Forest Drive West

Forest Drive West

Forest Drive West is the recording alias of Joe Baker, a producer from Plaistow in East London. His work spans techno, dub techno, breakbeat, IDM and jungle, with atmospheric techno tracks that are stripped down and hypnotic, alongside heavier jungle productions built around complex, inventive rhythms. He is based in London.

Background and early work

Baker begins making music in the early 2000s, when he is a teenager attending jungle clubs in Brighton. For more than a decade he works on tracks as a hobby, recording in his spare time rather than pursuing releases straight away. In 2016 he becomes interested in issuing his music more widely. The name Forest Drive West is first intended as a label for self-releases, but it becomes his artist name instead.

Releases and labels

Much of Forest Drive West’s music appears on Peverelist’s Livity Sound label. A 12-inch single called “System” follows after Baker passes tracks to Peverelist, and two more singles arrive on Livity Sound in 2017. His 2018 debut album, Apparitions, is released on the label. Other 2018 releases include “Persistence of Memory” on Hidden Hawaii and the Set Free EP on Rupture London.

Jungle work and Moniker

Baker’s jungle material is released by Rupture London, beginning with the Jungle Crack EP, which quickly becomes sought-after. Before using the Forest Drive West name, Baker also works with Kenneth Scott in the duo Moniker. Under that name, the pair begin releasing deep tech-house tracks in 2013.