In Conversation with Akrom & Qua Rush: The Deep, Dark Journey of Infinite Shift

In a scene built on innovation and collaboration, there’s something special about two distinct artists coming together to push the boundaries of sound. Enter Akrom and Qua Rush—two producers carving out their own paths within drum and bass, now uniting on Infinite Shift, a deep, dark, and rolling journey through atmospheric sound design and razor-sharp production. Akrom, known for his precise, neurofunk-driven craft, and Qua Rush, bringing his own experimental flair, fuse their styles seamlessly on a track that promises to leave a mark on dancefloors and headphones alike. With Infinite Shift landing on 7th March 2025, we caught up with the pair to explore the story behind the single, their creative process, and what might come next from this exciting collaboration.

Firstly, congratulations on the upcoming release of Infinite Shift! Can you tell us how this collaboration between you two came about?

A: Hello, nice to meet you, and thanks for the support. We are very proud of this track! We have known each other for a long time, but we never managed to do anything together until last year, when Qua was my guest at home for some days, and we finally found the time to start some projects. This is our second track closed; the first one, Keratoconus, already came out last August on the mighty Cause4Concern.

Q: Hello, hello, and thank you for the interview and support. I’m really thrilled about the release of this project! I always feel excited whenever I have the chance to create music with other artists that I appreciate, especially with Akrom since, aside from being a good friend, he mostly produces a different side of the same coin from me, so finding a middle point style-wise is always interesting. While working together, we can bring our different flavours and styles and combine them in something totally unique, like reaching unexplored musical territories for both of us.

The track is described as a deep and dark journey. What inspired the sound and mood of Infinite Shift?

A: I just tried to follow as much as possible the original concept that Qua Rush had of this track because I really liked it, so I just tried to put in it a bit of my personal interpretation but without the aim of completely changing it, as like as I did for Keratoconus instead. I think he can confirm that the original spirit of the track was kept.

Q: In my mind, there was always an idea for a track that could somehow incorporate the concept of an endless gears vehicle, a bit like Grand Theft Auto cars that keep on shifting upwards like there’s no tomorrow. I had a sketch going on which fitted the vibe, and he liked it; once we had a chance to be in the studio together, well, you can hear the result! We enjoyed the process and hope you can enjoy the result! And yes, the original spirit of the track was kept, but on steroids AHAH.

How did you approach the production process for this track? Were there any challenges or highlights while creating it?

A: I got the stems from Qua with the possibility to do whatever I wanted, but as said before, I knew I didn’t want to come out with a totally different track from what he had sent me.  The biggest challenge for me was then to keep a minimal vibe since my tunes are usually quite full of sounds, very melodic and much more neurofunk-oriented.

Q: Honestly, there were no real challenges in creating the track; it’s been a pretty smooth process. My initial sketch had a quite defined idea behind it. Once I explained the concept to Marco, all I had to do was pull his ear here and there to keep the more minimalistic sound rather than going towards a more aggressive metal one.

Both of you have distinct styles. How did you blend your individual influences to create something cohesive yet uniquely Infinite Shift?

A: Merging two different styles into a single track is never easy, but the result can be very nice if you are able to make each artist’s qualities stand out. I think we did a good job with this one, exalting each other’s strengths. I also think we have a very good synergy in making the decisions together while developing the track, and trust me, it’s not so easy at all to achieve this with somebody.

Q: Initially, I thought that working together could have been difficult as in our everyday lives, we aim at different sides of the drum and bass spectrum. Instead, thanks to good and honest communication and a great will to achieve something new for both of us, it’s been like going through butter with a hot knife. It’s our second collaboration, and it’s not going to be our last one (spoiler alert). 

March 7th marks the official release of Infinite Shift. What do you hope listeners will take away from the track?

A: I would really love people to feel the frenzied pace of the track, and as for all music made for dancing, that could lead them to be willing to dance. These are definitely the most important things I would like to share and express.

Q: I create music for the pleasure of creating music, and in a certain way, I’m already fulfilled. At the same time, the feedback has been really great so far, and it’s exciting to showcase a different side of me. I hope listeners will enjoy the track, whether at home or on the dancefloor!

The artwork for Infinite Shift is striking. Can you share the concept behind the visual design and how it ties into the music?

A: I started playing with AI image generators, wanting to catch the original concept behind the track. I had a very good result with a picture of an old steam train coming out of a futuristic wormhole. This contrast really got me, and when I realised that one of the main sound effects of the track was actually sounding like the whistle of a steam train, I knew that we had found the perfect concept for the situation. I proposed it to Qua; he liked it, so we decided to go for it.

Q: What Akrom said. It’s a really fitting artwork since my dad worked in the train industry. What can i say, all pieces of the puzzle appeared in the right place at the right time.

Looking ahead, do you have any plans for more collaborations, or are there upcoming solo projects we should be keeping an eye on?

A: Sure, we’ll make more music together! I really enjoyed what we have done so far, so we’ll definitely cook something else in the future. Regarding my solo stuff, I have many projects about to be finished. One of my forthcoming tracks was just supported by Eatbrain Radio. Stay tuned because you will hear about me a lot this year.

Q: It’s been a pleasure to work with Akrom so far, and we definitely have more fire coming soon from us. For the solo side, I usually like to talk only about projects that are already set in stone (as I tend to write loads of music and then release the 0,002% of it) rather than throw out all my actual beans. I'm working on completing my debut LP for Delta 9 Recordings, a couple of EPs in the work (w/ Invadhertz, Frame and Anima, for example), loads of collabs and a few remixes and songs for VA for selected labels.

Lastly, for those discovering your music for the first time through Infinite Shift, how would you describe your artistry, and what should they expect from your future releases?

A: If I had to describe myself as an artist, I would call myself a “Neurofunk Crafter”; each track is crafted individually to give its own personal life. From my forthcoming music, you can expect my usual energetic while melodic neurofunk; I love so much the conjunction of melodic elements with hard-hitting drums and savage basslines.

Q: Overall, I think I’m on a different plane from actual artists, I don’t play many instruments,  I’m just a dude pushing buttons in front of a computer, honestly. For me, it’s all about connecting with one emotion and translating it into music, conveying something about myself, which I’m not really able to do while using words, a bit like self-therapy. I mostly produce music that someone could enjoy with their eyes closed, escaping from the world, while setting up the situation with their partner (yeah, loads of sexy music) and here and there a couple of good dancefloor stompers. I’m pretty aware my music might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it might be a damn good one for the right person.  Future releases? The best has yet to come!

Big thanks to Akrom and Qua Rush for taking the time to share the story behind Infinite Shift. The single drops on 7th March 2025—don’t miss it!