John B on Metalheadz, Beta Recordings & the Art of Reinvention

Few artists in drum and bass can claim a legacy as deep and dynamic as John B. A true innovator, he’s spent decades pushing the genre forward—blending futuristic electro, sci-fi aesthetics, and bold stylistic detours into something unmistakably his own. Most recently, he’s been turning heads with Wyld Dogz, a high-octane collaboration, that reimagines iconic dance tracks through a modern D&B lens. Their recent release, Call On Me, puts a fresh spin on the Eric Prydz anthem, transforming it into a rave-ready roller with wide appeal.

But while Wyld Dogz showcases his commercial flair, John remains just as focused on the underground. Through his long-running label, Beta Recordings, he continues to champion fresh talent and forward-thinking productions. And now, he’s just released a long-anticipated single on Metalheadz. Ventil-8, out now via Bandcamp and all major platforms, is a weighty, rave-soaked roller that captures both nostalgia and forward motion—marking a standout moment in John’s 2025 so far.

Your new single dropped on Metalheadz on 7th March. What can you tell us about the track?

This one was over two years in the making, with loads of different versions along the way. It actually started during the pandemic—I was trying to capture that ‘90s rave vibe while imagining what the world, and the dance music scene, would feel like once we were finally free to go back outside and party again.

I pulled in all those influences, used loads of original breaks and samples, and put in a serious amount of work. I knew from the start it had that Metalheadz energy, so I sent it to Goldie—he loved it. We went through a bunch more revisions, and the icing on the cake was when he got properly involved and suggested replacing the original vocal samples. That’s when he brought in LaMeduza.

Once we got her vocals recorded, everything just clicked—they really elevated the track and took it to the next level. I’m super proud of how it turned out.

Then, just when I thought it was finished, Goldie hit me up with the idea to flip it completely and do a VIP version, taking it in a whole new direction. Thankfully, that version came together a lot quicker!

Metalheadz is one of the most respected labels in drum and bass history. What does it mean to you to release music on Headz?

For me, it’s the absolute pinnacle. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—Metalheadz IS drum & bass. It represents the core of everything I love about the genre. The sound, the history, the culture—it all radiates from the label. And then there’s Goldie—his passion, his attitude, and the way he fiercely protects and nurtures the scene with that uncompromising energy... it’s unmatched.

It’s always a huge honour to release on Headz, and something I’m genuinely proud of every time.

As the head of Beta Recordings, you've been instrumental in discovering and developing new talent. What do you look for in emerging artists, and how do you balance your roles as both an artist and label executive?

I’ve never really approached Beta Recordings as something to grow into a massive operation or run aggressively as a business—maybe I should have! For me, it’s always been more of a personal vessel for releasing my own music, where I can have full creative control.

That said, over the years, I’ve come across so much amazing music that I felt deserved to be released, and artists I genuinely believed in. Even though the role of labels has shifted—these days, outside of a few iconic imprints, listeners don’t necessarily pay much attention to where a track is released—what matters more is the music itself, and how it's promoted.

When I do sign music, I’m just looking for something that excites me. Something fresh, different, and deserving of a spotlight. And if I can help the artist a bit by putting it out there and offering some advice, then even better.

Your discography spans various styles, from tech-step to Latin-infused rollers and electroclash. How do you approach blending these diverse genres, and what drives you to explore new musical territories?

I’ve been lucky to get away with it over the years, but honestly, it’s something I’d probably advise against nowadays—at least if you’re trying to grow consistently within the current landscape. With algorithms now playing such a big role in music discovery and success, there’s a real need for consistency in sound and branding. That’s why, starting this year, I’m making a conscious shift: separating my different styles across various aliases, while focusing on protecting and building the identity of John B as a brand.

Algorithms—and even listeners—need to know what they’re getting when a new release drops. My output has always been wildly diverse, but that doesn’t always align with how platforms work now in terms of monthly listeners, playlist placements, and overall growth metrics.

These days I’ve got so many ideas flying around that my process is to capture everything, then split the core ideas into separate projects under their own aliases. I keep a Trello board for each one so I can stay organised and know what stage I’m at, what needs finishing, and where the focus should be. I’ve also had a major shift lately using ChatGPT to help me stay on top of priorities—it’s been a game-changer for productivity, especially with admin tasks that used to slow me down. Not for the actual music-making, but everything around it.

Musically, I’m always listening to stuff from all over the map. Since the early days, I’ve had this instinct for identifying sounds that could work well at DNB tempo—it’s like injecting new blood into the genre. I love the challenge of taking ideas from other scenes and trying to translate them into a drum & bass context. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t—but it’s always worth a try.

You've mentioned influences ranging from Jean-Michel Jarre to Nine Inch Nails. How have these artists shaped your sound, and are there any new influences currently inspiring your work?

You can definitely hear the different directions I’ve been pulled in throughout my back catalogue—all the stuff that influenced and inspired me growing up still runs through my music today. The huge, pre-trance, epic and anthemic energy of Jean-Michel Jarre; the raw power, claustrophobic intensity, and production style of Nine Inch Nails; the pure synthpop of the '80s like Human League and Kraftwerk; and later, the grimy electroclash/punk energy when I was doing my ‘electrostep’ phase—all the way up to tracks like “Disconnected” more recently.

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of ambient music—mainly while working at home or travelling. Artists like Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, and that whole world. I’ve actually just started a little side project under the name Whispered Light making ambient music. It’s been really therapeutic and enjoyable—almost like a creative palette cleanser between other studio sessions.

I’ve also been getting more into darkwave over the last few years, though I’ve always gravitated toward the goth/industrial/dark electronic world anyway. I’ve been writing more in that space recently and plan to launch a new alias for that sound later this year. The first experiment in that direction was a track I made 100% live on Twitch a couple of years ago called Anti Valentine—possibly the first ever goth/darkwave DNB track! Ha!

Wyld Dogz has built a reputation for reworking iconic tracks into high-energy drum and bass anthems. What made Call On Me the right choice for this latest release, and how did you approach putting a fresh spin on it?

Wyld Dogz is a duo project I’ve been working on with a friend for a few years now, and it’s really starting to pick up momentum. Call On Me was actually the first one we signed to a major label, so getting that support from Xploded was a big moment for us!

Everything we do with Wyld Dogz might sound like bootlegs or unofficial remixes, but we always go the proper route—everything is replayed. We get new vocals recorded, and any stems that sound sampled are fully recreated. We’re not just lifting stuff—we’re rebuilding it all with love and attention to detail.

We just pick tracks we genuinely love that fit the positive, uplifting ‘90s vibe we’re going for—big tunes we think would translate well into a DNB framework with broad appeal. But we make sure to do it authentically and with solid production values.

I’ll be honest, sometimes I get a bit miffed hearing low-effort bootlegs doing well—stuff that sounds slapped together with minimal care. So instead of just complaining about it like the old heads in Facebook DNB groups, I figured it’s better to actually do something and show how it can be done right!

It’s also interesting creatively—breaking down why certain tunes hit so hard, figuring out the key ingredients behind their success, and trying to learn from that. It’s a really fun challenge to apply those lessons to your own work.

When approaching a remix or rework, what makes a track stand out to you? Is it purely about recognisability, or do you look for something deeper in the music that lends itself to reinvention?

With Wyld Dogz, we’ve got a big list of tunes we think would be great to work on. Between the two of us, we’ve got a solid ear and years of experience, so it’s not really about searching for ideas—it’s more about putting in the work and getting the tracks finished as quickly and as well as possible.

There’s no shortage of great tracks out there just waiting for the Wyld Dogz treatment—the only real limitation is how many hours there are in the day! We’re just trying to keep the quality high and the vibes strong.

Over the years, you’ve built a discography that spans everything from pioneering electro-infused drum and bass to sci-fi aesthetics and now your latest projects. How do you stay innovative while keeping true to the sound that defines you?

That’s really nice of you to say—thank you. Honestly, I just do my best. I try to only release music that I’m genuinely proud of and happy to put my name to. That said, I think that mindset actually held me back for a while—especially over the last 10 years or so. I wasn’t putting out enough music, and it slowed things down for me creatively and career-wise.

But in the past year or so, something’s really clicked. My productivity has shot through the roof—I’m getting multiple tracks finished each week, and I honestly feel like it’s some of the best music I’ve ever made.

What matters most to me now is getting these ideas out of my head and into the world. I’ve got more ideas than I have time to execute them all, so I’ve really been working on prioritising the right ones, staying focused, not getting distracted, and learning better techniques to actually finish tracks. Finishing quickly and still feeling good about the end result has become a big part of the process for me.

One thing I’ve learned is that if you spend too long on a single tune, and then the response isn’t quite what you hoped for—which happens if you set high standards—it can be disheartening. That used to slow me down. But lately, I’ve finally got to a place where I can move forward with momentum, and that feels amazing.

After a brief hiatus in 2022, you recently revived your John B Podcast, marking its 200th episode with a live recording from Conform, Belgium. This DNB Classics set, featuring MC Mota, has been well received by fans. Alongside this, you've also been consistently livestreaming on Twitch. What motivated you to bring the podcast back, and how has streaming changed the way you connect with your audience?

