With a reputation for bending the rules of techno into something visceral and cinematic, Tunnel has returned with ‘Control’, the fierce first glimpse of his forthcoming album ‘Personas’. Following 2024’s ‘Interlinked’, the new teaser single dives headfirst into a high-intensity fusion of bass, hardcore, jungle, and sharp-edged techno.
Known for his forward-thinking productions, immersive live shows, and his self-described “techno language” that blurs IDM, breaks, and sound design, Tunnel has spent the past decade performing across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, cementing his place as a master of both beauty and brutality on the dancefloor. With ‘Personas’ on the horizon, he’s set to redefine expectations once again.
We sat down with Tunnel to discuss the making of ‘Control’, the vision behind ‘Personas’, and how he continues to balance intensity with emotion in his music.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
Growing up, my mom played flute and my parents were in a local choir. My first experiences being touched by the mystery of music and sound were from these early years of witnessing people come together and sharing the experience of music. I didn’t consider myself a musician or even capable of making music as a child. I stumbled through a few saxophone lessons. I was pretty ace on drums, but didn’t stick with it. Fast forward to my early teen years when I stumbled into a few mixtapes that blew my mind, stuff coming out of Chicago, Moby’s “Everything is Wrong” album, Future Sound of London, The Orb. I had been mostly listening to what my peers were listening to at the time – grunge, punk, metal. Through mixtapes and early warehouse rave djs, the world of electronic music opened up to me and I was hooked!
I went to my first rave in ’95. I started DJing when I was about 16. Getting up and running was the classic story of cobbling together a cheap turntable from my step-mother, a cheap mixer from Radio Shack, and a CD player. That was my first setup. Being able to crossfade sounds together? Magic! My first record was a jungle record on Moving Shadow. I remember listening to it in a shop and thinking, “this is everything I want to hear!” About that time I took a road trip to Detroit to visit a friend and he took me to Black Baxter’s Save The Vinyl shop. I picked up a brand new copy of Dave Clarke’s Red series, and that’s when techno took over as a passion. I hardly listened to anything but techno for years, as I was constantly between record shops and working on mixes.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
Early influences for me were artists Surgeon, Goldie, Bjork, The Orb, Moby, Future Sound of London, Dj Spooky, Aphex Twin, Tool, NiN. Pretty varied stuff, really, but each of those artists were doing things with sound and world building with sound that I was in love with. I’ve always been drawn to music that feels like a soundtrack – big drama, wild sounds, dynamic range, reflective and emotional moments. Boards of Canada, Pole, Autechre, Thomas Köner, Burial, A.S.C., have all shaped my tastes in sound and music.
Now I’m listening to artists like Eprom, Slikback, Headless Horseman, Swarm Intelligence, Blawan, Baseck, Sophie, and soundtracks to films. My music circle is filled with people making great music too, people like Jesse Whitney, God’s Drugs, Kitten Candy, Michaelton, Braek, Wickers Portal, and I feel like we’re always inspiring each other with live sets and other things. Everyday sounds in my environment inspire me, and silence of course. It’s all food for a creative life.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
Yes! The moment was a panic attack when I realized that my dream of being a filmmaker was dead, at least in the way that I was hoping for at the time. I had abandoned my DJing around 2002. I was obsessed with mixing vinyl, and I felt the only way to do anything else was to push it away and out of my life for a time. I committed whole heartedly to learning the art of film and filmmaking for about 10 years. I went to film school at Columbia College in Chicago. After a handful of years of making films and trying to work my way into the film industry, I just felt lost. The kind of filmmaking I wanted to do would have required millions of dollars and a small army of people. I had a script that was going nowhere and a dream that I watched slowly dying. The death of this dream affected me deeply on a physical and spiritual level. It was the death of that dream that allowed another to come forward, and that new dream was a return to my original love of electronic music and techno. And now, here we are…”Personas”…go buy it. Webuildmachines.com. Haha.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
My typical process is just beginning! Showing up to the ‘mat’ so to speak. Sometimes I’ll start with an idea for a drum pattern, or a sound design patch, other times with a vocal sample, or a drone. Sometimes I’ll sit down with a reference track and just try to figure out how it was made, and that can be a great starting point for new material.
Exploring the sounds of a piece of gear or software instrument or effect, which leads towards experimentation and iteration, is a common theme in my process. The important piece for me is to pursue my curiosity and energy in the moment. I don’t have a formula for starting new material, although I have found that iterating a bunch of quick idea snapshots works really well to stay creative and efficient.
My process is highly experimental and iterative. I often have no idea where something will lead, and that’s how I know I’m on the right path.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
I don’t really seek inspiration. Life is crazy enough, really, the inspiration is everywhere! How I think and feel, with my eyes and ears open, becomes the fuel that feeds the flame. My inspiration comes out of a general curiosity at the state of myself, my family and friends, and the world. I just live my life, and the ideas for music flow from there.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope listeners first feel something and then, perhaps, intuit a story from the music itself. The album “Personas” was meant to tell the story of a soul in transformation, and includes a narrative arc across all the tracks.
My intention behind the album will probably read differently to every listener, but my take is this – the album begins with the emotional experience of a utopia, a powerful connection within and desire for community (Our Utopia). The listener encounters a very visceral, real, and powerful experience of conflict and pushback in the real world (You Have Been Owned / Control). The album moves into the observation that darkness in the world is the absence of light or the absence of love (Your Absence). And finally, the journey concludes with a cathartic and ambient reset (Other Worlds) and a sense of hope that light could indeed win in the end (Blue Flowers). Of course, that’s just my reading! I’d love to hear yours!
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
I have always felt like an ‘outsider looking in’ to music scenes in general. Part of that comes from my need to have lots of time alone to create and recharge. I’m not a party monster. It’s been hard to get gigs and find support within ‘the scene.’ Art scenes always give lip service to the importance of standing out and being different, but in the music world if you don’t fit an easily classifiable genre as an artist, it’s difficult to find support, gigs, and opportunities to grow. They do come up, but not as often as I would like. It’s different if you’re an artist that’s also throwing events and parties, but even being the artist/promoter has its ups and downs. SO, the challenge has been to stay true to my path of evolution, my ethos, and keep going as a musician and an artist without a lot of the external rewards that are associated with success and scene approval.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
The most rewarding aspects of my musical journey have been the gigs! I love performing music for an audience, and without a doubt it’s been amazing when I’ve had the opportunity to travel and perform. I’ve scratched and clawed my way into gigs in Europe and Asia, and of course my own backyard here in the States and Canada. I have yet to play in South America, Australia, or Africa…Antarctica as well…So if there are any promoters out there: have gear, will travel.
There is also a deep satisfaction in hearing the music that I’m making now. I’m loving what I hear, and given the time and effort it’s taken to get here, it feels really good.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
When I hit the studio, I don’t think about anything else other than my work and the sound and my connection and feeling to what’s directly in front of me. That’s how I keep the outside world out of my internal creative space. Once I leave my creative space, I may hear what I’ve created through a different lens, a more critical lens, but not in the studio. In the act of creation there are no rules, no obligations, no trends to follow, nothing to prove. It’s my place to explore, experiment, and be free.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
I’m always working on new material! I have a new ep of dark and grimey techno and bass music in the works for early 2026, and I’m working on a new live set for any events that come my way as well. I also wouldn’t be surprised if I drop another album next year!
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
I’ll be right here creating, evolving, pushing, experiencing, making music.
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Listen to Tunnel’s new single ‘Control’ below.
