Arkell LDN is the musical project of London-based producer, 3D animator and well known drummer John Arkell. Having worked with a long list of artists that include the likes of Lewis Capaldi and Bonobo and Primal Scream, John has embarked on making his own music and accompanying animation.
With a focus on music that makes people want to move whilst embracing darker, bass-drive sound, Arkell LDN draws on the the raw, rave-centric sound of the Prodigy, Jamie xx, Stanton Warriors and Jon Hopkins.
On Nice, that rave inspired sound manifests in the combination of tight, high energy disco strings, dark throbbing bass and chunky drum patterns. The sound recalls the unfussy energy of late 90s / early 00s dance music with aplomb - crisp, crunchy music that would sound great in night clubs with big rooms and even bigger sound systems.
John notes that the track is more positive and accessible than much of his forthcoming music, and how he embraced the fact an early listener likened The track to Spiller’s Groovejet. In John’s own words, “(it is) kinda mad how I usually start of tryna make something much harder with those refences in mind... but I wasn't afraid to go with this one... i think the drop still kicks”. I’m inclined to agree - the way Nice pulls together an energetic, uplifting sound to his dark, bass-orientated production style really clicks.
The visuals that accompany Nice were created in Xpresso, with John learning his craft in the software whilst putting the visuals together. These similarly echo the style of the early 00s - feeling like cool, psychedlic and musical interactive experiences like Wipeout and video game developer Harmonix’s awesome Frequency.
Check out the video, premiering on BlackPlastic, below: