Royalston

Sydney, Australia-based DJ and producer Dylan Martin, aka Royalston, first got into producing music after working on a soundtrack for a 3-D animation film and years of listening to drum'n'bass; originally starting out as a DJ, the production route was an obvious choice. Wanting to learn more about music production, Royalston went on to study piano and composition while using basic computer software and his trusty Yamaha RMX1. While learning his craft, Royalston wrote music for documentaries, TV adverts, and educational programs, but his focus was his own brand of tech-edged drum'n'bass. In 2011, Bad Taste Recordings released his debut 12", the double-A-side All My Life/Heisenberg, followed by the split release Decay with Dizz1 on Black Acre. Grabbing the attention of Hospital Records offshoot Med School Music, Royalston signed an exclusive contract with the label. After issuing the tracks "The Test" and "Glitchbitch," they went on to release the EP Cerulean Blue, which also featured a track from his old music teacher's band, MA, remixing "Japanese Bones." Continuing with DJ bookings and focusing on his production work, Royalston headed to the studio to record his debut album. Released at the beginning of 2014, OCD delivered a mix of analog-tinged, techy drum'n'bass and slickly produced, anthemic vocal numbers. He followed it in October 2015 with his second album, People on the Ground, a mix of techno, trance, and house that featured vocals by singer Hannah Joy. Two years later, he returned with the techstep and halfstep-focused Popular Mechanics. ~ Rich Wilson, Rovi