Evolve is the third full-length solo LP by the acclaimed, London-based electronic music producer and artist, Sub Focus. The new album follows his 2009 debut Sub Focus, 2013’s Torus, and the collaborative album Portals with Wilkinson in 2020.
Evolve features 14 tracks, including the recent UK Top 30 hit “Ready To Fly” with Dimension.
Of the album, Sub Focus says: “Having grown up in the 90’s, I was inspired to channel elements of my musical evolution over the course of this album; from dance acts that introduced me to electronic music like The Chemical Brothers through to the early hardcore and jungle music I was discovering back then. I worked with some of my heroes at the inception of those genres like Jonny L through to modern dance heavyweights like Camelphat, using some elements that evoked nostalgia but with modern day production. Drum & Bass has never felt stronger or more popular as a genre and I’m proud to have been a part of such a thriving scene for so long. I’ve dabbled with multiple genres in the past but this time I wanted to make an album that speaks to my D&B core, with breakbeats laced through every track as a backbone.”
Known for his discerning approach to handpicking collaborators, Sub Focus has enlisted a raft of respected musicians and artists to join him on the album. Artists who have collaborated with him on Evolve include dance music heavyweights Camelphat, rave music veteran Jonny L, Chicago legend Gene Farris, rising electronic artists AR/CO & Hayla, up and coming UK band LOWES, as well as fellow Drum & Bass producers Culture Shock, Metrik and Dimension.
Sub Focus will perform his monumental live show at a sold-out OVO Arena, Wembley on 18th March – his biggest UK show in his hometown to date. The show will be the second-ever UK performance of Circular Sound: his acclaimed, spellbinding audiovisual live production with a moving disc of light, created with long term collaborator Zak Norman of Black Box Echo and Zeal live – the minds behind Bicep’s acclaimed live shows. The show is set to be one of the biggest events in the UK dance music calendar and is a testament to Sub Focus’ enduring popularity. Support acts for the night come courtesy of chart-topping rising D&B star Goddard, 1991 and AMA.
The album artwork for Evolve takes inspiration from nature, combining it with
cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence.
Of the process behind the art, Sub Focus says: “To create the artwork I came up with the idea of training an AI on photos of Nudibranchs – this type of tiny multi-colored sea slugs I came across when diving in Indonesia. The AI came back with these crazy abstract images resembling different organic elements – hearts, brains, lungs and even trees or jellyfish. I like to think that the machine was channeling the same kind of natural geometry that emerged when all of these organisms first evolved.”
