Fade Black

Fade Black is the partnership of Andy, previously Shyun, and Nick, previously Cruk. Both were already releasing drum and bass before joining forces, but their working relationship had begun elsewhere: writing and producing for singers and other artists across neo-soul, grime, and electronic music.

Those sessions made a drum and bass collaboration feel straightforward. They knew each other’s setups and had already spent months passing projects back and forth. Andy brought a strength in arrangement, Nick a flair for sound design, and they worked on the mixdowns together.

Their debut EP, Condemned, arrived on Critical Music in October 2019. Its range was deliberate. The pair wanted enough variety to suit different points in a DJ set, from the harder RWD to Sane, featuring Leo Law. They had met Law through their songwriting work, and treated his vocal as the focus of the song.

Further Critical releases include 12 Gauge / Far Gone and Polaris / Elysium, alongside their remix of Halogenix’s Blej. The technical side matters to them, but the story behind Sane explains why a vocal track belongs in their catalogue just as naturally as their more abrasive material: they had been making songs together long before Fade Black had a name.