DJ Counselling, known for fusing live recording techniques with analog synths, crafts a sound that is both eclectic and unmistakably his own. His music is uplifting and emotive—and on his forthcoming album, hauntingly dark in places. With Speaking in Code, DJ Counselling returns with an arresting new vision—ten seamlessly connected tracks that trace a shadowy arc through cinematic, dystopian scenes. From the start, the London-based producer, Ash Arnold, conceived the album as a filmlike experience, setting each piece within a stark, futuristic landscape of his own design. Every track serves the mood of that world: isolated, vast, and emotionally loaded. Rather than a collection of songs, here is a visual narrative—where the music doesn’t just accompany the imagined scenes, but builds them.

The album opens in shadow—tense, industrial, almost claustrophobic—before gradually shifting toward more melodic and emotive terrain. Unlike Alt-Mobeat, which leaned into the rawness and immediacy of remote sessions and field recordings, Speaking in Code involved a longer, more deliberate and intricate process. Most of the initial sketches came together in Berlin during May 2024, but arranging, editing, and mixing the album required months of meticulous revision and sonic precision back in Arnold’s London studio.

Otherworldly, sci-fi-inflected vocal samples carry a heavy sense of foreboding as they weave through the tracks, binding the album’s shifting styles—techno, trip-hop, and drum & bass—into a fluid, interconnected narrative. ‘Breathing Underwater’ marks Ash’s return to drum & bass for the first time since his track ‘You Got Me’ on Hospital Records over a decade ago. Echoes of that earlier release appear in the form of subtle samples—an intentional nod to both the original and to one of his key inspirations, the late Marcus Intalex, who championed the track during its time.

DJ Counselling’s most intentional and immersive work yet, Speaking in Code breathes life into his imagined sonic landscape through the dynamic tension between textured samples, hand-played rhythms, and intricate synth layers. The album also stands as his boldest statement of eclecticism, experimentation, and raw beauty. It carries listeners on a profoundly emotional journey through tension, release, and intimacy, unfolding against the relentless pull of the dancefloor.

Speaking in Code

2nd Single taken from the album 'Speaking in Code'

Breathing Underwater

The first single taken from my new album Speaking in Code.

Subspace Echoes

The 3rd single taken from 'Speaking in Code'.

Released 01/08 on Ten Flowers

3000 Words Left

The 4th single taken from Speaking in Code.

Buried Hardware

Taken from the forcoming album 'Speaking in Code".

Gravity Drive

Taken from the forthcoming album 'Speaking in Code'.

Transmission fr. Nowhere

Taken from the forthcoming album 'Speaking in Code'

High Violets

No Light to Follow

Kino Central

Isotopes

South London’s DJ Counselling, aka Ash Arnold, is known for creating hand-played rhythms with an original approach to groove. Being part of the electronic dance scene for over 20 years, Ash has worn many hats: producer, remixer, DJ, record label owner, band leader and, first and foremost, drummer. First surfacing as DJ Counselling with his debut single “Pollard’s Thrill” in 2018, Ash uses real instruments and live recording techniques with analogue synthesisers to create deep, atmospheric music that is as uplifting as it is emotive.

Whether in his home studio in London or mobile studio in Berlin, Ash explains how he knows he’s onto something special “when it doesn’t feel like the music is coming from me anymore. For a moment, I get so lost in what I’m creating that I hear it as though someone else is making it.” The DJ Counselling project gathered momentum in 2020 with lauded releases “Every Day the Sun Comes Up”, “Cool Air” and “Wide Awake in an Open Space”, which drew fans like Tom Ravenscroft and Jungle.

With DJ Counselling, Ash doesn’t intend to deliver big club hits but rather creates music that reflects his mood or location at the time of writing. Nonetheless, his music is hugely popular on the dancefloor; being played by the likes of Richie Hawtin and Bonobo. Esteemed for his eclecticism and versatility, Ash brings the club to the concert hall, and vice versa, with his ever-evolving live performances. Expect percussion instruments, classical sensibilities, and complex analogue synths being given equal attention on stage.

DJ Counselling’s new album, Alt-Mobeat, underscores Ash’s symphonic craftsmanship and esteem as a musician. It is difficult to place DJ Counselling into a specific genre. From tracks like “Cool Air”, one of Spotify’s Best Electronic Songs of 2021, to his latest works, Ash has never tried to fit himself into a box. Instead, he applies an emotional connection to everything he creates, with a strong groove always being the main focus.

https://linktr.ee/DJCounselling