Billain

Billain is an electronic music producer and DJ from Bosnia and Herzegovina, known for drum and bass and neurofunk. He develops a dark, highly detailed style shaped by his early life in Sarajevo during war, as well as by an interest in science, film and animation. As a child, he is influenced by Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, Katsuhiro Otomo and music from anime horror films, and he first begins expressing ideas through sketching and painting before turning to music production.

Early development

He starts making music in 1997 or 1998, teaching himself production technique and theory. His early work moves through techno, drawing on figures such as Iannis Xenakis, Stockhausen, Aphex Twin, The Prodigy and early Metalheadz releases. After producing around 300 minimal techno tracks and playing DJ sets, he shifts direction after hearing Ed Rush & Optical’s Wormhole album, which leads him towards techno-influenced drum and bass.

Kontra and drum and bass

In 2000, Billain becomes part of the Sarajevo drum and bass collective Kontra. The collective helps bring major drum and bass artists to Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Matrix & Optical, Optiv, Teebee, Stakka and Skynet, Kemal, Black Sun Empire and Corrupt Souls. Billain then begins producing drum and bass for personal development, eventually building a distinctive sound after losing a large archive of finished tracks, samples and sound-design work in a hardware failure and starting again from scratch.

Sound design and releases

His early productions lead to work in professional sound design, including projects for Q Department in New York on films, documentaries and advertising. His tracks are signed to Breed 12 Inches and C2D, and later to Dutch labels including Syndrome Audio and Citrus, as well as Rise Audio in London. He is associated with Metnem and receives support from drum and bass artists including Tech Itch, Audio, Cause4Concern, John B, Concord Dawn, Teebee, Phace, Misanthrop and Allied.

Live work and collaborations

Billain performs only a small number of DJ shows each year, despite demand for live appearances around the world. He shares stages with artists including Calyx, Bad Company, Phace, Allied, Black Sun Empire, Nocturnal, Loxy, Kryptic Minds, Kulak and TN1, and appears at events including MTV Music Depot, Red Bull shows, Kontra, Exit Festival, LED Festival and Burning the Beach. He also works with artists such as InsideInfo, Codex, Allied and Rawtekk.