Inkliing

London based producer Inkliing dabbles in a kaleidoscopic range of musical elements, creating a sound that is deeply beguiling and wholly unique. Hip-hop, jazz, dubstep, downtempo electronica, funk, world music and cinematic soundscapes all feature heavily in his productions.

With a diverse range of influences including Nitin Sawhney, Flying Lotus, Massive Attack, Roots Manuva and Future Sound of London, Inkliing has moulded a reputation as a respected producer in his own right, and one that is continually evolving his sound.

Inkliing is the alias of Conrad Colson, one of the most exciting musical talents to emerge on the scene in recent times. Signed to Dancing Turtle in early 2008, Inkliing’s self-titled debut EP was released in autumn of the same year and immediately garnered attention from around the world. The EP was picked up on leading tastemaker radio shows as far afield as Japan, Australia and the USA, as well across Europe.

In 2010, Inkliing released his second EP, ‘Bounce’, on Dancing Turtle, generating a further wave of interest in his music. This led to a collaboration with legendary production outfit Nightmares On Wax. He featured on volumes 2 & 3 of their compilation series ‘Wax On Records’ with his tracks Nevermind and Dancing Nomads.

Inkliing has also worked alongside other artists on the Dancing Turtle label roster, remixing tracks for Amycanbe, Paradise Found and the Lani Singers.

In recent years, Inkliing’s music style has developed more into downtempo jazz, trip-hop and deep house. He released a further solo EP, ‘Generals’, in 2013 on the Dusted Wax Kingdom label before focusing his productions on deep house music under his own name.

Conrad tragically passed away in March 2022 at the age of 34 following a long battle with a debilitating mental illness. A year after his death, his fourth EP, ‘Firefly’ was released on the house music label Closer To Truth.

The ‘Firefly’ EP is some of his most textured work, bringing together the jazz and electronic dance music influences that Conrad blended in output. The EP was composed during the COVID-19 pandemic and his close friends decided that the title, ‘Firefly’ summed up the feelings of trepidation and joy at the ending of uncertainty, describing it as the “soundtrack to un-lockdown”.

Conrad was a humble and hugely talented producer who left a big impact through his music. He took people on a journey through music and those sounds will always live on and continue to be discovered.