With over two decades of deep dancefloor experience behind him, Manchester-born, London-based artist t.na has long been a quiet force in the underground, a selector, label head, and producer whose craft bridges groove, emotion, and timeless rhythm. Following a string of standout releases on his own Pickled Music and its sister imprints, he steps out this season on Ben Jones’ Parallel Circuit with the hypnotic ‘Ivan’ EP, a four-track excursion through pulsating minimalism, rolling basslines, and sunrise-ready energy. We caught up with t.na to talk about the ideas behind the record, his evolving creative process, and how two decades behind the decks continue to shape his sound today.
WWD: Congrats on the ‘Ivan’ EP! How did the connection with Parallel Circuit and Ben Jones come about?
I have known Ben Jones through the scene for a number of years now. Previously my production partner Benjamin Joseph (we have an alias together called Seizun) worked with, and released on Ben Jones original imprint Before Records. It was when he started up his new venture Parallel Circuit that he reached out to me for the music.
WWD: The record has a real journey-like quality, each track has its own story but they flow beautifully together. What was your mindset when writing it?
Well, after quitting my job of 15 years, I took a fairly evasive step and moved to Ibiza for 18 months. It was there where I just threw myself into production. I found myself bouncing around the island at various parties all with different vibes and styles. I would come back with sounds stuck in my head all of which lead me down a pretty varied road production wise, which is kind of why the four tracks on this EP all offer something a little different.
WWD: You’ve mentioned that the early 2000s tech house sound has always influenced you. Where does that inspiration show up on ‘Ivan’ EP?
In all honesty this EP was written in 2022. It can take time to find the right place to put something out, especially as I find the music I make can be so varied and many labels are looking for an EP with a very similar sounding collection of tracks to sit together. I was grateful to Ben as he recognised that an EP doesn’t all need to be the same vibe and it can be more of a journey. But I am influenced by that early tech house era, artists like Peace Division or labels like Wiggle, also the minimal and tribal eras that followed it between 2005 and 2008 but I rarely use reference tracks so although there will be signs within my music at the end of the day what I make is my sound and will rarely fit into any mould quite so easily, which I like in some ways, it’s not always about following the narrative.
WWD: Can you talk us through the title track, ‘Ivan?’ What’s the story behind it? Are there any stories behind the other tracks?
Well if you trace back through my released music, the titles are always something or someone that inspired the tracks, which is why they are all names, also helps me relate more to the music I’ve made. Ivan was coined from the vox sample which I grabbed from a film I was watching the same night I made the track. I have a story for each track, why they are named Reeves, SC and Cezza. SC as another example stands for Señor C which was a very brief (and humorous to those in though) nickname for a close friend of mine who visited me in Ibiza that year.
WWD: You’ve been part of dance music for over 20 years, from DJing globally to running multiple imprints. How has that longevity shaped how you approach production today?
Musically I have always listened to a bit of everything. Speaking on the electronic side of things I was originally a hard house, trance and techno DJ 20 years ago and then evolved into garage, break, electro and house. I also took a step back from the scene between 2010 and 2015 and in that 5 year gap I found myself regularly at festivals like Glastonbury but spending more time watching live acts from bands to hip hop and alternative artists. In summary I have been influenced by so much that I don’t just reference one or two genres when making music, there are ideas from all sorts sprinkled in there.
WWD: Speaking of labels, Pickled Music and its offshoots have built a really distinctive family vibe. What drives the creative direction there?
The idea behind Pickled was to allow me a platform to support and release music from friends and up and coming producers. ‘Into The Woods’ was the starter label which predominantly supports variations of House, Tech and Minimal, but we have since introduced ‘Pickled’ for edits, ‘Occult Vision Recordings’ for LPs, ‘Afterwoods’ for Electro, Breaks and Techno and then I have ‘Taste The Rainbow Records’ which is a place my other alias’ Seizun’. We also have one more label to kick start soon which will have a more traditional House and Deep House vibe to it.
WWD: From Fabric to Rex Club to Renate, you’ve played some serious rooms. How does the crowd energy in those spaces influence the studio work?
I don’t see what I produce as big room music, for me personally I have a love for smaller cap spaces with booths that are face on with the crowd, where everything can feel more personal. Those types of venues allow what I make to resonate more as it’s not all about breakdowns with huge highs and lows to create the energy, it’s about all elements in the music coming together alongside subtle changes that keeps the pulse and locks people in. He shouldn’t always need hands in the air to know the impact a track is having on the dancefloor.
WWD: What’s next after ‘Ivan’ EP? More releases, label projects, gigs?
I run a huge number of events across the year but thankfully I have some downtime now till February so I intend to get back in the studio and finish up another collection of tracks ready to release next year. There are some nice bits in progress and my sound is continuously evolving so I’m looking forward to sharing these in 2026.
WWD: We’re looking forward to listening! Thanks for the chat 🙂
Thanks!
The ‘Ivan’ EP is available here