Jack Dunning, aka Untold, is currently releasing some of the finest boundary-pushing music around, simultaneously blasting dancefloors and attracting worldwide critical acclaim. So how did we get here?
Having produced music in a bedroom setup for years as a young 20-something, a draining stint of higher education forced him to down tools: “An Electronic Music degree ruined my enjoyment of writing for ages”, Jack remembers. But these were just years of hibernation and the time to develop a career in graphic design that put food on the table. The catalyst for a musical renaissance came in 2005 after a lesson in sub bass at the then-fledgling DMZ, the world’s most important dubstep night.
“It was the purity of the atmosphere and the sub bass that got me. Everyone in the room seemed totally locked on to each tune, there was a crazy energy in the place. After going to my first dance at Third Base I knew I had to start writing music again.”
Picked up in early 2008 by Hessle Audio, his ‘Kingdom’ EP was the third release of the imprint, introducing a sonic palate that was nuanced, understated but with bags of bass-weight. Here were the early indicators of what was to become a fierce sonic arsenal – the mutant, blunt edges of his synth play, an intricate tapestry of detail which added depth and longevity, but barely audible to even to the geekiest of listeners.
By early 2009 Jack had been hammering a selection of awesomely anachronistic and symptomatic music on CDR; fuel for an ever-growing DJ schedule. For those that were lucky enough to be caught in a rave when the awkward, staccato bleeps of ‘Anaconda’ assaulted the ear drums, you knew this was an artist to take 100% seriously. Played by DJs spanning genres, countries and vast age groups, this 12” release on the Hessle Audio label showed the electronic world they had a new artist with a highly distinctive sound to get their teeth into.
2009 unfolded with a slew of essential remixes for 2nd Drop and Planet Mu, alongside original material on Hotflush and Brainmath. Jack’s largest body of work has been the six-track EP on his own Hemlock label. The ‘Gonna Work Out Fine’ EP was a collection of tracks that pushed genre boundaries – this wasn’t dubstep; if dubstep was half-step wobble then this was the Antichrist – and could be seen gazing off into the near future of progressive dancefloors and vinyl connoisseurs everywhere. Stilted rhythms met jilted synths and squashed drums with the ever-present specter of grime lurking on the peripheries.
Last year saw Jack continue to go from strength-to-strength, with two tracks on a single as part of the Soul Jazz Future Bass compilation, a collaboration with Roska on Numbers, and a single, ‘Stereo Freeze’, on the esteemed R&S Records, as well as spurning continued success for Hemlock, with the likes of James Blake (who released his debut through the label), Mount Kimbie, Cosmin TRG and Ramadanman gracing the label. Jack is now working on his debut album, which will no doubt be full of further innovative Untold goodness.