Few people outside of the X factor have rocketed to fame at the speed of Nottingham bass producer Darkzy. Thanks in large part to label and collective Crucast, Darkzy's ascension in the underground scene is reminiscent of the likes of Mall Grab - a rapid upward trajectory founded on a massive online following, and, above all, innovative, airtight productions.

But while the journey upwards was quick, Darkzy AKA Elliot Fisher has been producing music for almost a decade - ever since, at 12 years old, his older brother introduced him to DJ EJ's Ejucation mix series. So, when Fisher shot to the forefront of the already-exploding bassline scene at the tail end of 2016 with his bootleg of Drake's One Dance, what appeared to be overnight success was actually the product of nearly ten years of hard work.

We caught up with Darkzy to discuss his meteoric rise and his upcoming shows with the Crucast Winter Tour:

How’s 2018 been treating you so far?

2018 has been a mad year already, played some sick shows and had lots of new music to test out to the crowds which has been going down heavily!

Your career trajectory has been pretty mad over the last couple of years, what do you think is behind your rise to fame?

Last year was mad because everything just happened. In 2016 I had about 3/4, then in 2017 everything changed. I made a couple of tracks which started picking up attention such as 'Glock Riddim' and 'Gun Fingers', but then I made the big Drake remix that has just hit about 4 million views across all platforms. I had a lot of help from people around me so they also pushed my progression a lot.

What’s been the biggest change you’ve noticed in your day-to-day life?

The biggest change was leaving my fulltime job last year in April, never thought I could do that from music, but it's definitely a dream come true.

What would you say to a young DJ/producer trying to make it in the industry?

Keep at it, it doesn't happen overnight, it took me about 8 years to start getting any sort of notice. Also - welcome criticism, it will help you get to where you want to be.

You’re obviously a champion of the bassline genre, which has been around since the early 2000s - it’s recently exploded in popularity like yourself, why do you think this is?

Bassline now isn't what it used to be, the crowds are very different and so is the music. Every sound has a cycle and after the basshouse and garage stage a couple years back, it has naturally merged into the 4x4 sound and heavy energetic synths. With a younger crowd, they want the filthiest sound they can find and with the songs that are being released out of the scene, it's exactly what young ravers want.

When you see bassline growing and evolving at the rate it is currently, does it make you happy? Or do you worry that it the genre could go the same way as dubstep/brostep?

It's like any scene, once it gets to a certain popularity the "cool" kids will find something else to like, dubstep was huge and nothing else will ever have the come up dubstep did. It's still huge in America and I know the DJs over there are on a major show, so I don't think bassline being massive is a bad thing.

I'm happy to be a part of something that is doing so well and it's nice to see a lot of people around me being successful as well. We will have to see where it takes us all. 

You’re currently touring with CruCast - tell us about the next show and the artists you’ll be playing alongside.

Tuesday Club in Sheffield on the 27th alongside the usual dons. It's a pleasure to be a part of Crucast - it's like being in a family. We have loads of sick shows lined up for the year and I'm looking forward to them the most.

Besides the ones you’ve mentioned, who should our readers keep an ear out for in the electronic scene?

There is too many to mention and if I forget anyone people get upset, so here's the last three artists I added to my Rekordbox:
Nubass, Deppz, Zero.

Finally, what are you listening to right now?

System of a Down - Chop Suey, strange right?