Breaking The Sound Barrier With Forbidden Society

If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect from Forbidden Society, it’s his unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and making bold, uncompromising moves. Whether it’s through his explosive productions, razor-sharp DJ sets, or entrepreneurial ventures, he has never been one to play it safe. 

Forbidden Society’s journey began in earnest with his first official studio release in 2004. Since then, his trajectory has been anything but ordinary. He initially released music through respected labels like Jungle Therapy Records and T3K before realizing that the sound he was nurturing needed its own home—one that would allow him full creative control. That’s when Forbidden Society Recordings was born.

Musically, Forbidden Society has never allowed himself to be pigeonholed to a specific style. While his roots remain firmly planted in drum & bass, his productions have consistently absorbed elements from techno, electro, punk, and halftime, creating a hybrid that’s both destructive and meticulously crafted.

Expanding his influence even further, Forbidden Society has expanded his brand by launching his own line of clothing which serves to be another extension of his commitment to crafting a culture around his music. The clothing brand echoes the same aesthetic found in his tracks: bold, dark, and raw.

2024 proved to be a transformative year for Forbidden Society, with the release of Lonely Road on VISION Recordings serving as its centrepiece. The album unveiled a more introspective dimension of the Czech producer’s artistry which honoured his foundational sound while fearlessly venturing into new creative frontiers. This artistic evolution led to the release of To The Threshold 2, where he masterfully reimagined the neurofunk landscape while maintaining that unmistakable Czech-bred sonic velocity.

The momentum only intensified with his explosive contribution to VISION’s Mission 03 compilation, placing him alongside bass music’s most innovative voices. As Forbidden Society stands poised to unleash the next phase of his musical evolution, we caught up with the visionary artist to discuss the philosophy behind Lonely Road, the resurgence of To The Threshold, and what lies ahead on his uncompromising creative path.

You closed the year with ‘To The Threshold Part 2’ featuring your typical Forbidden Society styles. An ideal way to end the year with a collection of tracks, don’t you think?

Yes, I had planned to do something like this for a long time, and it turned out to be at the end of the year. I must say that I am incredibly grateful for the support the album has received so far, especially from the fans who have been asking for something like this for years. The plan was to create a hard and uncompromising album that focuses on rawness and volume, without focusing on clinical precision in edits and mixdowns. I wanted to keep it pure and raw, just like in the early days.

And ‘Part 2’ follows the first edition from 2012. What inspired you to return to this project and create its second part?

My fans were the ones who pushed me towards this idea, as they had been asking for it for years. For many years, I received messages saying that people would love to hear the old, hard FS sound again, and they told me this even at events. At that time, it wasn’t the right moment. Creating something like this requires a certain mindset and energy, which came after the release of the ‘Lonely Road’ album on VISION, where I wanted to be the complete opposite—clinically clean and absolutely precise in everything, because it was something you only do once in a lifetime, or at least that’s how I feel about it. After the VISION album, I simply wanted to do the complete opposite—something truly extreme, without compromise, and to forget everything I had learned up until then and go back to my roots. I have to say it ended up coming together quite easily, and I rediscovered what I had within me many years ago. I would just like to add that this album was a sort of reflection and tribute to that style and to my fans. It was for them. I don’t expect to return to this style permanently; I like where I am with my production now, and it suits me. I won’t be going back to hard DnB. I’ll leave that to the people who are still producing it and enjoying it.

After Lonely Road’s introspection, was this sequel about reclaiming your hardest roots?

Yes, you could say that in a way, I did a small review of my past in DnB. I wanted to follow up on the original album from 2012, which, in its way, made a stir in the scene, and I still remember the reactions to tracks like ‘Cobra,’ which, even after all these years, still works when I play it. Hard DnB, in general, isn’t very popular anymore, but it could make a comeback—who knows? With this album, I wanted to pay tribute to this style and to my fans who have been with me from the beginning. I am also, in a way, grateful to it for getting me to where I was at that time. Now, I think I made a certain impact in my own way.

What has the year 2024 been like from the perspective of Forbidden Society Recordings?

