Words by Francesca Venn [Interview by Ross McKay]. Photography by Moon Immisch. Thanks to Joe Philip & Chris Graham [Listen Up].

Hedex is one of those rare names in UK drum and bass that genuinely feels impossible to ignore right now. Whether it’s a festival crowd erupting before the drop, a sold-out headline show, or another shaky set video doing the rounds online, his sets have developed a reputation for creating moments that live far beyond the rave itself.

You can see that momentum everywhere right now too, the MHITR Festival at Boston Manor Park, the shows that seem to get longer every time you check them, and a project that’s now stretching far beyond just DJ sets, he still comes across like someone who’d rather talk about finding a sick vintage jacket than carefully explaining his ‘artistic vision’ and I think that’s great.

That’s what makes this current ‘Nu Era’ chapter interesting. It doesn’t feel like a dramatic rebrand. It feels more like watching someone gradually widen the world around their music. As Hedex says himself “the Nu Era is only just beginning”. The heavier leaning records are still there, obviously, ‘Beat On My Drum’ with Inéz is built for exactly the kind of moment where a crowd suddenly goes from bouncing to completely losing its mind. But what’s becoming just as noticeable is everything happening around the music: the visuals, the styling, the short-film energy of the recent promo clips, and the sense that ‘My Home Is The Rave’ has grown into something much bigger than a label name.

All you need to do is watch one shaky Hedex fan video to see the real atmosphere and somehow controlled chaos that builds within the crowds, and just like that, you can’t help but feel instantly like you’re part of something bigger than a live show. And that’s something I kept coming back to while researching this piece, it was how often people describe Hedex’s sets as fun. Not ‘technically impressive’ or ‘genre-defining’, although many would say both - but genuinely fun. In a scene that can sometimes take itself a bit too seriously, that matters.

It also reflects the way Hedex talks about success. Despite the chart records and global touring, he describes success in surprisingly simple terms; "success is just creating, at this point”. That creative obsession still feels like the driving force behind everything he’s building.

And despite how global the project has become, there’s still a strong thread connecting it back to the UK venues and rave culture that shaped him. The fact that places like The Junction in Cambridge still come up as meaningful parts of his story says a lot. Plenty of artists move on from their hometown circuit as quickly as possible; Hedex seems to carry it with him.

That grounding is probably part of why his rise has felt different from the usual overnight-success narrative. Yes, ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’ pushed him into a completely new level of visibility. Yes, the collaborations with names like Tion Wayne, Chase & Status and Tiësto have opened doors that most jump-up producers can only dream of. But none of that really explains why a new generation of ravers has attached itself to this new movement ‘My Home Is The Rave’ so strongly. It feels less like fans following an artist and more like people wanting to be part of the world he’s building.

For me, the DnB scene has always been about creating an experience unlike no other, with audiences feeling part of every beat and track, a reaction so sought after in a society where live music feels so rare. And, what also stands out is that Hedex doesn’t really seem interested in pretending he has everything figured out. Speaking so openly about struggling to switch off when “my passion is my job” and that honesty is probably more relatable than any polished superstar narrative.

Still excited to open a project, still questioning whether a new idea is “as good as the last one” and still being motivated by the simple thrill of making something fresh. There’s no real sense of a carefully constructed persona. In fact, one of the most revealing things he said was simply “me as a person is kind of what you see” and maybe that’s the simplest reason for his appeal.

At a time when electronic music is unfortunately increasingly driven by algorithms, branding strategies and perfectly curated online identities, Hedex still gives off the impression of someone whose main motivation is making things that feel exciting, whether that’s a new track, a crazy visual concept, or a room full of people screaming the same vocal back at him… and honestly, that kind of energy is much harder to fake than a chart position.