A south-London native, Box5ive came up on a diet of FWD>>, Fabric excursions, and the spiritual gravity of early dubstep, citing DMZ, Skream, Benga as early coordinates for a deeper kind of bass music initiation. Deep diving further into electronic music he later veered into the more emotive side of UK electronica, devouring ambient through the lens of Caterina Barbieri, Nexcyia, and mu tate, with an overlap of James Blake and MssingNo for further melodic touchstones. His 2023 debut album Grey Space on Glaswegian label co:clear felt like a culmination of all these threads, a beautifully, brooding LP that folded ambient, downtempo, and 170BPM experimentations into something that felt like a liminal space between memory and momentum. His productions, whether built from delicate ambient sketches or halting, half-time rhythms, hummed with emotional clarity and it fast tracked its way as one of our favourite releases from 2023. Standout tracks, like “Rough Sleeper and “Sell A Door,” signalled a producer deeply attuned to melancholy. That emotional depth carries forward into his newest EP Dying Angel on Initiate Records, written during a long winter marked by stress and filled with music that feels like an early morning street and and forgotten corners of London.
That instinct to channel feeling has also led him into recently scoring for film and television, with a Discovery+ documentary and the intimate short film Hungry Like A Wolf, being an exciting start to his soundtracking journey. For an artist who thrives in the grey space between genres, Box5ive’s path seems marked by clarity. Less about chasing trends, more about finding resonance. His Truancy Volume mix captures the full spectrum of this approach, revelling in his sensitivity to atmosphere and emotional pacing with an hour of ambient jungle and deep after-party rhythms.
Hey there! So how have you been recently? What’s the year been like for you so far? Any particular highlights you care to tell us about? “Not bad, Berlin show and Italy for the first time was really fun, other than that just been busy making music.”
So going back a bit, could you tell us a little bit about how you first got into electronic music and DJing? Like what were the initial influences, people, music that set you down this passion? “DMZ, Skream and Benga, James Blake, it was all because of that really.”
What were some of the first parties you were going to as you deep dived into dance music? Did you ever travel far to go see some electronic music? “Some of the last FWD events at dance tunnel, going to Fabric when I was 16.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your early years getting into production? How seriously were you taking it at the beginning? “Not seriously at all, just for fun really at school and then it became a hobby but never something I thought I could do for a job.”
So in terms of recent work you dropped your Grey Space album on Glasweigan imprint co:clear last year which is filled with some of my favourite tracks of last year – Rough Sleeper, Sell A Door, Sour Kiss. What can you tell us about what went into the making of this album? “I was making hundreds of tunes at that time, I started listening and making ambient in lockdown and after hearing the first co:clear release and other releases from index:records I knew I wanted to make something in that world.”
What was it like working with Conna Haraway for it? What sort of guidance did he give? “Such a great person, never pushed me to change anything but was really helpful in picking the strongest tracks and helping with the best way to order them.”
What did you learn from Grey Space that you brought into your newest EP ‘Dying Angel’? Did you have a better idea of what you wanted the EP to sound like with this? “I don’t really think about it too much to be honest, the new EP was made over a long winter and moments of stress, I need to release more dance stuff.”
What’s your relationship been with melodies and chords throughout the years? Obviously the album and newest EP is tinged with emotion and super euphoric feelings. I’m wondering what might have been some of the musical or non musical influences for that. “I played the piano and I definitely am drawn to melodies and chords naturally, MssingNo, Lauren Duffus, that kind of sound really inspires me, and the movies.”
Same question but for music at 170BPPM. The mix you’ve done for us starts with a section of very Autonomic sounding productions and you’ve explored it with tracks such as Blind and Sell A Door. What’s your history been like with drum and bass and faster BPMs? “I did used to love jungle growing up, but I actually only ever used to play 120-140bpm in DJ sets. I’ve heard a lot of great half-time in recent years and that kind of techno/jungle that doesn’t really have a name, that’s really inspiring.”
What can you tell us about recently getting into scoring for films and what has been the workflow on that compared to your Box5ive productions. You worked on a documentary for Discovery+ last year correct? How was that? “It’s good because you have deadlines, a specific sound you need and people helping you achieve that. Music can make or break a film also so it’s really refreshing and important to get it right and help Donell the director in achieving what they want.”
There was also the HUNGRY LIKE A WOLF film you contributed some music for? What was the process like on that compared to say the documentary? “Similar really, I really liked that project as the film touches on themes of burn out and addiction that a lot of musicians experience, I think you can watch that on youtube now.”
From the early days of learning guitar to your current electronic experimentations, what fundamental aspects of music-making have remained essential for you? “Just having fun and not thinking about it too much, having an idea is good but it’s so easy for me to get caught up in one little sound that no one is even going to notice. Also, instantly changing up your workflow if you feel you’ve been using the same tools or methods of production again and again.”
Do you have any contemporary ambient artists you’ve been influenced by? I was at the Warp Barbican gig on Saturday and couldn’t help but feel how easy an album like Grey Space would have slotted in among those performances. “Woahhh, Warp. That’s a huge compliment, thank you. I’ve said before but Caterina Barbieri, Lauren Duffus, emre girginkaya, mu tate, Nexcyia, Special Guest DJ, Ben Bondy, Xenia Reaper, CHANTSSSS and many more.”
How is your live show at the moment? You road tested I think a new one at Related Articles in Berlin last year, was wondering what sort of setup and direction the show may have gone in since? “Same set up but a lot of different music, I played in Newcastle last month and I put a lot more dance stuff in as it was a standing set. I try to tailor it to each event really.”
If you had one day to take a fellow artist on an adventure around where you live, where would you go and why? Are there any specific cities you’ve always admired or wanted to experience? “Probably just down to these old baths that are now a nature reserve, it’s quiet compared to most of London. Always admired Bristol, Manchester and Berlin. Also Atlanta and New Orleans for music, I’m yet to visit.”
Are there any books, films, shows, podcasts or other things you’ve seen or been reading/watching/listening to lately that you might want to share? “Mica Levi’s score for Under the Skin really inspired me recently, their music is crazy.”
What was your approach to crafting your Truancy Volume mix? There’s so many track highlights in this, I was wondering if there are any particular tracks that hold special significance for you? “Given its summer and I’ve spent more time with friends than usual, I wanted it to be a kind of after-a-day party at a friends house mix, I call it ambient jungle for the start and back into housey tempos.”
Last, usual question from us, what was the last thing to put a big smile on your face and when was the last time you had a proper dance? “Just found out my brother is having a kid, and I had a proper dance at the NTS day party in Dalston.”
Box5ive: Soundcloud, Instagram, Resident Advisor, Bandcamp
You can download Truancy Volume 351: Box5ive in 320 kbps and view the full tracklist on Patreon here. Your support helps cover all our costs and allows Truants to continue running as a non-profit and ad-free platform. Members will receive exclusive access to mixes and tracklists. We urge you to support the future of independent music journalism—a little goes a long way. If you need any IDs though, please leave us a comment on the Soundcloud link and us or Box5ive will get back to you with the track :)
