Start Listening To: wing!

Ahead of the release of WORTH SCANNING FOR, Bexleyheath producer wing! discusses finally embracing his love of jungle, the chemistry behind his live trio and why making music remains an act of devotion.

There is something quietly all-encompassing about the music of wing!. Drawing from instrumental hip hop, post-rock, ambient music and jungle, the Bexleyheath producer has spent the last few years building a world that feels deeply personal while remaining impossible to pin down. New single 'HOLD THEM TO IT' marks another step forward, allowing influences that had long existed beneath the surface to move into the foreground. With the release of his forthcoming EP WORTH SCANNING FOR on the horizon, we caught up with Adam to talk about subconscious songwriting, the impact of winning Green Man Rising and the joy of discovering songs all over again through collaboration.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

My name is Adam and I’m a producer from Bexleyheath who goes by the name ‘wing!’. I make instrumental hip hop that brings in a whole bunch of stuff from Post Rock/Trip Hop/Ambient/Jazz/Jungle etc etc.

Your new single 'HOLD THEM TO IT' feels like a significant step forward from the sound of MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE. What were you hoping to explore with this track that you hadn't fully tapped into before?

To be honest I never sit down and consciously think of that stuff before I make anything. It just kinda falls out and then afterwards I realise that’s what was the most honest and truthful thing for me at that time. It all happens subconsciously, a lot of the time I have no recollection of making anything haha even when I work on it everyday for months, it’s a really strange thing. I think upon reflection though getting to express my love of dance music, and expressing myself through that which was kind of a newer thing for me at the time of making it. This was probably the first time I made something where I was beginning to imagine body movement and how somebody would potentially either move/dance to each section of the track.

You've described jungle as one of your central influences. What was it like finally allowing those inspirations to take centre stage on a song like 'HOLD THEM TO IT'?

It felt just right. So much of what I do and the sounds I choose to put over drums and all the layering breaks I do are so influenced by Jungle that I think finally getting to just set them free over an actual Jungle break felt like a really nice way to connect the dots between all the things I love. My main mission in life is dedicated to trying to express my love for music and all the songs that have affected me, that really is the main drive for me when it comes to making music. It’s my way of a love letter I guess haha. So getting to do that was really important to me.

Artists such as LTJ Bukem, Omni Trio and Dillinja have clearly left their mark on the record. What do you think modern electronic music can still learn from that era of jungle?

For sure. Those artists and others like Fabio & Grooverider/Shy FX/4hero (alongside many other names I’m missing off haha) are the blueprint. As a young producer too there’s just an absolute gold mine of stuff to study and absorb in all of it. I must have spent so much time trying to figure that shit out haha and have just accepted I will never come close. I couldn’t say what everyone should be learning from that era haha but I would urge people to go and listen to all the amazing and innovative music that they made, I’m way too young to have been around for any of that stuff when it was being released so the fact that it would be blowing minds for generations to come is kind of testament to what they were doing.

'HOLD THEM TO IT' begins in a fairly dark, atmospheric place before opening into something much more euphoric. What draws you to that kind of emotional journey within a track?

I always want to make something that has a storytelling aspect to it. I usually work on a track for a long time so that I can really live with it and live through the track. Then obviously life and stuff goes on around making it so I think (hopefully anyway haha) all those different perspectives and ranges of emotions all end up in the pot.

Your upcoming EP, WORTH SCANNING FOR continues your collaboration with bassist Kai Charlton and drummer Joe Killick. How has having a live trio influenced the way you write and arrange music?

In a massive way. Getting to work with Joe completely opens the door up to all these different types of rhythms that I have access to. Just to be able to have all the dynamics and changes of a live drummer to use is kind of any producer's dream haha. When I’m making a track now, I can’t help but hear where Kai might be able to sit or what kind of approach he might take, though he usually throws me off and does something else which I end up loving more haha. As great as they both are musically, just on a personal level I really value both of them so much. We’ve found such a kinship in performing together live that to try and capture that relationship and include it in the music in a way that still feels cohesive with what I do as a producer and beatmaker really means a lot to me.

Since starting to perform live in 2024, you've built a reputation for powerful shows. What have you learned about your music through performing it in front of audiences?

That’s a really good question haha. I think getting to repeatedly play something you’ve done that you’re really proud of is obviously just a really great feeling. The main thing is getting to do it with Joe and Kai though and seeing how they interpret the track. I only really bring something to them once it’s finished so after spending quite a long time living with the song while making it, to strip it down and have them come up with their parts to play live is really refreshing and gives it a new lease of life. You kind of get to redo the process of getting to know the song again in this new context, which is a really beautiful thing.

You wrote 'HOLD THEM TO IT' during the period between being shortlisted for Green Man Rising and finding out you'd won. Did that uncertainty find its way into the music at all?

Yeah definitely. I think the first half of HOLD THEM TO IT was made before the final and then the second half was made after we won, which sorta says it all really haha. A very exciting time.

Winning Green Man Rising and opening the Mountain Stage was a huge moment. Has that experience changed your ambitions for the project going forward?

It’s hard to say actually. It was pretty life changing to be acknowledged in that way and getting to open the Mountain Stage was kind of just beyond me. Especially coming from an instrumental standpoint where maybe some people might just consider it as just background music or nothing to be taken too seriously, it meant a lot to me to be considered alongside all the other great artists on the longlist and that gave me a lot of confidence. However, my dedication to just keeping my head down and making music will always be the same, so to be honest nothing has really changed there haha. It was just a really amazing thing that I’ll forever be grateful for.

You're playing a series of residency shows at Avalon Cafe over the coming months. What appealed to you about the idea of building a residency instead of simply playing standalone gigs?

I really like the idea of a residency as representing the beginning of something. Even though we’ve been gigging the last couple years, in a weird way l feel like I’m starting from scratch. We’d been gigging a hell of a lot too and alongside working full time it just doesn’t leave much time for rehearsals and getting in all the new stuff I've been making haha. Having the residency be a focused thing where each time we can play new music in a longer set, as well as getting to curate each lineup feels like the right thing for right now. Since I’m writing about it I should probably say the next one is June 24th, then July 29th!!

The title WORTH SCANNING FOR immediately sparks curiosity. Where did that phrase come from, and what does it represent for you?

It was the title of a song I made a while back that never came out, I always kept it in the back of my mind because I loved how it read and the connotations that came with it. No idea where it came from initially, I just know that phrase kept coming back into my mind and I felt more and more connected to it as time went on. I think without unpacking it too much, it represents a whole range of things from fear and paranoia to joy, euphoria and acceptance.

What do you love right now?

DJing.

What do you hate right now?

Not being able to make music all the time.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

Nobody in my family was really into music like that so I actually didn’t start listening to albums till quite a bit later. My favourite album of all time though is Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder. There’s not much I can say on that album that probably hasn’t been said a million times over haha but it just maps out life and all the ranges of emotions and experiences in such a powerful way that it’s kind of just a guide to me throughout my life. It will forever be in my rotation.

When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?

On first listen I just hope something intrigues you enough to listen again haha. Just don’t turn it off I reckon. I hope my connection to the music comes through, that’s the main thing.