We caught up with Fred V about Hospital Records’ 30th anniversary, his collaborations with Grafix and Ayah Marar, and the current state of DnB.
Known in the drum and bass world for his melodic and uplifting sound, Fred V has been a familiar name on the Hospital Records roster for more than a decade now. He first joined the label alongside Grafix in 2011, before the duo split up in 2018 to pursue solo careers while both remaining signed to the label. Now 15 years into his relationship with Hospital Records, Fred V is celebrating the milestone alongside the label’s 30th anniversary.
He’s been keeping himself busy with a string of new singles and appearances at festivals throughout 2026. But before he heads into the rest of the year with more music and shows on the horizon, Fred V swung by EDM Identity to reflect on his career, his music, and his partnership with Hospital Records. Read on for the conversation!
Stream Fred V – “Daydreaming” with Ayah Marar on Spotify:
Last month, you released “Daydreaming” with Ayah Marar. How did this collaboration come about, and what was the creative process behind the song?
I’ve been working with Ayah for a while now. She’s a fantastic MC and obviously a bit of a legendary writer and vocalist as well. I think she originally suggested doing a bootleg of her tune with Calvin Harris, “Thinking About You,” so I made one for us to play in our sets. It ended up getting such a good reaction that we wanted to find a way to actually release it, so we basically turned it into a cover and rebuilt everything from scratch. Unfortunately, we had to rename it to “Daydreaming” to get it out there, but we’re buzzing to finally have it released.
“Daydreaming” is such a euphoric summer anthem. Was there a particular mood or feeling you wanted the track to capture, and how did that shape your approach to production?
It was really just about trying to put my own spin on the original. Because it started as a bootleg, I had to take everything from the original track out and rebuild it all from scratch. The main pluck sound was actually really tricky to nail, but I managed to get sort of close! Then, in the middle section, I took a bit more freedom with it and tried to make it sound more like me.
You and Grafix released “Rain Is Falling” in May, your first collaboration since splitting up in 2018. How was it reconnecting to finish this tune?
It just felt like the right time to do it. Hospital was celebrating its 30th anniversary, and we originally signed to the label 15 years ago when it was celebrating its 15th, so there was a nice bit of symmetry to it. “Rain Is Falling” was actually the last tune we’d been working on together before we decided to go our separate ways in 2018, so when Hospital started looking for music for the anniversary compilation, it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally go back and finish it.
What about the experience was similar or different to when you made music together in the past?
I think both of our production styles have evolved pretty significantly over the last eight years or so of working as solo artists, so it was really cool seeing some of each other’s new techniques and ways of working. We’ve actually been sharing bits and pieces with each other again recently, anyway, as we have the same management and are still really good friends. We worked on “Rain Is Falling” remotely, and the original sketch from eight years ago was already fairly finished, so it was mostly just about refining it and bringing it up to where we both are now.
As someone who’s been in the drum and bass scene for nearly two decades, what are your thoughts on the current state of the genre, both the music and the culture?
The scene is absolutely huge at the moment, which is obviously amazing to see, but there are also just so many artists now. Everyone’s competing for people’s attention, and the work rate you need to keep up with social media as well as actually writing tunes and DJing is pretty insane.
I definitely struggled with that side of things for a while because I absolutely hated social media, but I’ve found ways to enjoy it a lot more recently. I’ve got a few different strands of content that actually feel natural to me, rather than feeling like I’m just making content for the sake of it.
Musically, I think some of the dancefloor stuff has maybe settled into a bit of a formula recently. There’s that tried and tested eighth-note rhythm that just always sounds good, so I completely understand why people use it! But personally, I’m quite excited to try and break out of that a bit and see where else I can take my own music.
Hospital Records celebrated their 30 year anniversary this year, and you’ve been signed to them for half that time. What has your relationship with the label meant to you over those 15 years, and how has it evolved as both you and the label have grown?
I grew up as a complete Hospital Records fanboy. Especially in my mid-teens, I was completely obsessed with the label, and even now, sometimes I still have to pinch myself and think, “Wow, I’m just chatting to Chris Goss or one of the original Hospital legends.”
It’s pretty amazing to have grown alongside the label, and to still be part of that core group of artists 15 years later. They’ve been there through Fred V & Grafix and then everything I’ve done as a solo artist, and I’ve always felt like I’ve had the freedom to do my own thing creatively. I also still absolutely love the events. Hospitality on the Beach in particular is probably my favorite time of the year.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about building a career in drum and bass? Is there anything you wish you’d known when you were starting out that you could tell aspiring producers?
One of the biggest things for me is just being disciplined and treating it like a proper job. When I was younger, I loved staying up until three in the morning making music, but I’ve realized over the last few years that I’m actually way more productive first thing in the morning. I definitely wish I’d figured that bit out in my twenties!
Having targets really helps as well. One thing I’ve been doing recently is setting myself a goal of making four really solid sketches every month that I can test out in my sets, so I’m constantly updating what I’m playing.
The reality of producing is that quite a lot of it is actually pretty boring! You might get the initial idea for a tune down in an hour, and that can give you 80 or 90% of what the finished track is going to sound like — but getting that final 10% over the line can take another eight hours. Songwriting can be exactly the same. You can get a great melody or one section really quickly, but finding those final few lines that make the song feel unique and properly finished can take forever. I think being disciplined enough to actually do that last 10% is a massive part of it.
What does the rest of the year look like for you? Is there anything exciting on the horizon that you can share with fans?
I’ve got loads more shows coming up, including a New Zealand tour, a few more US dates, and a bunch more across Europe. I’ve also got two more tunes coming before the end of the year, which I’m really excited about.
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