Since late 2020, the British conceptual record label unknown - untitled has been putting a bit of mystery back into the world of dance music. Over a dozen compilations, the label has foregrounded the actual output of its artists; unknown - untitled builds up to the release of each record with no credits, letting the music speak for itself, freeing the listener from a certain kind of psychological baggage. No expectations, no rules, just banging dance music. We had a chat with unknown - untitled, who, as a producer, appears on the label’s newest release. Read our interview—and listen to the UU012—below.

Can you remember when you first had the idea to do unknown - untitled?

 

unknown - untitled: The first iteration of unknown – untitled started back in 2010, not as a label, but a SoundCloud blog born from a very specific personal use case. I’d made some music with a close friend of mine who was part of an artist project that was gaining a lot of profile around that time. We created a new alias to release under, but when a blog off Hype Machine offered to sign the tracks, his manager blocked it to avoid conflict with his other project, which made sense.

 

To keep the tracks that were already getting a strong response online, I uploaded them to a new SoundCloud account called #Unknown, stripping away all artist info and numbering them simply as #001 and #002. What surprised me was that this anonymity didn’t dilute interest, it actually intensified it further, not something I was expecting at all. The curiosity pulled more people in as the music did all the talking, and the lack of a known name behind it made listeners more invested. Me experiencing that whole process was the seed of the idea. 

I started doing the same with tracks from friends in college—if the music felt strong, I’d upload it anonymously and then gamify it by releasing the ID only after a certain amount of plays were hit, etc. It was just something that felt fun and exciting and pretty much every time, the response was huge. Looking back, part of what fuelled the idea were my experiences in early clubbing years going out seeing James Blake with tracks like “Sicko Cell” doing the rounds, a track everyone was playing at the time, but Joy O never really putting his name to it until later on. Doing this caused a mad stir in the scene and it confirmed to me the power of an anonymous record even more. 

After running the blog for five years, I ended up stopping it in that form as I wanted to do something deeper creatively and launch it as a label … So during Covid lockdown, when I had time to reflect on the previous idea, I spent a lot of time working out the mechanics of how this concept could work as a record label across both vinyl and digital. Full anonymity forever didn’t make sense at all to me, I think this is one of the biggest misconceptions with this project—artists need to be credited and rewarded for their work and I want this to be the case—so the challenge was to build a structure that honored the concept while supporting the people behind the music, which I feel is working great in its current form today!

Is this project a reaction to the contemporary musical landscape, or is it something more timeless?

 

As I mentioned earlier, the project originally came out of a specific need—to keep some music online without conflicting with other artist projects. But over time, it’s evolved into something that, in many ways, runs counter to how the industry operates today. 

Right now, we live in a very instant gratification culture, whether it’s how we consume music, scroll TikTok, order from Amazon, etc. Everything is so immediate and on demand. With unknown – untitled, you don’t get everything at once. You get the music, but not the full picture immediately. Holding back the artist ID delays that process slightly—and that delay creates intrigue and draws people in and creates engagement. There’s something refreshing about not giving it all up front, in my opinion. It encourages people to focus on what they’re listening to, rather than who’s behind it. In that sense, it’s become a small antidote to the always-on, always-now dynamic we’re surrounded by. Whether that makes it timeless or simply out of step with the current climate, I’ll leave that for others to decide but for now, it’s just something that I’m having fun with.

 

Do you have a favorite release you’ve done so far?

 

Not really. I’m genuinely proud of every release I’ve put out so far, each for very different reasons. I’ve been intentional about releasing infrequently, prioritising quality over quantity, and maintaining a wide stylistic range to keep that sense of mystery alive. The variation is deliberate, and it’s part of what makes the project exciting in my opinion. So picking a favorite feels almost impossible—each one plays a different role in shaping the whole UU story so far.

 

How did the podcast series start? What are you trying to do with that?

 

The podcast series started as a way to add another layer to the release rollouts, giving listeners a chance to guess who the artists might be based on their DJ selections. I’ve always found it interesting how, for many artists, what they produce and what they play out can be quite different. That contrast felt like something worth exploring. The podcast has become a natural extension of the label’s live activity as well—a platform to present mixes that reflect both individual taste and broader influence, while still maintaining the anonymity that defines the label.

 

Could you talk a bit about UU012? 

 

I’ve been building uu012 since last summer. It’s a six-track V/A EP, but in many ways it feels like six distinct singles woven into one. I love how much ground this one covers sonically, there’s something in there for everyone. Personally, it’s a big one too—having one of my own productions on there alongside some of the artists I admire feels pretty surreal. I’ve made a conscious decision to pack each 12” with at least five or six tracks at the moment with the cost of vinyl pressing now—it’s important to me that fans feel like they’re getting good value when they pick up a physical copy.

Besides anonymity, is there anything that connects the music on this label?

 

I think naturally I’ve been gravitating towards high-impact tracks, partly because of how I roll out the releases but also a reflection of what I personally connect with, though my signing process across the whole catalogue has followed the same thought process: does this track make me feel excited after or within the first or second listen. If it’s a yes then I will release it. I try not to overthink that process. While there is a sense of curating a coherent sound or roster across the label, I’m not interested in an artist’s profile or follower count. I’d never pass on a great track just because the artist only has 200 followers. The quality of the music is the only thing that matters here as it’s the only way I can engage people in a release.

 

What does the future hold for unknown - untitled?

 

I’m proud of where the project is right now and even more excited about where it’s going. There are some very big releases on the horizon, and bringing the label to radio feels like a natural evolution. We’re growing the live side of things too, building shows that mirror the label’s energy IRL. I’m also carving out way more time for my own music, which feels long overdue. What started from a small experiment has turned into something with real legs, and I’m just enjoying the process of letting this whole thing unfold.