Seb Wildblood is most widely associated with warm, hazy house. The UK producer, whose real name remains undisclosed, grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, but connected with electronic music through visiting his brother at the nearby Manchester University. Towards the end of the ’00s, he moved to London to study and, alongside DJ Apes, began throwing their Church parties in the basement of St Giles Church in Camberwell. The duo initially told the church that they were hosting student art events “with a bit of music at the end,” but demand soon grew enough for them to earn a Thursday-night residency at Corsica Studios.

Becoming more engrained in club music, Wildblood began making his own. Early outings came in 2013, including one, Feel, on his own Church label, before his debut full-length in 2015, titled Foreign Parts, an eight-track release of dusty downtempo house. Out via SW, a self-release imprint on Church, it’s intended to be enjoyed while traveling, and it’s blessed with a bittersweet nostalgia that engulfs Wildblood’s catalog. “I’ve always been drawn to the feeling a track can create,” Wildblood explains. “Obviously the functionality of track is really important, however, what I’m looking for is a mood, or a moment.”

Earlier this year, Wildblood returned with Sketches Of Transition, his debut album proper, out via one of his other labels, all my thoughts. Spanning ambient, deep house, and broken beat, the release was recorded over a two-year period and compiles 10 tracks each written for a specific moment in time. “Amelia,” for example, was written on the day his first niece was born. “The idea of the track is to serve as a unique time capsule for her,” he explains. Wildblood supported the album with an ambitious world tour that covered the United States, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, and Korea. On November 5, the label will release a remix package featuring contributions from ​Suzanne Kraft​, object blue​, ​Jenifa Mayanja, and ​Ciel.

Wildblood’s podcast is a little harder than a lot the material he’s released recently—seen as “a chance step back into clubland.” It begins with some downtempo house, the sort you probably associate with Wildblood, but by the six-minute mark we’re introduced to more driving cuts, and it stays that way until he end, when Wildblood winds it down with some dusty house jams and chilled UK garage. As you’d expect from a head of three labels and a DJ, the curation is impeccable, so do check out the tracklisting below.

What have you been up to recently?

I finished my album tour not long ago. Since then, I’ve been trying to get back into some sort of routine. I’ve been working on a bunch of remixes and have just started to think about my follow-up EP. Along with all that, the labels take up a lot of my day. For the most part, it’s nice, as it elevates a lot of the pressure of solely being a musician/producer, whilst at the same time sometimes I only have so many hands; it’s a balance that I’m working on, but enjoying.

How did you find your way into music?

Music has always been an escape for me. My adolescent years were pretty turbulent, to say the least. I remember my first MP3 player that could fit maybe 30 songs. Whenever life felt like it was too much or I was feeling anxious, I’d put my headphones in and it would calm me. That’s when I started to develop a very personal relationship with music—it became a tool for me, it still is.

Do you think carefully and where you’re going artistically?

Now, for sure. I have a clear vision of where I see the project heading and what I want to express but this wasn’t always the case. I feel you have to learn your craft somewhat before you have the license to make these choices. I’m conscious of following my own path.

Something I value highly is that I’ve been doing this for three or four years, touring, releasing music, and releasing music I love by other artists. I value the longevity of all of this so I am in no rush. If something is not right, I won’t go for it. Saying all this, I wish my current self could tell the budding producer who signed the first track he ever made to a label with no second thoughts!

What’s your go-to music when you’re looking for inspiration?

It really depends on what I’m looking to make, if I’m writing my next club record, nothing will be more powerful than indulging in the culture. I’ve written some of my best club material following a string of DJ gigs. For example, I can still feel what I felt in Istanbul last summer. It was the day before I wrote “Grab the Wheel.” My memory is awful but things just seem to stick through music.

What records have you been enjoying recently?

Ebende & Matinda Logik
K-LONE Missed Calls
Young American Primitive Young American Primitive

Where and when was this mix recorded?

At home in my studio on September 24, 2019.

What’s the concept behind it?

I wanted to give snippets of what you’ll likely hear me playing in the club. I’ve released a lot of the downtempo side of my catalog recently so this was a chance step back into clubland.

How did you choose the tracks that you included?

A mixture. Some were found digging in second-hand stores, some trawling Bandcamp, etc. I was conscious that I wanted to incorporate a bunch of different genres, so I inevitably sourced the tracks in many different ways and formats.

Where do you envisage it being listened to?

Post YouTube rotation at the after-party.

What’s next, looking forward?

I have a remix EP coming out very soon with Suzanne Kraft, Object Blue, Jenifa Mayanja, Ciel plus a couple of bonus versions too. Other than that, I’m working on a live show which I’ll debut next year, plus many remixes.

XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.

Tracklisting

01. Young American Primitive “These Waves” (Zoe Magik)
02. Escape Artist “Silicone Valium” (Salt Mines)
03. Zvukbroda “KSE ZO” (Gilesku Slovenia)
04. El B “El Brand” (Part Three) (white label)
05. DJ Firmeza “Intenso” (Príncipe)
06. Kasper Marott “Metaxus” Carnival (Monkeytown Records)
07. Project Runaway “Met” ((Emotional) Especial)
08. Closet Yi “Untitled” (Honey Badger Records)
09. Adam Pits “Motion Sensor” (Holding Hands)
10. Sansibar “Liquid Programming” (FTP)
11. Ruffkut “NewCleus” (Deep Jungle)
12. Source Direct “Artificial Barriers” (Source Direct Recordings)
13. Herb LF “Supa Steppin” (Farside Germany)
14. Amma “Heartbeat” (IRIS Remix) (Inspirit Music)