Simon Sinfield is a UK-based electronic music producer and co-founder of Krafted Records, celebrated for his dynamic approach to sound design and an unerring ability to craft emotive, genre-spanning tracks. His music moves effortlessly between progressive house, downtempo, and ambient, with releases on renowned labels like Sony, Toolroom, and Godskitchen.
His latest album, Voyager, is a richly layered exploration of his artistic evolution, weaving together new works, unreleased gems, and beloved classics. Released in late 2024, Voyager captures the essence of Sinfield’s journey through electronic music, blending lush downtempo soundscapes with the energy of progressive rhythms. The album serves as both a reflection on his career and a forward-looking statement of intent.
Simon’s productions have garnered widespread support, with airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Frisky Radio, and features on Krafted’s popular Twitch channel. Beyond his solo work, he’s also known for collaborations under the alias The Cloudshapers, adding yet another layer to his multifaceted career.
With an ear for detail and a talent for evoking emotion through sound, Simon Sinfield continues to push boundaries, solidifying his place as a key figure in the electronic music landscape. Voyager is a testament to his enduring passion and artistry.
Your work has spanned everything from underground anthems to radio-friendly chillout. How do you navigate the balance between artistic experimentation and audience accessibility?
I’ve been really fortunate to work across multiple genres in my career and that has both challenged me and pushed me to be quite brave with some of my releases. I think it’s so important for artists to push themselves outside of their comfort zones, but of course it can be risky. I’ve found that I can bring the club music fans across to my more laidback records and it’s been wonderful to inspire people to go beyond electronic dance music.
Krafted Records has built a strong reputation in electronic music. What is your vision for the label, and how do you decide which artists or sounds align with its ethos?
Our vision remains the same as when we first started. Myself and co-owner Paul Sawyer focus on quality. We’re not necessarily looking to sign established names, or follow the latest trends. If the quality is there and the track fits the labels sound(s), then it’s pounced on. Krafted has an exceptional team working on signing tracks. Our A&R team of Fran Martinez, Darren Braddick and Paul Moore, have years of experience and are true experts within their genres. Those guys are integral in making sure what we sign fit the labels within Krafted.
As an artist with a legacy stretching back decades, how do you keep your sound fresh and relevant in a constantly evolving music scene?
I’m not sure it’s a conscious thing with me. I spend a lot of my time in the studio working on music for my own projects, and for other artists. Sometimes there’s an idea that lands because of something new I’ve heard, but more often than not all the fresh ideas come from experimentation. One thing that I do is I force myself to use different instruments and plug ins. Stopping yourself from using the same equipment and methods every time you start a new project, immediately feeds you different creative ideas.
You’ve collaborated with legends like Jan Johnston and remixed iconic tracks. How do these partnerships shape your creative process, and what do you learn from them?
Working with Jan has been a highlight of my career. As a fan, it was just amazing to have her on our record label for a run of releases. As well as taking her track One Step Beyond, with Paul Sawyer, down the more melodic and chilled route, I also produced her chill single Chase The Sunrise. I wanted to give it a nod to the 90s, so her fans might think it was a lost track, as well as giving it a recognisable feel as something I’d do. Creatively we both found that track such a fun and rewarding project. Of course, Jan’s writing and vocals are fantastic and her fan base was brought into a different world and loved it. Working on any collaboration or remix project always provides some form of learning. Whether it’s the way different people write, or how you decide on the direction of the track and juggle all those creative ideas, it will always dish up a learning opportunity. I’ve collaborated once again with the amazing Ana Be on my album Voyager, with the track What About Me. She is a dream to work with and even though she is just at the beginning of her recording career, I always come away from our projects having learnt something. It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks!
The concept of Voyager feels cinematic. Do you see your music as a form of storytelling, and are there specific narratives or emotions you wanted to convey with this album?
