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FRED V INTERVIEW

Updated: Jul 22




We take some time out to chat to the legend that's emerging that is Fred V.



JDNB Exclusive


FRED V INTERVIEW

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From his early days crafting euphoric liquid anthems with Grafix to carving his own lane as a solo artist, Fred Vahrman better known as Fred V has become a key architect in the emotional and melodic side of drum and bass.


Born in Exeter and classically trained, Fred V blends raw musicality with electronic precision, delivering soundscapes that are both club-shaking and soul-stirring. His debut solo album 'Radiate' glowed with heartfelt depth, while 'Luminous', his latest album, brings high-octane energy and dancefloor power, featuring collaborations with Hybrid Minds, ALLKNIGHT, Lottie Jones and more.

 

 



Currently riding the wave of festival season and fresh from supporting Netsky in New Zealand, Fred V joins us to reflect on his solo journey, sonic evolution, and what keeps his creative fire burning.



1.⁠ ⁠Fred, you’ve been in the game for over a decade – how would you describe your musical journey from Fred V & Grafix to your solo work today?


When my journey as a solo DJ began in 2018 I was initially a lot more of a liquid producer. This was probably the main reason me and Josh split up in the first place, we’d just been doing our live show and the main tracks that were the biggest part of that were the more sing-along tracks in our Oxygen album like Altitude and Ultraviolet, so I really wanted to push this kind of direction while Josh wanted to go a bit clubbier and more dancefloor focused. And then my first solo album Radiate was made during lockdown, which definitely had an effect – not being in clubs made me lean even more into that sound. Since then, as I’ve gone back to playing out more, my sound has evolved – it’s a bit more dancefloor-focused now with more modern production and electronic elements and is leaning into more of a ‘current’ d’n’b sound then it was before. I think that progression is pretty clear on Luminous – still melodic and emotional, but with a lot more gritty elements in places. Now when I’m making music I’m basically always making stuff that I’m aiming to get into my set




2.⁠ ⁠I love the evolution you have done. What emotional or musical themes did you aim to explore in your latest album Luminous (Released June 2024).


I wanted it to feel a bit more current – there’s a nod to that new-school d’n’b sound you’re hearing from people like Bou or Goddard, but with my own twist. Big synthy breakdowns, euphoric melodies, nice chords – that’s still at the core of everything I do. The idea was to bring that emotional side into a club-friendly space.




3.⁠ ⁠You’ve mentioned starting from the drop when producing Luminous. How did that change your creative flow compared to your earlier work?


Yeah that was a bit of a shift for me. For most of the music I’d made prior to Luminous I’d always started with the song itself, often with another writer or singer. I’d be focusing a lot more on the chords, melodies and lyrics. I think that as an artist, whatever you focus on most tends to be the thing that you improve on the most, so I kind of felt like although there was some great songwriting on Radiate, a lot of the drops weren’t quite doing it for me. So most of the tracks on Luminous were started from the drop and worked backwards.



4.⁠ ⁠Tracks like “Games” and “Metronome” showcase your current influences. Which new-school producers are inspiring you most right now?


I think my favourite new-school producer is Blooom. I really like everything he’s doing and his reese basses are so sick. Pirapus are smashing it as well, love their stuff. Other people to mention are B-Searl, James Hiraeth and DRZ, all very sick!





5.⁠ ⁠You featured a brilliant range of vocalists on both Radiate and Luminous. How do you choose collaborators, and what do you look for in a voice?


I work loads with Lottie Jones and Paul Dowling because we live close and we just naturally end up making music together. Other times it’s suggestions from my manager or the label. I generally like working with people in the room so we can have a bit of back-and-forth about the songwriting process and I think it tends to get better results like that but for Sparks my manager sent the instrumental to Nu-La’s team and she delivered an amazing vocal without us meeting so I think a lot of ways can work.





6.⁠ ⁠You even sing on a few tracks yourself – how did stepping into the vocal booth feel?


To be honest I’m not naturally a great singer, but years ago at the beginning of my songwriting journey I felt like I wanted to contribute more to the songs we were writing and I felt like I wanted to give it a go. I think from processing so many of my own vocals I’ve got pretty good at vocal production, I think it’s actually one of my stronger skills now. I used to hate listening to my own voice, I’d have to leave the room when anyone was listening to anything with my vocals on. I thought everyone was just being nice when they said they liked my vocals but the vocal from Fred V & Grafix - ‘Recognise’ got a lot of radio support and I kind of thought ‘maybe I my voice isn’t terrible’!





7.⁠ ⁠There’s a noticeable shift towards more club-friendly energy in your recent work like “Deepest Blue.” Was that a conscious pivot?


With Deepest Blue I just wanted to keep as close to the original as possible. It’s a bit of a classic, I remember hearing it on the radio all the time growing up! So I gave it a big housey 4/4 build up and used most of the vocal





8.⁠ ⁠From classical training to tribal percussion, your instrumentation is always fresh. What’s your secret to keeping the sound palette exciting?


I went a bit mad on the percussion during Radiate – I bought a hang drum and loads of other instruments. I really liked the level of imperfections you’d get from recording them yourself or recording a sampler based patch, everything just sounded nice and human. I haven’t used them as much recently, but I reckon I’ll bring them back in at some point





9.⁠ ⁠I love that you want to keep things "Human" that def resonates with people. You’ve talked about loneliness on tour. What helps you stay grounded when travelling solo?


I think it’s just generally quite tough. It’s always amazing to tour with a friend, I generally travel to the US on my own but earlier this year I had a show in Denver with Etherwood and it reminded me how much easier it is to do that kind of journey with a friend.





10.⁠ ⁠Radiate felt more introspective, while Luminous is more dynamic. Which side of Fred V feels truer to you right now?


Right now I’m in more of a club-focused headspace. I’m mainly writing tunes to play in my sets, so that naturally pushes things more towards the dancefloor. It’s a fun challenge to try and make stuff that follows on from my earlier my liquid side into the current dancefloor sound I’m aiming for





11.⁠ ⁠How do you balance what fans want with what you want to play as a DJ?


I think I just try and make my DJ sets as much of a journey as possible rather than playing 60 minutes of straight dancefloor bangers - I think going a bit deeper in places makes my DJ sets stand out a bit, I feel like it’s something I need to do in order to fit in a few of the classic FVG tracks in like Altitude which I’ll always play if it’s the right crowd!



12.⁠ ⁠How much work goes into your Kiss show every week – hours, listening to tunes, interviews?


When I first started doing the show it was a big part of my week but now I’ve got a bit more help with it so it’s a bit more manageable - having a weekly show is quite a lot of work as you can imagine but I’ve got my manager and her assistant helping me with going through promos and organising guest mixes. It usually takes about 3 hours per show.


Thank you so much for your time. It's very much appreciated, We all love you here at JDNB and thank you for the music and you, being you.


Stream/BuyLink to latest release: Fred V x ÆON:MODE - Siren (ft. Cameron Hayes) https://fredv.ffm.to/siren

Interview by Missrepresent July 2025


 
 
 

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