Thomas Davies founded Transparent Audio in Bristol in October 2020, drawing on his experience running the dubstep label Instigate Recordings. He wanted a collaborative home for emerging producers, with Dava, Felov, and Yannons among the first artists to support it.
Deep, minimal drum and bass shaped the early releases, but the sound soon widened. Geostatic brought melodic material, while Primitive Instinct’s debut EP introduced a soulful liquid project. The Refraction series gathered different producers together, and releases by Spektiv and Kaneki added a 140 and dubstep strand.
The artwork developed with the music. Early fluorescent green designs gave way to 3D imagery created with Primitive Instinct, while Haden of Ill Truth worked as the label’s mastering engineer throughout its development. Those ongoing collaborations are part of how Transparent Audio has grown from its original Bristol project.
