Daniel Avery

Daniel Avery stands out among British producers and DJs for crafting music that thrives equally in club environments and solitary home settings, spanning abstract techno, house, IDM, and shoegaze. Performing first under the alias Stopmakingme, he issued a series of favorably received indie dance tracks and remixes beginning in 2009, yet achieved wider recognition only after adopting his given name in 2012. His wide-ranging debut album, Drone Logic, appeared to broad critical approval that year. Following a five-year interval that included a DJ-Kicks installment, Avery delivered his follow-up full-length, the introspective and enveloping Song for Alpha. Maintaining a consistent and instinctive output pace, he issued the 2020 collaboration Illusion of Time with Alessandro Cortini, then continued with solo efforts including Love + Light and Ultra Truth in 2022, each blending industrial techno, ambient passages, and electro cuts.

Avery launched his DJ career at age 18 while spinning indie records in his hometown of Bournemouth, England. Only after visiting Ibiza did exposure to receptive audiences prompt him to shift toward house and techno selections. A chance link formed at a local venue introduced him to Filthy Dukes, resulting in performances at the synth pop act’s Kill ’Em All nights in London and subsequent support slots at Fabric. In the studio he refined a gritty, forceful aesthetic that reflected his affinity for unconventional, otherworldly textures. All material issued between 2009 and 2011, encompassing joint work with Justin Robertson plus reworkings for Little Boots, Metronomy, Hercules & Love Affair, and In Flagranti, carried the Stopmakingme credit.

Adopting his birth name in 2012, he quickly generated multiple releases on James Friedman’s Throne of Blood, Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound, and J.D. Twitch’s Optimo Music. Capping an intense twelve months, Avery compiled the 66th edition of the Fabriclive series, incorporating several of his own productions. After joining the Phantasy Sound roster he unveiled Drone Logic in October 2013; the set drew from electronic forebears such as the Chemical Brothers and Underworld while fusing acid house, IDM, and further styles into a hybrid suited to nocturnal private listening. Early 2015 brought New Energy, a collection of Drone Logic reinterpretations by Factory Floor, Audion, and Perc. Steady live commitments continued alongside the 2016 DJ-Kicks mix. That year he also distributed the white-label “Decision Two” at a Resident Advisor gathering, then followed a year later with another white-label release, the Alessandro Cortini collaboration “Sun Draw Water.”

Throughout 2017 Avery concentrated on extensive international club appearances while developing his second album in relative seclusion. Projector and Slow Fade EPs arrived in 2018 ahead of Song for Alpha, which surfaced in April and presented a dustier, more contemplative atmosphere than its predecessor by emphasizing peak immersive segments of club nights. A subsequent remix package preceded the October arrival of the Diminuendo EP. Illusion of Time, the completed Cortini collaboration recorded during joint Nine Inch Nails touring, reached stores via Mute in 2020. Soon afterward Avery and Roman Flügel, operating as Noun, released the club-oriented Meeting of the Minds 12-inch. Avery next completed a solo album and opted for an immediate release; Love + Light surfaced in June 2020, its tracks alternating between signature hazy techno and tranquil downtempo passages. One year later came Together in Static, comprising pieces written for seated, socially distanced performances at London’s Hackney Church. Ultra Truth followed in 2022, enlisting HAAi, Sherelle, Jonnine Standish of HTRK, and James Massiah, alongside the earlier Andrew Weatherall tribute “Lone Swordsman.” The More Truth EP appeared in 2023, and the Fabric single “Wonderland”/“Running” arrived in 2024.