While most EDM fans know Blanke for his discography full of high-energy midtempo, dubstep, and melodic bass, the Australian producer is now speeding into drum & bass territory through the debut of his standalone ÆON:MODE project. After experiencing a stellar set under the new project at Freaky Deaky in Austin, Texas, we got a chance to hop on a call to learn more about the vision, growth, and future of ÆON:MODE.
Let’s dive right in!
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How did ÆON:MODE start off?
Blanke initially stepped into the world of electronic music through listening to Pendulum as a teenager, and not too long after, experienced a set by ShockOne at the club he was employed at back in Australia. He was immediately captivated by the unique energy and intensity of the genre, and recalled how he attempted to dabble in producing drum & bass over 10 years ago. At the time, he thought, “It was just so ridiculously hard and difficult that I just steered away from it pretty much instantly because I’m not going to do this justice.”
After initial success releasing songs in other genres, Blanke’s first full-fledged drum & bass release, Alchemy, found a home on his 2020 Change and Decay EP. The song was received positively, and he continued to delve into the genre as part of his Blanke project and followed up with more tracks. Eventually, after a discussion with his team, Blanke felt that the time was right to properly split off his drum & bass releases and performances under a new name.
“Artistically for me, it feels like the right move because I can then put this sort of time, visual, and creative energy into this separate sort of vibe … (this) sense of music that I think belongs on its own.”
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What was it like developing and creating a separate identity for ÆON:MODE?
ÆON:MODE and Blanke occupy distinct worlds visually, aesthetically, and sonically, with Blanke representing the Earth and nature and ÆON:MODE “being the opposite thing… stars, galaxies, and everything else out in the universe”. Blanke also mentioned how he liked to wear white for his multi-genre performances to symbolize “a blank canvas”, but has leaned towards wearing black for ÆON:MODE which better matched the “darkness” of outer space. He also felt that in his live sets, drum & bass was harder to cohesively incorporate alongside melodic, dubstep, and midtempo songs. Explaining his upcoming 2024 tour:
“I’ll be doing an ÆON:MODE set as a support, and then there’ll be a main support, and then Blanke will be the main set, as opposed to blending them all together in the one set. This feels like a really cool separation…you can see that in the tour artwork that I’ve done. I’m taking off into this new sort of space, and that is me going into this drum & bass world. And then when I come back down to Earth, it’s back to Blanke. So I can artistically meld these worlds together fairly seamlessly, which I think is really cool and has been super fun to explore as an artist.”
How does it feel watching Drum & Bass gain momentum, especially as someone at the forefront in the US scene?
Through ÆON:MODE, Blanke sees himself as a “link” or “funnel” between the dynamic and well-developed UK drum & bass scene and the more recent push into the US. He admitted that it feels surreal to “ended up in this place, it’s…awesome to be here for sure. I feel like I have a little bit of responsibility now. I need to make sure that this stuff that I’m doing is really, really up to standard and that I’m putting these guys (other international drum & bass artists) on the pedestal that they sort of deserve.”
Blanke also expressed his excitement seeing more and more drum & bass appreciation across festivals in the US, while also pointing out the diversity within the genre that’s present across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. One of his most memorable moments was none other than Wilkinson’s EDC Orlando set earlier this year. While watching the set on a platform backstage, he noticed that the crowd seemed to maintain the same frenetic energy as the dubstep set prior, and even grew in size. Blanke got a chance to chat with Wilkinson about the whole experience after, and exclaimed, “that was really, really cool to see.”
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What experiences have you had meeting and collaborating with other Drum & Bass artists?
Awake, a collaboration between ÆON:MODE and UK-based drum & bass artist Metrik, marks the first release entirely dedicated to the new project’s direction and felt like a fitting “proper start” for Blanke. He went on to describe how his numerous travels to the UK over the past few months allowed him to spend studio time with other artists he’d looked up to such as SubFocus, Dimension, and Culture Shock, “creating a highway between two worlds, two regions”. In short, get ready for “a lot of really exciting collaborations”!
Tell us more about what to expect from ÆON:MODE coming up!
Blanke was excited to break the news on his latest (now-released) track under ÆON:MODE, releasing via the Deadbeats and Brownies and Lemonade compilation, featuring more of a “dark, liquid DnB vibe”. He expressed that his upcoming tour, which recently opened for pre-sale, would be his most ambitious live endeavor yet across both projects. In addition, both ÆON:MODE and Blanke have no plans of slowing down in the festival scene, with plenty of showcases to highlight each project’s signature sounds in 2024.
“The projects continue growing over time with the tour for one, but also doing more dedicated shows…lots of awesome stuff in the works and talks at the moment. It’s going to be the first sort of big growing year for ÆON:MODE. It’ll be exciting, it’ll be great.”
As both ÆON:MODE and Blanke continue to flex some of the most innovative and jaw-dropping sounds in the electronic music scene, the singular artist behind both has shown nothing short of relentless passion for fully bringing both visions to life. His collaborative ethos and admiration for the larger drum & bass movement, all while acting as a trailblazer, has resulted in explosive growth and countless new fans. The future looks bright and sky’s the limit for ÆON:MODE, so stay tuned for more as drum & bass finds its rightful place among the earth and the stars!
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Watch the interview below!
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