A key figure in UK drum and bass, goddard. has spent the past few years bridging the gap between underground integrity and crossover success. With collaborations alongside Venbee, Megan Linnell and Dread MC, plus remixes for artists like Cat Burns and Sub Focus, his catalogue speaks to emotional weight, production precision and a sharp ear for vocal work. Now, with the launch of his own label Rabbit Hole, he’s taken a major next step.

His latest EP Here & Now brings together five tracks that showcase the full spectrum of his sound. From high-energy club tracks to raw, stripped-back moments, it’s a bold and personal release that marks a new chapter. We caught up with goddard. to talk about the process behind the record, building his label, and what it really takes to make music that connects.

Here & Now brings together five essential cuts that span vocal-led rollers, high-energy club tracks and more atmospheric moments. Why was now the right time to bring your first Rabbit Hole EP into the world?

Last year was a difficult year in terms of releasing music, rabbit hole hadn’t been officially launched yet and a lot of releases that were intended to come out last year were unable to see the light of the day so because of this I made it my mission to release an EP myself through Rabbit Hole to get the music flowing again. With it being my first EP since DNB All Stars in 2020,  it made sense for it to come out on Rabbit Hole. 

Live for Nothing with Billy Lockett is one of the most emotionally direct tracks on the project. What led to the collaboration, and how did you approach the production around his vocal?

I started an instrumental back in February, and immediately could hear Billy’s voice on it. I sent him the instrumental, and he quickly sent back the initial idea, and we were quickly away after that. After Drowning Mind it made sense for Billy to be on the EP and follow it up.

The EP features a range of vocalists, from Venbee and Megan Linnell to Inja, Dread MC and Jazza. How do you decide who to bring into a project, and what does collaboration bring out in your creative process?

The EP is a varied sonic pallete I suppose, I think because of the success of Messy and the Go remix people might associate my music as ‘commercial’ but neither of those tracks were ever intended to be that, nor do I approach any of my tunes like that, it’s all a feeling on the day, this is why the EP has a variety of flavours because each track is coming from a different place. Bounce, for example, is more headsy and grounded in my roots as a DNB raver. Then you’ve got something like Get It right which feels quite nostalgic to me… an era of Hospital music influence from the likes of Nu:Tone and Natalie Williams. Then you’ve got Rabbit Hole, which is purely focused on the narrative of self-sabotage, trying to create an environment which sets the tone for such a raw lyric. 

Rabbit Hole opens the record and follows your previous collaboration with Venbee on Messy in Heaven. Did you go into that session with any expectations, or treat it as a fresh start?

I don’t ever go into a session expecting anything personally, just because I think you may be treading into risky waters, but the sense of putting too much expectation into something can be its own demise. The best thing is to go in with a clear head, have fun and trust the process.

Bounce feels designed for the rave. How did the idea for that track form, and what was it like working with three vocalists on one tune?

You're absolutely right, Bounce was that one track from the EP which isn’t ‘emotive’, it’s raw and headsy. Writing emotive-based tracks is something that I enjoy, but with Bounce, I wanted to try and spread my wings a bit and tread uncharted waters with it.

Your chemistry with Megan Linnell on Green Light reached a huge audience. What felt different about working together again on Get It Right?

Well, we did this track in person, and the green light was by Zoom during lockdown. When we did the session, it felt very natural and something we’d been working towards for quite some time, in terms of meeting up together and getting in the studio. It was so natural that we wrote, recorded, produced and mixed the tune within five hours, and it was done! That tune was probably the easiest and most fluid track out of the whole EP, to be honest, so we’re keen to do more together.

There’s a clear flow across the five tracks, with each one offering something distinct. Did you structure the EP with that in mind, or was it a more organic process once the singles were in place?

No, I wanted to deliver it in the way it’s structured today. Rabbit Hole had to be the first tune because it was linking up with Venbee again, and it was my debut release on my label, Rabbit Hole. Bounce was chosen second to throw people off a bit and try get their attention that I was trying something different with my peers from the DNB scene, a rooted headsy track. Live for Nothing was to re-ground the EP into an emotive state, which is what I think people associate Goddard with the most. Get it right was the polar opposite, bringing up lifting sounds with a sense of hope and live energy. Finally, Sweet Little Light was the closer of the EP, a classic liquid roller song with a brand-new up-and-coming artist, Jazza. All I know is that the EP was meant to try and demonstrate that I do have different styles that I want to incorporate, as well as the signature sounds that I’ve become known for. There was also a UKG track which was meant to be on there, but it is now due to come out on a different label.

Rabbit Hole is still early in its journey, but already has a strong identity. What are your long-term goals for the label, and do you see it becoming a platform for other artists too?

Robert Hole is always meant to be the platform for up-and-coming artists and for me to champion them. It’s also an outlook for me to release music, which is a bit more straightforward than other scenarios that I’ve experienced. I don’t have to go through certain avenues if I like the tune and I’m feeling it, I can put it out, but the main goal for Rabbit Hole is to champion the next generation of artists and give them a sense of community that other labels may not.

Your sound often strikes a balance between emotional weight and club functionality. Is that something you aim for when producing, or does it just come through naturally?

I think initially, when I first started the project, it was much more emotive-based and not aimed at clubs at all, to be honest, it was a period in my life where I was just expressing emotion and not thinking too much about other DJs playing it. Whereas today… I do try to tailor it a little bit more so that it is playable in the clubs and does hit for DJs to play. It’s something that I’ve had to put a lot of hours into in terms of mixing ability and figuring out how jump up guys managed to make that track so good, but it was a journey worthwhile because I’ve learnt a lot from it and I enjoy being able to share any knowledge I can for the artists on rabbit hole.

And finally, if you could take one drum and bass track by any artist, from any era, to a desert island, what would it be and why?

I would probably have to say it would be High Contrast and Calibre - Mr Majestic. To me, that track is just timeless, and it features two of the biggest liquid drum and bass artists that have ever lived on this planet , two that I take great inspiration from. Not to mention that a desert island and Mr Majestic go together like beans on toast.

Massive thanks to goddard. for taking the time to speak with us. His latest EP Here & Now is out now on Rabbit Hole and available across all platforms. You can also catch more from the label as it continues to grow into a new home for emotionally-driven, forward-thinking drum and bass.