Spotlight On... RED KING

Dundee-born, Glasgow-based Tommy Dey has been releasing music under the moniker RED KING for at least a decade now. This week he releases The Dark Before, the second EP in a trilogy, that follows on from his 2023 release For the Night. Working alongside producer Rapture 4D, the pair have pulled together a cohesive body of work with big synths, industrial textures, garage rhythms, grime, hip-hop and more to create something bold and ambitious.

With The Dark Before out this weekend, Dey has pulled together an impressive lineup for his EP launch party at Room 2 on Saturday 4 April. Hosted by Kai Reesu's Jurnalist, Dey will be joined by a live band on the night with support from EYVE, Billy Got Waves, E-yin and Tayoh. Ahead of *gestures* all of that, we catch up with Dey to talk influences, dig into the EP and find out more about this weekend's party.

I’d love to know who/what inspired you to get into music-making all those years ago? And where does the name come from?
My first music memories come from when I was about four or five, my mum used to blast 90s dance compilations in the kitchen; The Prodigy and Faithless remain huge inspirations to this day. I wasn’t particularly musical growing up, but I loved creating fantasy and sci-fi stories, which I've carried over into my songwriting. The best artists have lore to their music and it’s something that I try to emulate in my own.

Rapping came later to me, in high school everyone was getting into indie-rock and it never really resonated with me. I fell in with the crowd who were listening to 50 Cent and DMX; we would write diss tracks and pass them to them to each other in the corridors between classes. We later “acquired” a karaoke mic from the local pub, which I used to record my first ever demo over a 50 Cent instrumental.

The name RED KING comes from a Stephen King villain: Crimson King. All his books are interconnected and the Crimson King is the central villain behind them all. I always liked the idea of a constant narrative thread within art, one that listeners can pick up on easter eggs if they choose to – although I wouldn’t say I’m particularly villainous!

You’re about to release your latest EP, The Dark Before, that you describe as a “dystopian soundscape of live electronics, grime and alternative hip-hop”. What inspired the EP’s sound?
This EP really is a culmination of all my previous inspirations rolled into one: early dance music, angsty teen raps and sci-fi world-building. I didn’t know a project that blends sci-fi and rap together could be possible until I heard Famous Last Words by CASISDEAD – the way that he draws the listener into a world with the use of a particular palette of synth sounds, lyrical themes and soundbite skits really got me inspired. I set out to create my own world, based on my experiences living in a world that’s feeling increasingly dystopian.

I have grime producer and good friend of mine Rapture 4D to thank for a lot of my recent musical influences and styles. He and I set up a recording studio in a converted shipping container in Glasgow’s East End back in 2022 [...] He came from a world of big squarewave synths and spacey neogrime and I was coming from introspective lyricism and flows. I feel we’ve brought the two worlds together into something unique.

Can you talk us through the EP’s six tracks and what they’re about/what inspired them?
Clockwork Orange is the first one I wrote for the project, inspired by a hellish commute I had every morning on Glasgow’s subway system, how we can be in such close proximity with people from all walks of life and exchange little more than a glance. I wanted to create a Winston Smith, 1984 narrative, grumbling and daydreaming while the track goes round and round.

Lights Get Low (ft. Cassey) is a directional change for me. I wanted to do something Afrobeat-inspired but keep it dark and electronic. The track is about dating apps and the empty transactional feeling I was experiencing from them.

Petals is probably my favourite track from the project. I’d played a string of gigs that left me quite dissatisfied with my place in the music scene. It left me ready to quit until I linked up with some Marseille rappers and ended up headlining over there, an experience which changed my whole perspective [...] I’ve always wanted my music to be my catharsis and Petals is that.

Sometimes is about feeling like a robot stuck in the same routines. I was working a really soul-crushing job at the time and felt the need to put it to track. Me and Rapture sat and sifted through hours of 1950s robot documentaries to find the perfect clips to add to this one – it was more fun than it sounds!

Sleepless (ft. Chrissy Grimez & Lynx) is the crew track Scottish grime has been waiting for. I’d worked with Lynx and Chrissy separately, but both are huge inspirations to me in the local scene [...] I sent them a garage riddim and set them to task with writing a 16 about losing sleep in an increasingly mad world.

Back Then is probably my most reflective and personal track on the project. I wanted to experiment with a grime-influenced “one-line flow” but make it deep. The track is a look back on my journey so far – difficulties with family, school and music and also shout out to the ones who helped me through [...] I feel it’s the perfect end to the project.

You’re performing the EP with a live band at Room 2 on Saturday. How's prep going for that and can be expected on the night?
Rehearsals are going well! It’s such a cool feeling to hear my own material translated into live sounds. I’ve got Nemo on the drums, Ben on the bass and Lewis on the keys and they really know their stuff. They come from a jazz background, so improvisation is second nature to them and they’ve really thought outside the box to create live all the spacey sounds from the EP.

On the night, people can expect big energy and big bass. I’ve created visuals from some music video b-roll, old sci-fi films and strange retro documentaries that will be playing along with the music too; Room 2 has a big 4K screen, so it should be a real immersive experience.

Can you talk us through the rest of the lineup?
I’ve got Jurnalist from Kai Reesu hosting, who has the gift of the gab to keep the night running smoothly. I’ve lived with Jurn for just over a year now, and he’s been a huge help in spitballing ideas for this project and launch night, so shouts to Jurn for all the support. The lineup is crazy, if I say so myself.

I wanted a mix of artists who embody some aspect of my project. First up we have Tayoh, who’s a young up-and-coming soul singer, so expect nice melodic vibes. Then we’ve got E-yin, a rapper [with] some of the best flows in the scene right now [that will] also debuting his live band/rap fusion. Billy Got Waves is up next. Billy was one of the artists I travelled to Marseille with, he’s an all-round great guy as well as a great musician and performer. Expect smooth vocals, wavy instrumentals and cool stage presence. Lastly, we have EYVE. Jurnalist recommended her to me, and I was immediately blown away by the jump up blend of afro-techno, soulful melodies and hip-hop, expect big energy for this set leading into my own performance.

Love Music Hate Racism will have a stall and a [also give a] short talk at my show. I think it’s more important now than ever to show solidarity to movements like them, and as artists I think we need to keep using our platforms to make music a place of acceptance and unity.

Beyond all of that, what does the rest of the year have in store for RED KING?
This year will be a year of collaborations for me. I have a few singles recorded and ready to go after the EP roll-out. The first is a trippy hip-hop number produced by one half of techno duo clouds, it features Tzusan and Sleazy F Baby. My brother does stop motion animation in his spare time, so we're in the process of making a claymation video for it. I also have collaborations coming with Airospace, EYVE, Jurnalist, Billy Got Waves and Faust.

Gig-wise, I hope to keep the momentum going with the band. I love the dynamic aspect they lend to my music, and it’s great to have a group to bounce ideas off, so hopefully we can land some big support slots this year. I’m also due another collaboration with the Marseille rappers and will be bringing them back to Scotland within the year. Whatever comes I hope this project is the dark before a bright dawn for me and my team!

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The Dark Before is released on 3 Apr; RED KING plays Room 2, Glasgow, 4 Apr

Follow RED KING on Instagram @redkingonline