Raphael Johnson — known in the music world as SPKTRM, or Spectrum — built his name on the harder end of the genre. Brooklyn for fourteen years, a reputation for heavy, and then a deliberate pivot toward something he calls avant-garde and futuristic. 21st Century Jazz. That is not a marketing line. That is how he actually hears what he makes.
The album in progress — at the time of filming about three or four tracks in, targeting a 2012 release — was set to drop on Gridlok’s Project 51. The Gridlok connection runs deep through this interview: the album title, the sonic concept, the analog masters Gridlok was planning to run everything through before release. Two American producers working in the same philosophical territory, building something together that neither could describe in a single genre word.
“Expect something very futuristic and different. This is a psychological album — and I think people need to be brought back to the concept of what drum and bass used to be.”
The working title was ‘Relevant’ — a nod to the late ’90s era that shaped his DNA as a producer. Photek’s Modus Operandi named as a primary influence. Broken, not rolling. Not club-oriented. The kind of drum and bass that asks something of the listener rather than just moving the floor. Eight tracks minimum, possibly ten to twelve, with one or two pieces that sit outside genre entirely — no name for what they are, just atmosphere.
On MCs: he wants one when the music and the room call for it. Heavy, rolling, dance-floor oriented sets benefit from the energy an MC adds. Deeper sets, not so much. The key is knowing when to chat and when to hold silence. That’s not a criticism — it’s a standard. One that most serious DJs share and almost none say out loud.