Justin Hawkes Announces Cinematic Drum & Bass Album “Now or Never” with New Single “Stomp” (Out Now)
Justin Hawkes has spent nearly fifteen years building one of the more unique careers in Drum & Bass, growing from a producer in Southwest Virginia into one of the few American artists to earn lasting recognition in a genre largely dominated by Europe. First known as Flite before adopting his own name in 2020, Hawkes has become known for blending emotionally driven songwriting with high-energy Drum & Bass, earning support from artists including Sub Focus, Andy C, Wilkinson, Porter Robinson and Pendulum. His 2022 debut album, Existential, showcased that genre-blurring approach, particularly through the standout single Better Than Gold, which incorporated country-rock influences into a Drum & Bass framework.
Since then, Hawkes has amassed more than 100 million streams, toured across more than fourteen countries and performed at major events including Tomorrowland, Electric Daisy Carnival and Alexandra Palace. His music has also appeared in games such as Rocket League and Fortnite, while his improvisational approach to live performance has helped set him apart from many of his peers. With festival appearances lined up throughout 2026, including Shambhala Music Festival and Bass Canyon, he continues to expand both his audience and the boundaries of what modern Drum & Bass can sound like.
“Dance music as a medium for expression goes back to the oldest times and places in the world. Now, being intentionally human in the age of AI feels like an act of resistance. We don’t get the messy, empowering complexity of life delivered into music by letting go of the creative reins; especially not to a machine that could never experience your own life… therefore I wanted everything about this record to feel fully intentional, from the first to the last. ‘Stomp‘ is one of my sequences, a place inside my journey, where the instinct to dance evolved. What draws someone to a certain tempo? What gives you that spark? Where did that come from? Stomp connects the ancestral rhythmic instinct with a modern and bouncy drum & bass mantle. It’s a memory within the present. I wanted every piece of this next album to feel like discovering myself again in a new light, letting go of the pressure to please or do something commercially comfortable in favor of creating nothing but the raw, core memories. Now or Never challenged the concept of my reality, and I am so excited to finally share it.” – Justin Hawkes
Justin Hawkes is ushering in a new era with his sophomore album Now or Never, a twelve-track, continuously mixed project that he describes as “Experiential Drum & Bass.” Arriving four years after Existential, the album is designed as a complete narrative experience, with each track serving a specific purpose within a larger story. Its latest single, Stomp, offers an early glimpse into that vision, blending primal, ritualistic rhythms with modern Drum & Bass production to explore humanity’s deep-rooted connection to movement and dance. Throughout the project, Hawkes continues to push beyond genre expectations, favoring immersive storytelling, emotional depth and long-form artistic expression over formulaic trends.
The album also launches alongside Hawkes’ new independent imprint, Drumcaste Collective, which will serve as both the home for his own music and a platform for developing other Drum & Bass artists. In keeping with the project’s artist-first philosophy, Now or Never will debut as a Bandcamp-exclusive release on July 31 under a pay-what-you-want model before arriving on streaming platforms on August 14. Drumcaste Collective has also committed to operating as a generative-AI-free label, emphasizing originality, authenticity and artist-led storytelling. Together, the album, label and unconventional rollout reflect Hawkes’ broader vision for a more creative and community-driven future for Drum & Bass.
Make sure you check out “Stomp” on Spotify below!
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Justin Hawkes
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Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more “on” version of me.