I’m quite traditional when it comes to songwriting, so each of the vocal tracks on Voyager are most definitely stories. Even with the remixes, I always want to strip back the original, start again and paint my own picture. I like to think that the first half of the album does portray the journey of the past few years, from intro track Autobahn, right through to the peaceful conclusion of Winter Sun. I hope people can relate to that feeling of progression and of travelling and moving through life.
The UK electronic music scene has been a hotbed of innovation for decades. How has your British heritage influenced your approach to production and your overall sound?
First and foremost I am a music fan. My record and cd collection is extensive and I still avidly collect. I love discovering new artists and I am ably assisted now by my teenage daughter, who often highlights new artists for me to check out. I do think being based in the UK is an advantage, as we do seem to be repeatedly influential in both popular and underground music, but that really has changed over the years. You just have to look at the creativity and strength of both the North and South American music scene, as well as Europe. I am influenced by former and current UK players, but I regularly delve into music from other countries and we regularly sign artists from across the globe. It’s so magical that all of these people from completely different backgrounds and cultures, are all channelling their creativity into the music scene that we all love.
Your MISSION show on Frisky Radio has gained an international following. How do you curate a set for such a diverse audience, and how does it differ from crafting an album like Voyager?
I love putting my Mission radio show together and Frisky have been wonderful in supporting my vision for the show. It’s only an hour mix, so I can’t go too wild with what I put in, so I do have to be quite thoughtful with curating each show. At least once a year I get to introduce the more laidback side of my releases and what we are doing on Krafted Chill, which once again is a great opportunity to widen the listeners experience. I used to have a weekly 3 hour show on a UK commercial radio station. Each week I could dive into a huge cross section of electronic dance music, including live interviews with both top artists and new talent. Curating that was no problem as it was more of an eclectic mix each week and a case of anything goes. It was exhausting to present but I loved it. Based on that experience, I now present a regular show on the Krafted Twitch channel, to go through the latest releases, chat about the tracks and interact with the audience. The artists and fans love it and it means we can introduce them all to the new releases. They all end up being this lovely group of friends chatting about the music in the live chat room. It’s truly what music should and can do for us.
With the rise of streaming and social media, how has the relationship between artists and their fans changed, and how do you personally connect with your audience?
Personally, the Twitch stream has been a great way, especially after the lockdowns and how the industry slowed down. I have a love hate relationship with social media, but both myself and the label have built a great connection with fans. We do regularly connect and no doubt the audience expects this now. I’ve even warmed to streaming over the past few years. The grumpy old man in me is perhaps lightening up and I’ve embraced it. I love the ability to discover new artists via the streaming platforms, but I then go and buy their CD or vinyl album if I can. I guess I’ve still got one leg in that old school world. I’d rather have a CD or 12” single in my hands than a USB stick! It’s why Voyager is also available as a double CD with a lovely inner booklet.
Ambient and downtempo often explore introspection and space, while progressive house thrives on energy and momentum. How do you approach blending these contrasts in your music?
This is a great question. I tend to concentrate on melodies and the supporting soundscapes. All my music writing is done at the piano and then I move across to create the sounds via analogue synths, before even switching the computer on. That seems to be the way I can add the emotion and mood. There’s a couple of tracks on Voyager that started life on the acoustic guitar to initially map ideas and get that beach vibe, but once you then transpose those across to the synths and plugins they start to naturally pick up the influences from deeper or more progressive productions. I think it’s really positive to blend these ideas. My single Road to Le Mans (featured on Voyager) was successful because it mixed up an old Chicago house music sound with driving and pulsating progressive patterns.
Another example on the album is my track Angels with Phildel. This started as a deeply thoughtful acoustic demo, but I moved it to a more melodic house track with synth hooks to the chorus to make it more uplifting. My solo material is driven by melody and counter-melody, so naturally, my progressive house tracks are never too dark and menacing. Again, the more energetic tracks on the album, such as Urus and Yoshimura, are written at the piano initially, so they still retain their definitive melodies and chord progressions from that process, rather than me just creating them within the software and clicking a mouse.
Simon Sinfield – Voyager is out now on Krafted
