Skoden on Creative Reset, Rave System and Moving Beyond Harder Techno
- Undrtone Blog
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Skoden has spent more than a decade building his place within the UK techno scene, but his latest chapter feels less like another step forward and more like a reset.
The Birmingham based DJ and producer returns to HEKATE this August with Rave System, a three track EP that deliberately moves away from the increasingly fast and intense direction hard techno has taken in recent years. The energy is still there, but the focus has shifted towards groove, tension, space and movement. For Skoden, that change came from a point where making music had simply stopped being enjoyable.
“Last year, I hit a point where I just wasn’t enjoying making music anymore,” he says. “Everything was getting faster and harder, and it felt like the scene had become a competition to see who could make the most intense track.”
Rather than forcing himself through it, he stepped away for a few months and stopped worrying about releases altogether. That break proved crucial.
“I went back to making whatever felt fun,” he explains. “For the first time in a while, I was creating music because I genuinely enjoyed it, not because I felt like I had to keep up with a trend.”
Slowing the tempo changed everything. Suddenly there was more room to work with rhythm, atmosphere and progression rather than relying purely on speed for impact.
“It gave the tracks more space to breathe and let me focus on groove, tension and atmosphere. Rave System feels like the most honest representation of where I am as an artist today.”
That evolution also made HEKATE feel like the natural home for the project. Skoden’s relationship with Sara Landry’s imprint stretches back several years, with the label backing him before many others had taken notice.
“HEKATE has always felt like home to me,” he says. “Sara took a chance on me back in 2023 and signed my first bigger EP at a time when I wasn’t playing many shows or releasing on well known labels.”
Since then, both his sound and the label have evolved.
“It still has the energy people know me for, but it’s less about making the hardest track in the room and more about creating something people can really move to.”
That emphasis on authenticity runs deeper than production choices. Before music became his full time career, Skoden spent five years serving in the British Army, including a tour of Afghanistan. The experience shaped both his outlook on life and the discipline he still brings into music today.
“It taught me organisation, resilience and that life is too short not to take risks or pursue what you’re genuinely passionate about.”
His path into DJing developed directly from that period. While he was deployed, his girlfriend Danielle bought a pair of decks and taught herself to DJ. When he returned, the pair travelled to Ibiza and became immersed in electronic music together.
“From that moment we spent countless hours practising and supporting each other,” he recalls. “That’s when I realised I didn’t want to spend my entire career in the Army. Music was what I genuinely wanted to do.”
He eventually moved into civilian recruitment while spending several years learning production, building his profile and performing wherever possible before finally leaving his day job.
Music has also remained an important emotional outlet throughout those changes.
“Even though it’s my career now, music is still my escape,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll spend a whole day in the studio making music that no one else will ever hear, and honestly, those are often my favourite sessions.”
Turning that escape into a profession has inevitably brought pressure, especially around releases and social media.
“I got into this because I love making music and DJing, not because I wanted to become an influencer,” he says. “These days, though, being an artist means you have to do both.”
Rather than forcing constant content, Skoden has started sharing more of the person behind the project.
“I don’t want people to only know Skoden the DJ. I want them to know Ryan as well.”
That might mean fitness, everyday life or moments away from music, but the goal remains the same: if he shares something, it needs to feel genuine rather than manufactured.
His wider outlook on the scene is similarly personal. Two of the most important figures in his career have been Sara Landry and Rebekah, both of whom supported his music during important early stages.
“Rebekah was the first DJ to play one of my tracks during a livestream in COVID, and the first person I heard playing my music live at Warehouse Project,” he says. “Sara signed one of my first big releases. They’ve both had a massive impact on my career.”
Their influence has also reinforced his belief that electronic music still has work to do around representation.
“I’d love to see a scene where everyone is judged by the quality of their music, nothing else. The more different voices and ideas we have, the better the scene becomes for everyone.”
Although Birmingham remains home, he is surprisingly clear that the city did not directly dictate his sound. By the time he began going out, drum & bass, bassline and tech house were more dominant locally, meaning his techno education came largely through travelling, online discovery and events elsewhere.
“I just wish I’d been around for the Godskitchen days,” he laughs. “From everything I’ve heard, they were pretty special.”
That willingness to follow his own path is now shaping everything that comes after Rave System. Skoden sees this slower, groove led direction continuing for the foreseeable future, but he has no interest in trapping himself inside another fixed formula.
“I think the best artists keep evolving,” he says. “As long as any changes happen naturally and not because I’m chasing trends, I’ll always follow what feels right creatively.”
That also means releasing less music.
“The last few years were all about building momentum and releasing as much as I could. Now I’d rather take my time and only put out music that I’m really proud of.”
For Skoden, success increasingly means creating records that last beyond their release campaign and become attached to real memories for the people hearing them. Rave System marks the beginning of that shift, not by making everything bigger or harder, but by stripping away the pressure and returning to the reason he started producing in the first place.
