Get to know Hammer, the Bicep collaborator sounding out his own space

He also spent time collaborating with Bicep whenever he could. “I’d take a week off work and go to London, use my holidays to see Matt and Andy, and we’d just get in studio, drink and make music,” he says. It was time well spent, their output including ‘Dahlia’, which featured in Mixmag’s top tunes of 2015 and established Hammer’s name.

Now based in London and focusing solely on music, he has dropped two solo releases, last year’s ‘At Once’ EP on Optimo and the recent ‘Canna’ EP on Loft. Both showcase the taste for the euphoric he shares with Bicep, but Hammer brings his own warm, rich and nostalgia-tinged synths.

Things may have been “fucking painful” as he saw his friends rocket to fame without him, but with gigs at Panorama Bar, DC10 and Robert Johnson now under his belt and a string of releases due this year, there’s little for Rory to regret now.

‘Love Somebody’ is due out on The Hammer Hits in September

Charlie Case is Mixmag's Staff Writer