into just how much Stray's style differentiates then check out this exclusive production mix. From being melancholic and mellow to rapid and rolling, this one's completely unpredictable.

The 'Chatterbox' EP is out now on Exit Records

Download (right click & save)

Stray - When It Rains [BMTM]
Submotion Orchestra - Perfection (Stray Remix) [Exceptional Records]
Stray - Triangles [Exit Records]
Stray - Erase [Critical Music]
Stray - Follow You Around [BMTM]
Stray - Matchsticks [Exit Records]
Stray & Frederic Robinson - Thumbprint [BMTM]
Kate Tempest - The Beigeness (Stray Remix) [Big Dada]
Noreaga - Superthug (Stray's 20/20 Bootleg) [20/20 LDN]
Stray - Eazy Boy [Exit Records]
Foreign Concept & Stray - Bang It [Critical Music]
Gang Colours - To Repel Ghosts (Stray Remix) [Brownswood]
Stray - Pushed [Exit Records]
Stray & Frederic Robinson - Bloom [BMTM]
Stray - Zoom VIP [Exit Records]
Stray - Award Tour [Exit Records]
Sabre, Stray & Halogenix - St. Clair [Critical Music]
Stray - Ginseng Smash [Critical Music]
Sabre - Peril (Stray Remix) [Critical Music]
Stray - Timbre [Critical Music]
Stray - Fragile [Exit Records]