Wilkinson
Genre: Drum & Bass
Origin: United Kingdom
Hailing from the leafy suburbs of Southwest London is one of the UK’s best-known electronic artists… Wilkinson. His first insight into making music came at the age of 9 when his parents bought him a drum kit. Mark ‘Wilkinson’ joined a few bands, playing at venues as far as Birmingham and as close as the local old people’s home. This swiftly ended at the age of 14 when he discovered his passion for dance music. In his final year at college, he tried his hand at making beats, leading him to buy his first bits of production gear and turn his bedroom into a studio. A few years and part-time jobs later, after driving his family mad with large amounts of bass loosening the brickwork of his house, Mark secured himself a studio not far from his home.
After fine-tuning his production skills, Wilkinson passed a few songs on to Hospital Records via Cyantific, which led to his first release on Hospital’s Sick Music 2 compilation. A few months later, a certain Andy C called and signed him to Ram Records. Fast forward a few years later, and Wilkinson has cemented himself as one of the most successful stars in dance music. Following his club anthems ‘Tonight’, ‘Take You Higher’, and countless others, Wilkinson released chart-topping hits including ‘Half Light’, ‘Dirty Love,’ and the double platinum-selling Top 5 hit ‘Afterglow.’
His debut album ‘Lasers Not Included’ went on to become a seminal album in the genre, reaching #1 on the iTunes Electronic Chart in 10 countries and propelling his global touring schedule, taking him from Glastonbury to Las Vegas and back again. He’s gone on to build a fierce live reputation with his live shows over the last 10 years, selling out London’s Roundhouse and remarkably the iconic Brixton Academy three times. Not to mention headlining international festivals including Pukkelpop, Snowbombing, and Sziget.
His second album, ‘Hypnotic’ (released 2017), became the most successful D&B album of the year, spearheaded by the gold-selling lead single ‘Sweet Lies,’ winning him an army of loyal supporters and some unlikely fans from the likes of Skrillex and even a certain Elton John! 2020 saw Wilkinson team up with fellow D&B titan Sub Focus to release their collaboration album ‘Portals.’ The record charted at #1 on the OCC Official Dance Chart and saw all three singles playlisted by BBC Radio1.
Over the years, Wilkinson has remixed and collaborated with Calvin Harris, The Prodigy, Chase & Status, Rag N Bone Man, Dimension, and Becky Hill, to name a few. 2022 saw the release of his 4th album ‘Cognition’ on his own label Sleepless Music. The album has already become one of the most successful drum and bass albums of all time and includes two Top 40 hit singles ‘Here For You’ with Becky Hill and the massive ‘Used To This’ with Issey Cross.
2024 has seen the release of singles ‘This Moment’ and ‘Balance,’ alongside his debut headline tour of North America and further global touring across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Stay tuned, as this electronic star continues to rise.