The podcast has always been really important to me—it’s been a key way to get my DJ sets out into the world and, in a way, act as a promo tool to generate more bookings. But when the pandemic hit, I had to put it on pause. I had to focus all my energy on Twitch livestreams just to keep things going and survive, and unfortunately, the podcast had to take a back seat. It’s not monetised in the same way that releases are, and with no gigs happening, it wasn’t something I could justify prioritising at the time.

Plus, I didn’t want to just upload the Twitch set audio straight to the podcast feed. There’s too much talking and interaction with the live chat, which only really makes sense in the moment on Twitch. But everything changed recently, thanks to a game-changing little discovery—credit to my wife for spotting it, actually! She saw an Instagram video that mentioned you could connect the new Pioneer A9 mixer to your iPhone via USB and record directly into their app. The real breakthrough? There’s an option to toggle off the mic channel.

So now, every time I do a livestreamed DJ set on Twitch, I can also get a perfect WAV recording—no mic chatter, no volume dips, just clean audio. That’s totally changed how I approach streaming. It means I can now repurpose that content as exclusive, high-quality audio sets for Patreon and YouTube Memberships.

That led me to finally launch a proper Patreon last week, and I’m really excited about it. The first tier is for general support and access to streaming those mic-free sets. The higher tiers are focused on production—things like guaranteed demo feedback, 1-to-1 coaching, and mentoring. It’s something I feel really well-suited for, especially after spending six months contracted to Twitch doing production and track breakdowns every day back in early 2023. I’m buzzing about it—feels like I’ve finally found the right way to tie it all together. I’ll be using one of those sets every 4-6 weeks for the podcast, and it can also serve to advertise the Patreon and my Twitch streams!

Beyond music, you're known for unique ventures like launching a hot sauce line and sharing your allotment experiences. How do these personal interests influence your creativity and connect with your audience?

You can probably chalk some of it up to me being a bit ADHD—I'm always getting excited by random hobbies! But honestly, those things are often a really healthy and useful distraction from the screen and the studio. When I need a break, digging into something totally different helps me recharge.

The hot sauce business, for example, has been amazing—not just as a fun project, but at times it's been a genuine financial lifeline. And it came from a real place of passion. I went down the rabbit hole with it because I wanted to understand it, perfect it, and share something I truly care about.

I think fans appreciate that kind of authenticity. I’ve never wanted to present a carefully curated, “cool and mysterious” persona. I try to be real and relatable. There’s no shame in growing your own veg, enjoying some peace outdoors, or having quirky hobbies outside of drum & bass! If anything, I think it adds more depth and connection with the people who follow my journey.

With a growing list of revitalised classics, what can fans expect next from Wyld Dogz? Are there upcoming projects or live performances on the horizon?

We’ve got a couple of top-secret tracks locked and loaded, coming very soon—but you’ll have to wait and see. Definitely some big summer bangers in there though, proper hands-in-the-air vibes.

Call On Me is still going strong, gaining serious momentum and smashing it numbers-wise, so we’re keeping a close eye on that one too. Loads more in the pipeline—watch this space!

What’s next for John B? Are there any new collaborations, experiments, or projects you're excited about?

The Patreon is a big one—I’m really excited to get properly stuck into that. I’m still livestreaming every week on Twitch, dropping big DNB sets regularly, and now I’ve got a workflow that lets me repurpose those sets into exclusive, high-quality content too.

There’s loads of new John B music on the way. I just finished a track yesterday called Hypnotize that I think might be one of my best yet. I’ve got a long list of tunes lined up to finish over the coming weeks, including a really cool remix of a classic video game theme that just came in.

Plus there’s my ambient project Whispered Light, the darkwave stuff, a brand new John B album, and a full AV show touring project in development. It’s honestly a bit of a monstrous to-do list—but it’s all exciting, creative stuff I’m really buzzing to dive into.

After a few years of feeling ground down and mainly focused on Twitch output, it’s amazing to have some key things fall into place recently that tie everything together. I finally feel like I’ve got a clear, exciting roadmap ahead—and I can’t wait to get cracking on it all.

Massive thanks to John for taking the time to speak with us!

Call On Me by Wyld Dogz is out now, bringing peak-time nostalgia to the present with polished D&B power. Meanwhile, Ventil8—John B’s brand-new single on Metalheadz—is officially out in the wild, and already turning heads with its heavyweight energy and classic-meets-modern production.

You can grab both tracks now:
Ventil-8 (Metalheadz)
Call On Me (Wyld Dogz)

John B Linktree: http://links.johnb.tv/ 
John B Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/johnbbeta

Or catch the 200th John B podcast below!