In just over half a decade of releasing music, Grey Code has racked up an impressive catalogue. The UK producer has credits for the likes of Dispatch, DIVIDID, Vision and the holy grail of drum & bass labels, Metalheadz. It’s no wonder Goldie’s legendary imprint snatched him up so quickly; with an impressive ability to jump between genres and synthesise new styles, Grey Code has the sort of deep, well-rounded sound the Alchemist looks for.
With two EPs and a load of tracks already out on Headz, Grey Code embarked on another milestone this past year — an LP. Out at the end of January, if fans thought the Grey Code bar was lofty already, the high-concept, well-balanced and intensely emotive ‘Renewal’ raises it even further.
“I wanted to make a statement piece,” Grey Code (given name: Spencer Warren) tells DJ Mag. “My sound has evolved a lot since I started. I wanted to capture where it was at that time. I had done a lot of smaller projects prior to this and thought it'd be a good idea to tie my journey so far together with an album.”
But ‘Renewal’ is more to the London-based artist than a snapshot or a benchmark. It’s clear from first listen that this album tells a story. “The concept for the album came together during spring 2020,” he says. “I was thinking about the lockdown ending and what it would be like for everyone. It made me think of post-war modernist movements where new art forms and philosophies emerged. I was on the phone chatting to my oldest friend and we were talking about words that could capture that optimism and opportunity. He came up with the word 'Renewal' and I agreed it was a great title for the album.”