Lone (Interview)
It’s Friday so we’re listening to something more upbeat. Today we’re listening to Lone, an English electronic musician from Nottingham. We last recommended his music in 2024. He started making music in the early/mid ‘90s, jamming on toy keyboards along to rave tunes. Lone debuted in the mid-aughts, and since then he’s established a signature production style of ebullience and intricacy. We’re playing one of the records that exemplifes that style, Galaxy Garden, from 2012. But first we’re playing Hyperphantasia, his latest LP, which came out last Friday. “Initial sketches started in early 2022 and didn’t deliver to the label until March of 2025,” he told us, “so easily the longest I’ve taken on anything.” The record title is the most apt word to describe its sound. A conversation with Lone follows the streaming links.
Hyperphantasia - Lone (60m, some vocal samples)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Galaxy Garden - Lone (50m, vocals on tracks 3 and 12)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
What’s your earliest memory of music?
I think it was probably watching the old He Man cartoons. I used to watch that shit all day from the age of like 3 til maybe 6 or 7. I rewatched an episode not too long back, I think I was trying to trigger some deeply lodged in memories from back then and what struck me the most was how trippy the background music was. Tons of weird synth horns and just generally quite a weird vibe at times. Like, some of the more serious scenes have a bunch of weird bits and they brought back some exact feelings from back then. Weirdly anxious... like, not cool – really strange and anxiety-inducing and it all came back. So yeah, feeling anxious to He Man. That and hearing Swing Out Sister in my Mum’s Peugeot.
When did you start making music? What were your first recordings like?
Around the age of 9. I used to have two tape recorders – on one I’d play rave tunes and on the other I’d hit record and let the microphone pick up me jamming along to the other on my toy keyboards. The recordings were crude as fuck and my playing was borderline unlistenable but I guess that’s where it started. I’d make artwork for the tapes as well with felt tip pens, pencils, paints – whatever I had lying around. That would’ve been 1994, terrifyingly.
What artists/albums most influenced the direction of your sound early on?
The Prodigy - Experience
Altern8 - Full On… Mask Hysteria
Orbital - In Sides
Baby D - Deliverance
Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do
Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children
Autechre - LP5
Wagon Christ - Musipal
FSOL - Lifeforms
The Orb - Orblivion
Black Dog - Bytes
Plaid - Rest Proof Clockwork
Wu Tang - 36 Chambers
Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
You’ve described Hyperphantasia as “unhinged, unrestrained, self-indulgent.” How did your approach to this record differ from your approach to previous records?
I guess the main difference was how long I spent on it. Initial sketches started in early 2022 and didn’t deliver to the label until March of 2025, so easily the longest I’ve taken on anything. Also working with more guests changed the shape of the whole project quite a bit. I was adamant this time that if I was gonna make the best possible record, I needed to take a step back from touring completely – just go off the radar and dive in fully. A pretty risky move on my part for sure, and there’s definitely some rebuilding to be do with launching the project but was definitely the only way I could go fully in and realise these ideas.
What was your studio setup for Hyperphantasia? What gear/instruments/software did you use to make the record?
Set up is pretty basic in the grand scheme of things... I’ve got a fair bit of a hardware now which was all used, and tons of software I’ve been collecting for the last 26 years… A thing called Granulab was used for some of the noisy / sound design bits on a couple tracks – hadn’t used that since like 2002! Honestly though, I prefer to keep this side of it opened ended though to be honest. Partly due to the fact I think it’s way more interesting to keep a bit of mystery around these things but mainly, I hate the idea of boring people with the logistics of this shit... A huge reference point on this project was late ‘90s / early ‘00s R’n’B so one of the early pieces of gear I picked up when starting out on this was the Korg Triton, that’s all over this thing. Prophet 5 on the other end of the spectrum… My trusty JV-1080, 101, M1..... all the usual suspects. I dunno – listen to the record and see if you can pick out what else, that’s more fun. There’s way more gear on this album than any other I’ve made.
How do you discover new music these days? Any recent notable finds?
I tend to spend most of my time hunting for old and obscure, weird music – shit that has very little connection to anything I make myself... In terms of new stuff though, I’m digging the same way most people are – down rabbit holes online, in shops... through mates who put me on… all the usual ways. There’s an artist called Ax14 – this track called “Dataflow” is feeling good with the rare sunshine coming through my studio window this morning.
Name an underrated artist from the past 50 years.
You know, my mind has gone completely blank on this – I’m sure there are so many... maybe they are so underrated they’ve disappeared from my mind… Luke Vibert should’ve had a number one hit / album by now though I reckon.
What are you working on next?
I’m keeping very busy – I haven’t taken a break since finishing the album so plan to keep things very much moving. I’m sort of working on 5 projects simultaneously – an ambient project and a ton of weird club bangers. More soon!
