Well, a whole nine months since our last isolatedmix, we return in style…

Scottish producer Lord Of The Isles has been high on rotation for me for about ten years now, with a string of electronic EPs across labels such as Mule Musiq, Permanent Vacation, Phonica and ESP Institue. Never guessing where he was going to push next, Neil has remained a bit of an enigma in style over the years and more recently, has captured hearts with an emotional, Poem-infused EP on Whities (more on that below) and in December just gone, a more ambient-leaning debut on Lapsus.

The result is an artist that appeals to the electronic music fan in more ways than one. An artist you grow attached to as you walk alongside an ego-less evolution, welcoming new approaches and experimentation, always eager to see what he takes on next.

While Neil is obviously adept a putting together a DJ mix [check], we’re even more fortunate that Neil has taken a much more dedicated route to his mix contribution, with a 100% unreleased mix of his own material.

Hi Neil, being a man of the outdoors it seems, where are you right now and what are you enjoying, outside of the music world?

Not in the wilds at the moment, unfortunately! But I will be soon. I’m taking some recording equipment up north in a few weeks to hopefully finish my next album. Outside of writing music, I’m enjoying keeping fit and reading. I’m reading Under The Skin by Michael Faber right now for the second time.

Your style is notoriously hard to pin down (which I love), but I'd love to know how you would describe it to anyone new to your music.

Deep and melodic maybe? I’ve always listened to all kinds of music and I've always had a very open mind in that regard. I suppose you are exposed to different things at different times throughout life.

What music did you grow up on to influence it?

There was a lot of Motown going on in my family very early on, and hearing stuff like Cream and Kate Bush now always transports me back in time when I hear it, as does a lot of soul, hip hop, and indie from 80s and 90s. Way too many to mention!! Growing up in the nineties, Acid House, Detroit techno, and Chicago House all played major roles in influencing my style, as did dub, dub techno, and all things ambient. Sorry, sounds all so clichéd! But it’s true.

You've recorded a more ambient-leaning isolatedmix, and a few of your most recent albums definitely veered this way too. Is this a reflection of your current taste or mood right now, or something else?

It’s just the way it’s come together in the studio past few years, although, I am becoming aware that there’s now a lot of people now that think all I do is ambient music. I have another album coming later this year that was completed over a year ago which is also ambient, but that will be the last release like that for a while I think, as the music I’m working on at the moment is definitely not ambient!

Your Whities EP with Ellen Renton’s vocals is definitely a personal favorite of mine. You also sampled Carl Sagan in your latest album. Can you tell me a bit about your approach to integrating guest vocals and samples?

With Ellen, I write music inspired by her poems. Other vocal samples are usually things I hear in films or documentaries that resonate with me. Growing up listening to artists like the Orb, BOC, and The Black Dog has given me an appreciation for disparate vocal samples. I love the cinematic quality it adds to the atmosphere.

You have a monthly radio show on Openlab, How do you go about selecting music for the show, or what can people expect?

I still buy and collect a lot of music, so it’s a great outlet for me to share music I love. You’ll hear mostly, electronica, deep house, techno, and breakbeat.

Your isolatedmix is 100% unreleased music, so no tracklist here. Can you tell us a bit about how you put it together?

It’s a bit of a hybrid set - half DJ half live, all unreleased music. It may well be the last ambient thing from me for a while. No plans to release any of it at the moment.

Lastly, I read you're a candle fan (as am I) What's your latest scent?!

Lol! :) I have a trial tester from an amazing new Scottish aromatherapy brand called àile. They do amazing products and are thinking about doing a candle. It’s cedar wood, mandarin, and clove I think. It’s great!