The Mix 077: Bakey

For a while, Bakey’s musical output felt like it had reached a natural, definitive sound that embodied UK bass music in its entirety – a frenzied combination of bassline, UK garage, jungle, and breaks. But for the London-hailing, Bristol-based DJ and producer, born Freddie Baker, that had become somewhat restrictive. As his influences expand from his formative teenage tastes, Bakey is ready to move into different sonic territories after seven years making and performing music.

Since becoming the first artist to sign to Warehouse Projects’ record label last year with a string of singles, Bakey was enlisted to release his debut full-length album on the imprint. Resulting project ‘Tribute’ pays homage to 2010s dance music — with emotional synths, terrace-ready grooves and an emphasis on vocals added to his arsenal — joining nods to soundsystem culture, early pirate radio stations, and the raves that shaped him. In his own words, it's the “purest reflection of who I am as a producer” right now, encapsulating a lot of the shifting sounds he’s moving towards – melodic and downtempo at points, but still calling back to those signature bass cuts.

“I wanted to make something a bit more accessible seeing as it’s a full-length album,” he explains. Featuring recently released singles like June’s airy vocal-led single ‘Senses’, and one of his “most personal tracks yet”, jungle-influenced single ‘Fool Me Twice’, the record also promises to honour a period of dance music that Bakey was never quite old enough to experience in the rave, as well as the pirate radio stations that have left a mark on dance music today.

After a busy summer of touring, and the announcement of a forthcoming headline tour across the cities that have inspired his musical growth so far, Bakey sits down with Mixmag to chat about breaking out of his bubble, sampling the last-ever broadcast on Kool FM before its recent relaunch, and working with his brother, Breaka. He also delivers a new mix featuring unreleased tracks – check it out below.

How’s your summer been?

Busy, it’s been fun. It’s quieting down now which is nice, I’ve actually finally got some time to spend at home and finish off some music.

You had a four-week residency at Phonox a few weeks ago, how did that go? And how did you curate the line-ups?

It was amazing! I wanted to have artists who I look up to, as well as artists who I think should have more recognition – the ones who more people should know about, you know. A balance of old legends and upcoming artists. We had Zed Bias, Dismantle, Yemz, my brother Breaka, and loads more — it was a really cool mix of people.

You were the first person to sign to WHP Records back in 2024, how did that opportunity arise, and how did it feel to be part of such a landmark moment?

We were having talks about the album, and they were thinking about starting it all up. I had the album kinda ready, and they offered to put out a single first, which was really special given how big Warehouse Project is and how much of an impact it has on the scene. I’ve always looked up to them and how they go about curation.

You’re releasing your debut album, ‘Tribute’, in October via WHP Records, which is said to be two years in the making. Why did you feel like now was the time to release a full-length project?

To be honest, I’d been wanting to get it out for so long. It’s quite an old project that I started a couple of years ago, so I’ve just been trying to get it out so that I can show people where I was at, but also get on with some new stuff. I’m really proud of it, but I’m ready to move on.

Your sound has shifted over the years, you can hear the subtle change in the new record – it sounds melodic and downtempo at points, but you’ve still got those signature bass cuts in there. What informed that shift?

I wanted to make something a bit more accessible seeing as it’s a full-length album, certainly down the more commercial side. I think that’s what I always thought albums were, which I suppose they don’t have to be – they’re more a collection of sounds. But that’s how I got to this mix of sounds.

Talk us through your process behind this album, you said that it “raises a light to an era of dance music” that you never really got to experience in the rave, since you were maybe too young. Can you tell us about that?

All my music is inspired by that 2010s era of dance music, and even before that. This album felt like a continuation of what I’m trying to do, it’s always been that. It’s trying to show respect and take inspiration from, but not copy. 

What were you listening to during that era?

A lot of drum ‘n’ bass! Also a lot of dark UKG like El-B and Zed Bias. They’ve always been big inspirations. It was really special to then have him play at my show recently.

On the title-track, you sample the last-ever broadcast on Kool FM – how did that come about?

I was flicking through some of the old Kool shows, and I heard this little snippet from Eastman talking about how, back in the day, everyone was there on stage and even stayed after their sets, and it reminded me of one of my first-ever gigs outside of Leeds in Liverpool. Everyone stayed from the start until the very end, so it really resonated.

You’re scheduled to set off on a headline tour soon of the cities that shaped your music and you as a person, London, Leeds and Bristol. What’s your connection to each of those cities? 

London is where I grew up, so that’s a big part of who I was up until I was about 18. Leeds was where I spent my uni years, and the place where I got into the type of music I like and play today. Bristol is the latest move, it’s essentially the next chapter – I moved here in March. It’s pretty fresh, I’m still trying to learn the city.

The music scenes between all three of those cities are pretty different, with the North taking more of a steer toward sounds like bassline and garage right now, while the South West has a big scene for dub and 140. Do you think living between these places has helped to shift your style over time? What is it about those cities that resonates with you?

My Leeds experience was actually quite dub-focused, I used to go to SUBDUB quite a lot. When the garage and speed garage scene came back around there, I was thinking about moving away, so I actually had the opposite experience.

You came up alongside your brother, Breaka. What’s it like to work alongside a sibling in music, and how has your relationship developed with that?

It’s amazing, we both really enjoy doing stuff together and find it very easy. He’s obviously inspired me a great deal, because he was doing this before I started. We’re not collaborating as of yet, but I want to get into the studio with him at some point because he’s in Bristol now too. There’s a lot of crossover with our sounds, but we’re in our own little pockets. 

What’s next for you?

I’m trying to explore some different sounds and make some weirder music, and work on some collaborations with vocalists. It’s all demos at the moment, nothing locked in at the moment!

Can you tell us about your mix?

I’ve spent so much time with the album that this mix felt like a good chance to step away from it a bit and dig into some other sounds. It’s less about tying in with the record, and more about where I’m at as a DJ right now. There’s one from the album in here, plus a few unreleased tracks, but mainly it’s just a snapshot of the sounds I’m drawn to at the moment.

'Tribute' is out on October 31 via Warehouse Project Records. Pre-save it here

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter

Tracklist:
Low End Activist - U Know
Malin Genie & Frits Wentink - Exopaq
Mercy System - Frozen Fences
relativity lounge - harvest
Zaltsman - Highball
Chewlie- Inevitably We Fell (Rizla Ops Groove Crush Mix)
Storm On Earth - Signal
DJ Sprinter - Get Up
Client_03 - Thought Disposal
Bodhi - Without You
ID - ID
Bakey - Come Close
Ghost Warrior - Black Box (Josi Devil Remix)
Bakey - Prodigy Crew
WZ - Organix
Tony Quattro - Garrapata
XL Regular - Nicotine Samba
Cousin - 1 Tun
DE-TÜ - Untitled
ID - ID21. Fixate & Sam Binga - Issker
SBWT - Technique
msft. - Transit (ft. Killa P) (Bakey Remix)
Bakey - Senses (Instrumental)
07050 - Watch The Style (Paleman Remix)