The moniker of UK-producer Jamie Roberts, Blawan has long been a defining figure in the more confrontational edges of club and techno music, from his early post-dubstep cuts to the industrial-inflected techno he helped pioneer. Across his solo work, collaborative projects and live hardware sets he’s shown a rare ability to bend harsh textures into groovage that feels alive, and deliciously addictive. His signature grit and continued refinement of modular-driven sound design has only solidified his reputation as a producer ahead of the curve.

Released in 2025 on XL Recordings, his LP SickElixir digs deep into the pleasures of personal grief and existential upheaval, a channel for trauma and transformation through a filterless lens. Twisted rhythms shiver against the caress of glitch-heavy synths, fragmented vocal manipulations choking and sputtering. Part psychedelic mindflip, the harrowing passages aren’t mere nihilism but another kind of beauty forged of dissonance and discomfort. In transforming personal trauma into sound, he offers listeners a chance to move not away from pain, but through it.

• SickElixir, by Blawan

• SickElixir, by Blawan