Daniel Avery is a renowned British producer and DJ whose music is equally suitable for club and home listening, encompassing abstract techno, house, IDM, and shoegaze. Initially going by the name Stopmakingme, he began releasing well-received indie-dance tracks and remixes starting in 2009, but broke through after he switched to his own name in 2012. His expansive full-length debut, Drone Logic, was released to wide acclaim in 2013. Five years and a DJ-Kicks volume later, Avery released his second album, the more cerebral, immersive Song for Alpha.
Avery began DJ'ing indie music as an 18-year-old in his native Bournemouth, England. It wasn't until a trip to Ibiza that he was inspired to spin house and techno, after seeing crowds open to dancing to new and unfamiliar tracks. He connected with Filthy Dukes through a local bar and spun at the synth pop group's Kill 'Em All club night in London, which led to opening slots at the prestigious Fabric. As a producer and remixer, he developed a raw, robust sound that incorporated his love for odd, alien elements. Output from 2009 through 2011, including collaborations with Justin Robertson and remixes for the likes of Little Boots, Metronomy, Hercules & Love Affair, and In Flagranti, was credited to Stopmakingme.
In 2012, he switched to his birth name and broke out with a slew of releases for James Friedman's Throne of Blood, Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound, and J.D. Twitch's Optimo Music. Avery capped off a whirlwind year by mixing the 66th volume of the Fabriclive series, highlighted by several of his own productions. After signing to the Phantasy Sound label, Avery released his first solo album, Drone Logic, in October of 2013. The album took inspiration from electronic heroes like the Chemical Brothers and Underworld and mixed a wide range of electronic styles, from acid house to IDM, into a blend perfect for late-night bedroom listening. In early 2015, New Energy, an album of remixes of tracks from Drone Logic by the likes of Factory Floor, Audion, and Perc, was released. He kept up a steady schedule of gigs, as well as releasing a DJ-Kicks mix in 2016. That same year, he issued a white-label single, "Decision Two," that was given away at a Resident Advisor event; he followed it a year later with another white-label single, this time a collaboration with Alessandro Cortini titled "Sun Draw Water."
Avery spent 2017 with his head down, putting in hours at clubs around the world and quietly working on his sophomore album. The following year he released the EPs Projector and Slow Fade as a precursor to his second full-length album, Song for Alpha. Arriving in April of 2018, the album was a bit dustier, hazier, and more reflective than his debut, focusing on the most immersive moments of the club-going experience. A remix set followed before he rounded out the year with the Diminuendo EP, which arrived that October. Illusion of Time, a full-length collaboration with Cortini finished while the two were on tour with Nine Inch Nails, was released by Phantasy Sound in 2020.
