A true presence in the electronic music scene, Shadow Child has carved out an incredible reputation over a career that has spanned decades, developing a sound that brings together early rave, house, and drum n bass.
Recent years have seen him tour relentlessly, with a string of US dates, high- profile shows with The Warehouse Project and Elrow, along with appearances at Glastonbury, Parklife, Hideout, and many other European festivals.
Recent releases on Hot Creations and Unknown to the Unknown continue to showcase his ever-changing sound, whilst his Food Music label has welcomed standout productions from the likes of Krystal Klear, and Rebuke.
There are also the timeless reworks for the likes of The Prodigy, The XX, and Hot Natured, and with his weekly Rinse FM show, Shadow Child continues to be one of the scene’s most prolific and respected artists.
Balance Selections Q+A
Name: Shadow Child
Location: UK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshadowchild
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/theshadowchild
Alias/Producer name: Shadow Child
Labels affiliated with: Hot Creations / Food Music / Electronic Elements / Super Rhythm Trax
My last 3 releases:
Shadow Child – Apollo PT. 1 [Electronic Elements]
Shadow Child – Space Riot [Nothing Else Matters]
Shadow Child – The DBG [Hot Creations]
What music did you listen to as a child?
My parents split when I was a year old and so did the record collection! Both have great taste although different, so I grew up obsessively making mixtapes for them both. I lived with my Mum where her collection was full of Tears for Fears, XTC, Duran Duran, New Order, and other New Wave stuff… Then, I’d goto my Dads on the weekend and make his tapes with records by The Police, Jean Michel Jarre, The Rolling Stones, and classic Rock ‘n’ Roll too, so it was extremely varied, and I fully appreciate it all still today. I wouldn’t have achieved anything in music without diverse taste.
When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?
I loved Bomb the Bass as a kid, which was British cut and paste style urban music, but around the same time my step-dad bought Londonbeat ‘9am’ (The Comfort Zone) on a 12”, which was a Soul/Acapella record. On the flip was an Acid tune – this was in 1988 when I was first hearing House music on the TV – and I quickly realized there was a darker ‘underground’ side to this music too. Love at first sight.
When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?
I saw House Junkie warm up for The Prodigy in 92 – I was 15 – a mixture of Rave and Techno at the time. He was a legend on the South Coast.
Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?
There’s so many to mention, from Liam Howlett who I was lucky to meet and hang out with at the gig I just mentioned, through to 4hero, Photek, Sasha (on more of a DJ tip), and these days Lone, DJ Seinfeld, artists like that.
What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?
Nathan Fake ‘Blizzards’… Incredible.
What is your current production and DJ set up like?
I’m set up at home, and lucky to have a room full of old synths and drumboxes which inspire me daily, I genuinely use them for 90% of my sound sources and my current 3 part Apollo project was born this way too.
What releases do you have on the horizon?
It’s all about my Apollo series on Electronic Elements, where I’m exploring some new things, although it’s a 90’s throwback to the pre-Trance European Melodic-Techno sound. Although I was a junglist at that time of my life, I still loved labels like R&S, Harthouse and others too. This whole project pays homage to what those labels and artists like CJ Bolland, Frank de Wulf, and Sven Vath did back then.
Where can we hear you perform?
Whilst we’re recovering as an industry from this pandemic, you can only catch me on my Rinse FM Show every other Wednesday which is also live-video-streamed from my home studio on Twitch.
Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?
It’s the next chapter of Shadow Child really, not the sound I was known for 8 years ago but one that helps me move on to explore new things. These tracks from other artists are also new, and you can hear a different sound developing whilst they’re in the studio experimenting too. The Eats Everything, and Skream, and Tom Demac tunes are the perfect examples of that. It’s been great to put together, so thanks for the platform.
My Recommendations
The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:
Chrissy – In Paradise (Loods remix)
If I could recommend only one of my tracks for you to listen to it would be:
Shadow Child – Jupiter
If I could recommend only one track for you to listen to it would be:
Nathan Fake – Cry Me A Blizzard
The last movie I watched that I really liked:
Despicable Me 3 (I have a 4 year old daughter !)
My favourite TV show:
After Life
Balance Selections 133: Shadow Child
Tracklisting:
1. Jody Wisternoff – Something Real (Shadow Child Apollo mix)
2. Polymod – 10six
3. Sleezy D – I’ve Lost Control (Gerd Jansen & Shan remix)
4. Silvestre – After Da Party
5. Harry Judda – Rogue One
6. Stream & Tom Demac – EMF
7. Shadow Child – Jupiter
8. Eats Everything – Shade
9. Frank De Wulf – The Tape (Rebūke mix)
10. Shadow Child – Sun
11. Tensnake – Somebody Else (Shadow Child remix)
12. Shadow Child vs Binary Finary – Venus (1998)
13. CJ Bolland – Carmauge (Ten Ven edit)