Artist profile · Drum & bass
Justin Hawkes
Deep in the music.
Closer to the artist.
Justin Hawkes is an American producer and vocalist, formerly Flite, whose albums Existential and Now or Never connect drum and bass with personal stories.
Behind the music
About Justin Hawkes.
Justin Hawkes is an American drum and bass producer, composer, and vocalist, formerly known as Flite. Originally from rural Virginia and now based in Colorado, he draws on musical experiences beyond club culture, including the rock and country music he grew up around. Those influences became part of his recording identity rather than something left behind when he began making drum and bass.
His debut album, Existential, arrived in 2022. One of its most personal recordings, Better Than Gold, featured his uncle Andrew Hellier singing and his father playing guitar and mandolin. Hawkes also learnt guitar for the track. Elsewhere on the album, his earlier experience playing trumpet in a marching band informed the rhythmic ideas behind Cadence.
The second album, Now or Never, followed independently through Drumcaste Collective in 2026. Hawkes wrote its 12 tracks around questions of identity, relationships, and personal change, with the full sequence intended to carry the listener through those ideas. He made the album available early on Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want release, explaining that ownership and affordability mattered to how he wanted people to encounter it. His credits extend across production, vocals, mixing, and mastering, while the record also brings in collaborators on individual songs.
Artist styles
Source-reviewed associations with parts of this artist’s work. Individual releases may differ.
Dancefloor
High confidence · Original Now or Never album, with artist discussion identifying the complete project as dancefloor-driven; continuing a club-oriented production strand.