The label’s recent Summer Mixtape 2026 reflects that evolution, moving between soulful songwriting, melodic vocals and heavyweight club energy while refusing to be confined to a single corner of the genre. As Drum & Bass continues to reach new audiences, Vibe Chemistry talks to us about building a home for artists who don’t fit neatly into boxes, the realities of artist development, streaming versus the dancefloor, resisting trends and why the genre’s widening boundaries make its future so exciting.
Compared to previous Make Your Era compilations, this edition delves much further into melodic songwriting, cinematic intros and vocal-led records. Was that a conscious reflection of where the label is heading?
Definitely! Whilst we are always looking for a range of music our early days definitely included a lot of rave/ underground songs. We define ourselves on the range of music we sign and 100% want to find more soulful/ melodic tracks which can be suited for different occasions like road trips, BBQ’s etc…
The compilation balances exclusives with tracks that have already helped define the label over the past year. What made those records feel essential to telling the story of Make Your Era right now?
We are very seasonal at our label trying to cater for the UK weather and these tracks are packed with the summer soul vibe. Make Your Era is definitely evolving with the hunt for songs that stand the test of time because they feed so much emotion.
Make Your Era has grown into much more than a platform for releasing music. When you launched the label, what did you want it to stand for that perhaps wasn’t being offered elsewhere?
I wanted a home for the artists that aren’t boxed in and might not necessarily fit into another label. A lot of labels tend to lean into one style where we try to not limit ourselves because of branding we strive to be an artist first label. We don’t do recoup going straight in at 50/50 splits with a push for artist development. We don’t look at numbers we just listen and also only work with artists who are nice and friendly.
Vibe Chemistry
Plenty of labels chase whatever sound is trending at the time, but Make Your Era seems to be building around artists rather than individual records. Why has that approach been so important to you?
I think being an artist myself I have that understanding from the people we sign. I get why labels do that and from a business view it makes sense but for me it’s more than just the money. Giving artists a good label experience and helping people get to their next check point gives a great sense of achievement and reward which in exchange makes me happy.
Artist development is something that’s talked about a lot but often feels overlooked in today’s streaming era. What does supporting an artist look like behind the scenes at Make Your Era?
Communication and transparency. Making sure artists are paid and given up to date advise beyond “post 3 times a day”. It’s getting them to actually send content and build the habit to be marketing. It’s connecting dots with artists to collaborate. It’s filming DJ sets, doing shows and having artists on. It’s creating as many goal moments for an artist.
How involved do you get creatively with the producers on the label? Is it more about mentoring, A&R or letting artists develop entirely on their own?
It’s more about mentoring, we give only light feedback as from experience I’ve found the A+R process to be tedious from the producers stance. Getting to version 100 then going with version 2. I love the music we sign and often struggle to make any changes if I like a song. Structural things and a bit of arrangement stuff I tend to stick to and we also send of to mastering engineer who if any real drastic problems will make us aware.
Vibe Chemistry
What qualities do you notice in artists before deciding they’re the right fit for Make Your Era?
They make bangers. Then they have a chat with one of our team or me and you can just tell when someone is good natured. I like working with people that would also go on to help others along the way
Drum & Bass feels more accessible than ever, with melodic, vocal-driven tracks reaching audiences that may never have listened to the genre before. Why do you think that shift has happened now?
I think the world is so much more connected through social media and tik tok. Also just though the years of seeding the scene from the pioneers all the way to the present over time has just spread. Every year there is so many amazing songs released which grab the ears of new fans
Vibe Chemistry
Do you think we’re seeing the definition of Drum & Bass broaden or is the scene simply becoming more comfortable embracing different influences?
I think it’s a bit of both. Drum & Bass has always evolved by pulling influences from other genres, but I think people are more open to it now than ever. You can have soulful, garage, house, hip-hop or even pop influences and still have that D&Bness running through it. I think that’s what makes the sound exciting the boundaries are getting wider without necessarily losing too much.
Some people worry that crossover success comes at the expense of underground culture. Do you think those two worlds can strengthen each other rather than compete?
I think it’s all temporary. Whilst it’s mainstream it’ll definitely be at the cost of the underground and you’ll have trend chases but once it’s no longer the trending music the ones who discovered the music who really love it will stay so then when it goes back to being underground it’ll be that little bit more healthy.
Streaming has become the first place many people discover new Drum & Bass, but clubs remain where records truly come alive. How do you balance making music that works in both environments? Is there a big difference in what becomes successful streaming and what works on the dancefloor?
I’ve definitely noticed this, some tracks will be huge in the rave and not as many streams and vice versa. I think the real win is if you can make something that does both go off in the rave and stream well. For my own music I try not to overthink this part at the start. Once I get something cooking and can sense it’s either more for the rave or a chill one or a streamer I’ll take my next production steps based on this
Platforms like TikTok have introduced huge numbers of people to Drum & Bass. Has that changed how artists think about writing records, for better or worse?
I think there’s definitely a lot of reverse engineered viral songs being made which does infect the music being made. I’ve made a couple meme songs and it can be fun to do but it’s just one avenue with a lot of producers just making whatever they feel like.
Does running a label means wearing a completely different hat to being an artist?
Yes, I do a lot of admin now!
You have a new artist album forthcoming, Serotonin, can you give us a heads up on what to expect?
It’s a proper summer DnB mixtape! expect soulful vibes, big vocals, feel-good/sad energy and a few surprises along the way. It’s made for those long summer days, late nights and everything in between. A mix of some of my favourite new sounds, with a few tunes you might remember.
MYE Summer Mixtape is out now. Grab it on Beatport HERE.
Vibe Chemistry – Serotonin is out on August 28th. Pre-Order it on Beatport HERE.