As the owner of the label, I am satisfied, and I must say that everything released under the label has received the attention it deserved. I am aware that other labels may be doing much better, but I am humble, and it suits me to release what I believe is right, when I believe it’s right. I have my fans who regularly support me and the label, and that is what matters to me. I don’t chase numbers, nor do I feed my ego by posting how high my track is on the charts. What’s important to me is whether I’m happy with what’s being released on my label and if I feel good about it—and that’s certainly the case this year. We released the EPs Refused, Revelation, and at the end of the year, To The Threshold Part 2. From deep stuff to 140, Garage, Techno, and hard DnB, you could say it’s been a really wide range of different styles. My label isn’t just about DnB; we also release other styles of electronic music. You could say that I simply release what I enjoy.

Additionally, my label has been focusing on label nights. I used to co-organize label nights all over Europe, but because I handle everything myself—from management to bookings, the music, and even looking after my clothing brand—I realized it was too much. I want to do these things properly, and in my opinion, the only way to manage them well is to focus on just a few things. Label Nights are now twice a year—once at Fabric in Ostrava, which I believe is the best club in the Czech Republic, and at the Beats For Love festival, where for several years now, I’ve been in charge of the last day on the DnB stage with my label night, closing the festival. Personally, it’s my favourite festival where I have the honour to play and present my brand, along with the people who support it.

From first conversations with VISION to final master – what were the key moments in bringing this album to life?

I still remember exactly how it all started. In 2016, I underwent a sort of transformation where I switched to deep DnB and 140. By that time, I was already quite tired of the hard sound I had been producing, and as a person and producer, I can’t stand staying in one place. I love change, developing, discovering, and I realized that these genres could also be hard and dark but in a different way. I became incredibly excited to dive into that sound and make it my own. This led to the creation of the Fog Walk album, which really surprised a lot of people—it was something completely different from what they expected from me, and I received great support for it. Honestly, I was scared at first, wondering if my fans would condemn me or accept it, but they accepted it, and surprisingly, I got positive feedback.

So, without me personally sending it anywhere, the album somehow made its way to NOISIA or Vision Recordings. I still remember that Martijn played one track right away as the first on Vision Radio with a really nice intro. In the next two or three episodes, I had another track premiered on their Vision Radio by Thys and Nik. That’s when I thought it might be worth sending them some demos, and I remember that from that, the Subworld EP emerged as my first release on VISION. Since then, I’ve collaborated with them on other projects, including tracks on their Mission compilations, remixes of Noisia & Mayhem feat. KRS One – Exodus, I Am Legion – Choosing For You, and the previously mentioned Lonely Road album.

VISION is like my family. They are extremely perceptive and empathetic people who understand what you want to express with your music. They’re also incredible professionals and won’t release anything they don’t fully stand behind. It’s well known that working for them on something is extremely challenging, but that’s the right way to do it. Personally, it has pushed me a lot, both in terms of production and overall as a person—how to view music in general, knowing that it’s not just a money and numbers machine, but that it has a deeper value.

VISION handpicked 13 tracks from your catalogue for this release. What was that selection process like from your perspective?

Well, the process worked like this: I spent weeks, maybe months, working on demos that I gradually sent to the label. From that pool, 13 tracks (actually 15, since there are two bonus tracks on the vinyl version) made the cut, and I then worked hard on refining and perfecting them. The main decision-maker was Nik Roos (Noisia, Sleepnet), who, in my opinion, is the best electronic music producer ever. He has an incredible sense of precision, understands what you want to express with the track, and can guide you precisely on where the track should go, including the sound.

It was an incredible honour to receive feedback from someone like him, and it really pushed me forward. I worked on the project for two years, and the fact that the label chose me to release an album on their label is an unbelievable honour and, personally, the achievement of my own Mount Everest. The process was beautiful—I remember running to the studio to work on these tracks, unable to sleep because I couldn’t wait to turn on my PC and get to work. It was extremely demanding, but I love challenges, and I really enjoyed how tough it was.

There’s a raw, introspective quality to ‘Lonely Road’ – was there a particular headspace or life chapter that defined this album’s mood?

