D&B In Focus: Pythius

Meet Pythius, the Netherlands-based producer fusing metal with Drum & Bass.

Erupting onto the scene with his Abandon EP on D&B label Blackout Music NL in 2014, Pythius has become a prominent name on the global D&B scene. He’s released two full-length albums and performed legendary sets at some of the world’s biggest events including Let It Roll Festival, Sziget, Pirate Station and Animals. He counts Black Sun Empire, Noisia, Ed Rush, Audio, The Prototypes, The Upbeats and Dirtyphonics as fans, and has become a spearhead of D&B sub-genre Neurofunk – a combination of two very different sounds. Today, we’ll learn more about Pythius’ unique take on D&B and his hope for the future of Neurofunk.

Metal Meets D&B

Pythius chats from his studio in Utrecht, the quiet Netherlands town where he was born and raised. His journey into D&B is somewhat unconventional. “I saw a Rammstein clip on TV and it went downhill from there really fast,” he says. “I got into the really extreme death and black metal stuff like Nile, Emperor, Immortal, the classic black metal bands. Maximum blast beats and guitars in your face.”

Then, his friends introduced him to Drum and Bass. "I was about 15 or 16, hanging out with some friends, and one of them showed me a track that connected with my love for metal," he says. “I’d got accustomed to that kind of energy and intensity in the music.” It reminded him of the music that played in the background of his favourite video game Resident Evil – and in that moment he opened the door to a new world of sound.

His journey into D&B began first with the discovery of other Utrecht D&B artists like Black Sun Empire, and then Europe-wide tours of D&B festivals where he got a taste for the full spectrum of the genre, and fell in love with the darkest corners of it.

Crafting a Career in Music Production

Pythius’s journey into professional music began with formal training at the Herman Brood Academie in Utrecht where he honed his technical skills, studying alongside the likes of Martin Garrix. "I graduated in 2014 and immediately immersed myself in the industry," he says. He bagged himself an internship with Black Sun Empire’s Blackout Music NL imprint where he learned the ropes of the music business while refining his craft.

Just like the rest of the D&B scene, the COVID-19 pandemic offered a big opportunity to slow down and focus on production. “It was heavy but it quietened everything down around me,” he says. “I have ADD so I get overwhelmed and it was nice to step back and work on engineering. My sound improved a lot in that time.”

The isolation allowed him to experiment more freely, and that’s when he laid the foundations for his second album Turmoil, released in 2023.

Pythius’ sound is as unique as it is extreme. He’s regularly booked to play metal festivals as well as D&B ones, and he feels that both genres share a similarly intense, visceral listening experience. He’s become well known for his progression of the D&B subgenre Neurofunk, a style characterized by its complex, dark, and technical sound design. "Neurofunk appeals to a more niche audience," Pythius says. “The sub-genre doesn’t really benefit from the global rave of D&B because the sound that’s popular right now is more mainstream. This stuff is harder and more extreme so it doesn’t reach a big audience.”

However, Pythius remains optimistic about its future, and says its current popularity could be a gateway for fans to explore deeper and more intricate styles.

Pythius often incorporates live instruments, particularly guitars, into his productions as a way to bridge his past with his present and set him apart from his peers. "I enjoy experimenting with metal elements within my tracks," he says.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Pythius

With each new release, Pythius continues to capture the essence of his influences while carving out a space for himself in the D&B realm. He just released part one of remixes of his Turmoil album, and he has shows coming up in Bratislava, Krakow, London and Budapest, as well as a ton more music in the pipeline. He thinks D&B is at a major crossroads, full to the brim with opportunities for innovation and exploration. "I think the fruits of the current popularity will eventually reach the darker subgenres," he says.

His dedication to blending the intensity of metal with the intricacies of D&B hasn’t just shaped his identity as an artist, but set a precedent for future experimenters.