In Session: Halogenix

Halogenix has taken this decade in d'n'b by storm, releasing on scene lynchpins like Critical, Metalheadz, 1985 and Dispatch. It's high time he blessed our In Session series.

Intriguingly, Halogenix didn’t begin his career in the most conventional manner. His father is a classically-trained French horn player for the London Symphony Orchestra, and as a result sparked his interest in classical theory and the study of instruments. A schoolboy obsession with tagging the word ‘Halogen’ across his chemistry textbook lead to coming up with the Halogenix alias and the rest is 170bpm history.

2011 saw the start of a thriving career in low-end electronic music. Shortly after releasing his first tracks, Halogenix collaborated with Sabre and Stray on 'Askari', and the three joined forces to become the phenomenal bass-heavy force Ivy Lab. The trio blessed the scene with cult hits including ‘Oblique’, featuring Frank H Carter III’s soulful vocals, and even landed themselves a spot in Mixmag’s Top 10 DJs of 2015. His time in Ivy Lab continued until 2018, when he left the group to focus totally on his solo work, but not after collaborating with Roses Gabor and SHADES as part of the group.

2015 was also the year of Halogenix’s debut EP with Metalheadz, with lead on to a collaboration with label boss Goldie. A high point of his work for the label came when his track ‘Blej’ recieved a Best Track nomination at the 2017 Drum & Bass Arena Awards.

Since then, Halogenix has continued his extensive musical backlog, including creating this mix. It's full of twists and turns, from intimate vocals over punchy, energetic beats to moody, dark and industrial vibes. It’s impossible not to move your body to this one and it lands just before the release of his latest EP, 'Gaslight', on Critical.

“I like to keep my sets dynamic and varied with a future facing feel as well as a nod to it’s rich past," he says of the mix. "It’s the same philosophy I adopt when I make music — mixing the light with the dark — if i stick to one style for too long i just end up getting bored.”

Halogenix's 'Gaslight' EP is out on June 7 via Critical Music

Bekka Barnard is a freelance writer, follow her on Twitter