Fresh off supporting Flux Pavilion for five dates in the US, Wilkinson is hopefully resting up at home in southwest London before festival season kicks into high gear. Set to appear at our very own bassPOD at EDCLV in less than a month (what!?), the timing couldn’t be more perfect to shout out the ever-impressive Wilkinson for his long-awaited Hypnotic album (out now) released via RAM/Virgin Records.
Featuring 14 tracks that keep one foot firmly planted in the underground—with an eye set on the mainstream masses—Wilkinson’s album and his pop-fusion sensibilities only add fuel to the fire in this exploration of the long-form. Experimenting with different tempos and genre influences throughout, Wilkinson invites a disparate crew of collaborators ranging from Shannon Saunders and Matt Wills to Karen Harding and Wretch 32 into the studio with explosive results.
While no doubt aware of his own ability to smash out festival anthems one after the other, Wilkinson himself will tell you how his approach to building an album almost demands that he push beyond the usual boundaries and expectations of an artist at his level: “Some people tell me albums are dead. But for me as an artist it’s important for my soul, for my story, and I believe an album is a proper bookmark in an artist’s career. Otherwise its single, single, single and the substance of making music can become tired and too formulaic. I want to try different things, fuck up the tempos and take a few risks. For me an album is the only way to truly do this and I’m personally very content and proud of this body of work. I feel like it’s my best yet. And my Mum rates it, so I’m good.”
Check the full album below so you can get lost in the hypnotic world of Wilkinson before he unleashes the beast in the bassPOD at EDCLV next month.