The album is very personal; I really opened up as a person, which I’m not used to. I keep my private life to myself, I don’t talk much to people, I don’t belong to any crew or group. You could say I’m quite an introvert, ADHD, OCD, and autistic, and it sometimes makes it hard for me to open up. But VISION was a place where I felt safe to express myself as an artist. I had the chance to get to know these people, and I trust them. The inspiration came from everything that’s happened to me in life, both the good and the bad—it’s about life.

As for my development, as I mentioned before, it pushed me a lot, especially in terms of production and working with sound. I’m focusing more on those things now, and I go deeper into everything—I don’t rush anything. You can hear that in the tracks, they have their own longevity, and that’s what I wanted—to make sure they have life, not just numbers. On the album, there are tracks like Lonely Road, which is melodic and melancholic, where I used melodies—something I hadn’t done much before. It was one of the hardest to finish because it’s so personal. At that time, I was going through a phase where I kept asking myself if what I was doing even made sense—away from my family, friends, on the road with strangers. In the end, everything worked out, and those were great events, but it’s a reminder that sometimes you’re on the edge, and when you give something of yourself and sacrifice something, incredible things can happen if you follow your path and have people who support you.

Then there’s a track like Empty Field, where I wanted to do 172 Techno, a reminder of how I started—fields, Tekkno, Free Tek, Spiral Tribe, etc. Spirit Animal was meant to be a 160 old-school jungle track but with a new twist. Addict, Morph, Reaching Zero are deeper, minimal tracks where I wanted to use as few elements as possible, and that was a challenge for me because I tend to put too many things in—sometimes too many samples, MIDI, etc. Deep Blue is UK Garage but in my version. I love melodic bass lines in Garage with vocals. Picture of Us is another very personal track—it was a difficult time for me, and the track somehow reflects what was happening. Sunrise is an ambient piece where I was in the studio until morning, and as the sun came up, it was such a magical moment that I still remember fondly.

Wish, Posers, Reconnect are my personal vision of 140, which I love producing. Echoes of Desolation is a strange one. I remember it was a track that came together in about 3 hours—it just flowed naturally. I like melodic lines mixed with 808 bass, and it somehow worked out here. Leave It is a roller that came to me after an event where I played with Alix. I remember rushing from the event to the studio, and even at 4 AM, I started working on it because I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head. End Line is the closing track of the album—ambient and melancholic, reflecting the overall mood of the album.

The tracks on the album have interesting titles. How did you approach naming them?

Honestly, I thought about it quite a lot, but the inspiration came from personal things, the overall vibe of each track, or simply what came to mind during the process of creating certain tracks. I definitely thought about what each track would be called. The album title itself reflects the overall message, which is independence. Personally, I believe that when a person is independent, they are truly free—not only in music but in other areas of life as well. It’s about not relying on others, but always following your own path, and if there’s no path, you create one. That’s the message of the album.

Did you enter the ‘Lonely Road’ project with a specific sonic philosophy or unifying vision that guided your creative decisions?

No, I let it flow freely. I wanted the album to include styles of music that I like and push them in a certain direction, in my own way. I just wanted to go beyond my limits and do something I’ve never done before, and I really enjoyed it. I even watched tutorials on how certain things are done to get to where I wanted to be with specific elements, because some of these tracks, even though it may sound strange, required certain production progress from me—like with tonalities, chords, etc. Honestly, I didn’t understand much about tonalities or chords, I don’t play any instruments, and I don’t know music theory, so I’d say I’ve developed in that area as well.

When working on the Lonely Road album, but also with other things I do in production, everything is adjusted to the work in the studio. That means my diet, sleep, exercise—swimming, cycling, regular sauna visits, and spending a lot of time in nature. It’s all about preparing my mind for the studio; that’s crucial for me, and lots of coffee.

I also have certain hours when I think I’m most productive, and I try to stick to that. It’s also important to take breaks and rest sometimes. When your mind isn’t always focused only on music and is given the chance to focus on something else, I believe it helps a lot. I’ve had a family for four years, so they take very good care of me too Read More