“Community is a term thrown around a lot these days"
London-based producer Darama has been steadily carving out a distinct lane within UK dance music, one shaped as much by discipline as it is by cultural instinct.
As a core member of South Asian collective Daytimers, his work sits within a wider movement of artists reframing identity through sound rather than nostalgia or replication.
His music has steadily moved away from immediate DJ functionality towards more deliberate construction, where rhythm, space and texture are given equal weight.
Across releases that have earned support from platforms such as Boiler Room, and appearances at stages like Glastonbury, his trajectory has been one of refinement rather than reinvention.
With Refractions 01, that approach is pushed further into a focused, cohesive statement.
In an interview with DESIblitz, Darama breaks down the thinking behind that evolution and the principles shaping his current direction.
Finding Direction through Community
Darama’s relationship with Daytimers began at a moment when isolation and experimentation collided.
Lockdown created the conditions for him to properly develop the project, but it also placed him inside a wider network of South Asian artists exploring similar ideas in real time.
He explains: “Daytimers came along around lockdown, which was the perfect time for me.
“Before that, I was working on different projects and a few months prior, had started Darama as a way to explore my heritage through music.
“Being in a group of other South Asian producers and DJs who were expressing themselves in similar ways was such an affirming space to be in.
“Creatively, my reference points expanded fast. People were sending each other dubs, swapping ideas, putting each other on. You sharpen quicker when you’re surrounded by people doing it well.”
That sense of mutual acceleration affected his music as it started moving outward.
Early radio support, club bookings and curated sessions followed, but he says:
“Community is a term thrown around a lot these days, but it really gave me a platform I wouldn’t have got on my own, which has also contributed professionally.
“The Mixmag session, the early bookings, seeing my music played out. None of that happens at the same speed without the collective being something people wanted to pay attention to.
“The bit that’s mattered most though is the longer version of it. I’ve been close to a group of people I respect for five years now, and we’ve all grown in parallel.
“Being surrounded by such talented people gives me a lot of focus.”
When Production stopped being about DJ Function
Looking back at early releases on labels like More Time Records and Pound Shop Edits, there’s a clear shift in intent compared to how Darama approaches music now.
He says: “The biggest shift is that I’m not approaching tracks as a DJ anymore. Back then I was making music to slot into sets, including my own.
“Every tune had to land on a dancefloor first and exist as its own thing second. Pound Shop Edits in particular was very much that energy, fast turnaround, made for the function.”
That process has slowed significantly. Instead of starting from the perspective of what a DJ might need, he now begins with fragments of sound or feeling that don’t resolve immediately, as Darama says:
“Now it’s pretty much the opposite. I start with a feeling or a sample that’s got something in it I can’t shake, and I follow it.
“The track has to work in a club but that’s the end of the process, not the start.”
“The tempo dropping to 110 was part of that. It gave me more space in the bar to actually compose rather than stack drums on top of each other. The work feels less like a DJ tool and more transferable to other spaces.”
That change in tempo is structural, reflecting a shift away from impact-led writing towards composition that holds shape across different listening environments, without relying on constant momentum or payoff.
Building a Sound
UK garage, hip-hop, experimental electronics and South Asian musical textures all sit within Darama’s palette, but they aren’t treated as fixed identities.
Instead, they become raw materials that can be reworked depending on what the track demands.
“A guiding mantra of mine is treating production like a DJ would a mix, mashing two elements together so they’re greater than the sum of their parts.
“Naturally this has meant I end up creating fresh ideas rather than references.”
Over time, that approach has become more structural than stylistic.
The DJ says: “Now I feel like I’m more focused on how the fundamentals of each influence can be treated as building blocks.
“I love learning about how things work and I think that knowledge gives me access to build things in different ways.
“A tumbi can carry the same tension as a wonky synth lead if you treat it right. A film vocal can do something a typical club vocal can’t.
“Once you start hearing it that way you’re able to let the final product take its own unique shape.”
That mindset is what gives his catalogue a sense of cohesion without repetition.
The influences are visible, but they’re never allowed to sit in their original form for too long, instead being pushed into unfamiliar combinations that define his sound through process rather than imitation.
Scale and Visibility
Support from platforms like Boiler Room, HÖR and Rinse has played a clear role in expanding reach, but Darama is careful about what those moments actually mean in relation to long-term direction.
“They’ve been important, no question. But they serve more as sentimental checklists I tick off for a younger version of myself.
“Of course, it’s great if those kinds of platforms lend more ears to your music and I love contextualising a reaction in those spaces when I see them.”
There’s a similar detachment when it comes to performance environments.
Large-scale shows like Glastonbury or The Warehouse Project become testing grounds, offering feedback through scale without reshaping intent.
The focus remains on whether ideas survive, not whether they need to be adapted for size.
Darama admits: “That said, I try not to let them shape the direction too heavily.
“The danger with tastemaker platforms is you start producing for them, or you start treating sets as a showcase moment instead of a set.
“I’d rather make decisions that hold up across a whole year and let the bigger moments find the music, not the other way around.
“The visibility opens doors but what you do once you’re in the room is still on you.”
That long-view thinking carries into how he approaches releases altogether.
Refractions 01 is built around that idea, designed as a connected body of work rather than a series of standalone drops.
“It’s the main thing I’m thinking about, honestly.
“The current music economy rewards quick wins, but I’m not interested in being the artist who has a moment and then disappears.
“I’d rather build a catalogue that someone can dig through in five years and still find tracks that work to play out in that period.”
That approach naturally slows output, but it also tightens intent.
Each release carries more weight because it has to sit comfortably within a wider system, not just a short-term cycle.
Even when exploring different directions, the through-line remains consistency of identity rather than responsiveness to trends.
Darama concludes: “Practically that means I’m releasing less than I used to.
“The Refractions series is three EPs that work on their own but connect as one piece, and that took years of slower decisions.
“I’m comfortable with my ‘progression’ being slower if that means building a body of work that’s consistent.
“I’m not opposed to exploring different styles, but it always has to feel like me. If I’m chasing whatever’s working that month, I’ll lose that pretty quickly.”
Refractions 01 is a clear marker in Darama’s ongoing progression, not as a departure but as a sharpening of intent.
The EP reflects an artist increasingly focused on building work that holds weight beyond immediate club impact, prioritising depth, structure and longevity over quick resolution.
Rather than chasing cycles or responding to external pressure, his direction is shaped by a slower, more considered method of development that allows ideas to mature properly over time.
It is this patience, combined with a precise understanding of sound and influence, that defines where his work is heading next.
