Photographer: Finn Waring
Assistant: Coco Bagley
Styling: Roma Mitchell
Grooming: Tom Easto
Words: Joe Harries
Over the past decade, Daniel Avery has reshaped the boundaries of electronic music—blurring techno, shoegaze, and ambient into something deeply human. His sixth album, Tremor, is his boldest step yet—a vivid, collaborative world where noise becomes beauty, and vulnerability finds power in distortion. Across tracks that sway between hypnotic club pulses, soaring melodies, and cinematic textures, Avery creates a space that feels alive, immersive, and entirely his own.
We speak to him about building this sonic ‘studio in the sky,’ finding stillness within chaos, and how instinct, collaboration, and a sense of community shaped his most expansive record to date—one that pushes his music into uncharted, emotional territory while keeping the pulse of the dancefloor close at hand.
Tremor is out now. How does it feel to finally share it?
Daniel Avery: I’m so excited. I’ve been working on it for over two years, and it still feels surreal that it’s out. I’m proud of it and still love listening to it—it feels like a world to escape to. That’s how it felt to make, and I’m ready for people to enter that world.
It definitely feels immersive—consistent in mood but travelling through many sounds.
Daniel Avery: That’s what I love about albums–when an artist takes you by the hand and pulls you into their world. I love the shifts, the moods, the emotional turns. Albums let you explore an idea deeply. If I could do one thing forever, it would be to keep making them.
The album was called Tremor before many of the songs existed. What did that concept mean to you?
Daniel Avery: It came from my love of distortion—that sense of peace inside the noise. I grew up on shoegaze, metal, and guitar music, where sound can be overwhelming but cathartic. A tremor can be tiny or enormous—a vibration that’s both cleansing and physical. That’s the feeling I wanted.
I also knew I wanted more voices. I’d worked with singers before but wanted to push it further this time. It gave the record a more human, communal quality. Even when we were on different continents, it felt like one shared ‘studio in the sky.’ It became its own world.
How did you make sure those collaborations still sounded like you?
Daniel Avery: Honestly, it happened naturally. I chose people I already had a connection with—Alison Mosshart, Walter Schreifels, Cecile Believe, yeule, Ellie [Rowsell], Art School Girlfriend. These are artists I admire deeply. I didn’t over-direct them; I wanted their personalities to shine while still fitting the world. The cohesion came from trust.
Were the songs written before the vocalists came in, or built together?
Daniel Avery: A mix of both. Some began as rough demos; others were built from scratch. “Rapture in Blue” with Cecile Believe happened almost instantly—within an hour we had something special. I was building the track as she wrote the lyrics.
At first, I wondered if I’d lose the techno pulse people associate with me, but when I relaxed and let the music breathe, that energy came through naturally. They might not be ‘techno tracks,’ but they have a techno soul—in structure, tension, and atmosphere. The less I forced it, the more it felt like me.
You also worked with Alan Moulder, David Wrench, and Heba Kadry—what did they bring to Tremor?
Daniel Avery: I’ve always loved collaborating. From day one I’ve worked closely with James Greenwood [Ghost Culture] and Manni Dee—not just as engineers, but part of the sound. Alan Moulder mixed so many albums that shaped me—Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins—it was a dream to have him involved. Heba Kadry is one of the best mastering engineers in the world.
There’s a stigma in electronic music about doing everything alone. That’s never appealed to me. I love inviting people I trust to expand the world. It makes the record feel bigger—more like a collective.
You’ve made videos for the recent singles. In a short-form world, what value do they still hold?
Daniel Avery: I grew up loving music videos. I never saw them as a chore—they’re another way of expanding the record’s world. With Tremor, building that visual mood was as important as the music itself. Working with Zak Watson on the videos and teasers helped shape the album’s identity.
Short-form trends don’t cancel out long form—you can do both. The album has a cinematic quality, and I’ve always been influenced by film and games—Fincher, Lynch, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill. It’s all world-building.
The artwork feels like a defined place, unlike your past more abstract covers. What does it represent?
Daniel Avery: I worked with a design duo called Undercard. We talked about the ‘studio in the sky’ idea—a place that doesn’t really exist—and landed on the concept of a hotel. The imagery combines real and imagined hotels. I’ve spent so much of my life in them; they’re familiar but slightly unreal.
They can feel comforting or eerie—that range of emotion fits Tremor perfectly. Visually and musically I leaned into the darker corners of my influences—Lynch, Fincher, Chris Cunningham, Silent Hill. And musically: My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Deftones, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave. I wanted to push that aesthetic to the edge.
One of the guests is Ellie—that’s Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice?
Daniel Avery: It is. We met through the Confidence Man guys, had a studio day, and it just clicked. She’s small in stature but her voice fills a room. I love that track—it’s gritty and heavy but still very human.
You’re also debuting a new live show including a performance at the Barbican. How have you reimagined it?
Daniel Avery: It’s a complete rebuild. I’ve formed a band—drums, bass, guitar, me onstage. The Tremor tracks need to be played that way, but older material has been reworked to fit too. It’s not just a rock show, there are ambient passages and heavy techno moments. The visuals and lighting are crucial, I want people to feel like they’ve stepped inside Tremor.
This album’s out on Domino, after years with Phantasy Sound. What prompted the move?
Daniel Avery: Phantasy was never fully my label, but it was home for over a decade. Erol Alkan is a hero and a friend, I was meant to do three albums and ended up doing six. When my contract ended, I felt ready for a new start. Domino came along and it just felt right—a label with a long history of creative freedom. I have nothing but love for Erol and Phantasy.
You’ve also been releasing Midnight Versions of the album.
Daniel Avery: Yeah, they’re all my reinterpretations, pushing each track deeper into the strobe-lit techno world. It started with one song, then I couldn’t stop. They came together quickly because I was still living inside those tracks. They feel like another side of Tremor—the after-hours reflection of the same world.
The final track with Art School Girlfriend has similar energy to your track ‘Lone Swordsman’. What influence does Andrew Weatherall still have on you?
Daniel Avery: The holy trinity for me were Optimo, Erol Alkan, and Andrew Weatherall. They made me believe I could belong in this world. Working with Andrew early on was life-changing.
He created a world and lived inside it. He was endlessly curious—if he wasn’t making music, he was reading, painting, or listening to records. He taught me to stay humble, to always say please and thank you, and to keep creating regardless of trends. Just come back each year with something honest and new. I think about that all the time.
You’ve also released the book Techno Is Boring with John Loveless and Keffer. What was that process like?
Daniel Avery: It started as a collection of photos from ten years on the road. Talking with John, it became a book. The title’s tongue-in-cheek—people say ‘techno is boring’ but that world has been endlessly inspiring to me. It’s about community and human connection as much as music.
You’ve been running Goo parties with Richard Fearless. What makes those Sunday sessions special?
Daniel Avery: Rich has been a hero of mine forever—I’m a huge Death in Vegas fan. We’ve had studios next to each other for a decade, so doing a party together made sense. Sundays let us show range, starting with drone and ambient, then building to full-on acid techno.
People arrive early, listen properly, and get lost in it. The small, dark rooms with great sound are key. It’s become one of my favourite projects—and it’s only just beginning.
Do you have any final thoughts around Tremor?
Daniel Avery: Just gratitude, really. I feel lucky to still be doing this, and to have an audience that understands the different sides of what I do—ambient, techno, rock. Feeling that trust gives me freedom to keep experimenting. That’s the most exciting thing.
Listen to Daniel Avery’s ‘Tremor’ album below.