Darkzy

The production moniker of Nottingham's Elliot Fisher, Darkzy shot to prominence in the late 2010s as part of the U.K.'s rapidly shifting bassline scene. Taking inspiration from the progression of bassline and dubstep culture in the 2010s, the producer made his name on the U.K. nightlife circuit after his remix of Drake's "One Dance" became an underground hit. Born and raised in Nottingham, Elliot Fisher found his love for electronic music after his brother introduced him to DJ EJ's EJucation mix series. Quickly rattling through the works of bassline giants like TS7 and Swifta Beater, Fisher soon became immersed in the genre and began to produce casually from his bedroom. As dubstep took root in the U.K., he continued to hone his production skills, this time taking a more bass-heavy approach inspired by the new stylings of Bar9 and Benga. After returning his production talents to bassline in 2014, the musician found his first major success with debut single "Dark Nights," which found a home on Project Allout Records in 2015. With an early style combining the high energy of bassline with dubstep's grimier sonics, Darkzy soon found his place in local nightlife, coining the iconic tag "Hold tight man like Darkzy, yeah" on his 2016 follow-up single "What's Going On." From there, Darkzy remained in Nottingham's rotation with anthemic joints "Gun Fingerz" and "Glock Riddim," building a following with deep-set basslines and shout-outs to his home city. However, it was not until 2016's "One Dance" remix that the producer broke onto the national level: the track, a remix of Drake's hit of the same name, quickly reached four million plays on streaming platforms. With his place in U.K. urban culture promptly solidified, Darkzy began to build his singles catalog into the late 2010s: alongside remixing artists from Skream to Migos, the producer released his debut EP, Dark Nightz (2018), and the singles "I Want You," "It's You," and "Drops," the latter featuring prominent U.K. vocalist Example. While this later material continued to capture the ears of the U.K. nightlife with a bass-heavy approach, it also revealed the development of the producer's technicality, including more advanced song structures and varied vocal sampling. ~ David Crone