British producer O’Flynn returns this July with Kairos, his third solo album. The record marks a return to the sample-led, travel-driven creative process that defined his 2019 debut, Aletheia. Since his breakthrough in 2015, the producer has become a staple of the UK electronic scene, earning acclaim from industry heavyweights like Four Tet, Ben UFO, Gilles Peterson, James Blake, and Bonobo. For O’Flynn, Kairos represents a shift away from overplanning, favoring a philosophy of discovery and curiosity.
The Role of Technology and AI in Music Production
As production tools evolve, the conversation around artificial intelligence and generative plugins has become unavoidable. O’Flynn maintains a grounded perspective, noting that while inspiration can strike from anywhere, the value of a tool lies in its ability to facilitate the artist’s vision rather than replace their judgment. He emphasizes that using MIDI generators or sampling techniques to spark an idea is a valid creative path, provided the artist remains in control of the final output.
“I do not think everything needs to be built exactly from scratch,” he explains. “If a pre-made loop fits the track perfectly, why would you change it?” However, he draws a firm line at tools that generate entire tracks, viewing them as irrelevant to the pursuit of genuine artistic expression. For O’Flynn, the danger of modern convenience is the potential to bypass the “hours on the ground” required to develop a unique sonic identity.
Developing Sonic Identity Through Persistence
The producer argues that there are no shortcuts to finding one’s sound. He reflects on the importance of experimentation and the necessity of putting in the time to refine one’s instincts. “I was told when I was younger that you need time on the ground to find your sound,” he says. “You need to put hours and hours of practice into making music, experimenting, and exploring to really start finding a personality within music.”
He points to artists like Burial and Flying Lotus as examples of creators who successfully translate their personal identity into their work, creating immersive worlds that no machine could replicate. Ultimately, O’Flynn believes that music production should remain a joyful, magical process. By prioritizing the joy of learning and exploration over the pressure to produce a finished product for the market, artists can protect their creative spark from being dulled by the industry’s demand for quantity over quality.