Tephra & Arkoze brought together Hertfordshire producers Rhys Christie and James Woodcock, developing their partnership through a shared enthusiasm for drum and bass nights in London. Both began mixing around 2005, and they started making music together in 2011.
Their first releases arrived through Basher's Proximity Recordings. The Contrast EP appeared in July 2013, followed by The Lions Den and Pressure, the latter featuring Innate MC. Speaking to In-Reach that year, the pair described learning on vinyl before moving to digital so they could play their own productions. Their early studio work used software synthesis, samples, and sounds they recorded themselves.
Dispatch Recordings became another substantial home for the duo. The Ascertain EP led into 2018's Evolution EP, whose four tracks included Suddenly with Charli Brix and Instinct with Hillzy. The vocal collaborations sat alongside the instrumental Kamino and The Shaman, within a release Dispatch described in terms of rolling tracks and depth.
Their work also reached beyond that template. Nurtured Beatz characterised their usual approach as minimal rollers, while describing their remix of Kalm & Spindall's Sixfoot as a move towards darker jungle.
