From driving aimlessly in Midnight Club while listening to Gorillaz through his Xbox to completing his first full-length album, Luke Simpson's journey into music production reflects the same creative transformation that defines his art. The Derbyshire-based producer has just released Murals, an instrumental hip-hop concept album that explores the striking parallels between hip-hop sampling and pop art techniques.
From Xbox to Album
Simpson's musical origin story begins with a simple gift that would change everything. "My Mum always played music around the house, the first moment I knew I wanted to make music was when she got me the Gorillaz debut album on CD," he recalls. "I didn't even have a CD player, and our car at the time only took cassettes, so I'd pop it in my Xbox and play Midnight Club driving around aimlessly listening to music."
That creative spark led him through the familiar producer's progression: GarageBand on iPhone, then a cracked copy of Fruity Loops in college making LoFi hip-hop beats. But it wasn't until university that Simpson found his own voice, shifting toward production inspired by MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt and releasing his first beat tapes.
The path to formal music education wasn't planned. "To be honest, I never wanted to pursue music academically, I always accepted it was going to be a hobby," Simpson admits. "It wasn't until I was sacked from a full time job where I thought 'why not?' and applied to do Music Production at University." His mother's encouragement proved pivotal: "She'd seen, and definitely heard, all the time and effort I was putting into something I treated as a hobby and told me to go for it."
Hip-Hop, Pure and Simple
When it comes to describing his sound, Simpson cuts through genre complexity with refreshing directness: "Hip-Hop. I don't like all these pigeon holes and sub genres artists try to fit into and apply to themselves." His influences span from foundational figures like J Dilla and 9th Wonder, who introduced him to instrumental hip-hop, to contemporary artists in the LoNy movement like Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, whose beats still give him that feeling of "How has a human being made this beat."
Simpson's creative process blurs the lines between daily life and music-making. "I'll wake up and immediately put on a vinyl or an album from Soulseek I think I can pull samples from," he explains. "I'll find a loop or some chops I like and just let it play while I clean my flat or make a brew, only returning when I know what it needs." His commitment to hardware over software reflects a deeper philosophy: "I think producers, and any musical artist, should try to use software as little as possible, I'm a big believer in moving air instead of doing it all on my laptop."
Murals: When Hip-Hop Meets Pop Art
Murals began as what would have been the fourth installment in Simpson's "Throwaway Beats" series, but evolved into something much more ambitious. "The songs I was making were simply higher quality than the previous projects I had made," he notes. The concept emerged organically from his production choices: "The handful of songs I made at this point had already sampled interviews from figures in pop art, such as Warhol and Haring, at the time these were just cool transitions in between songs, but overtime these snippets grew into the albums whole concept."
The album explores the fundamental similarity between hip-hop production and pop art: "both the use of pulling from existing material, or samples, and turning it into something new." This conceptual framework informed not just the music but the entire artistic vision surrounding the release.
Learning Through Creating
As Simpson's first project of this scale, Murals presented new challenges. "Usually I'd be recording, mixing or making beats for another artist, but this was the first time I'd seen the album creation process through in its entirety," he reflects. Initially planning to handle everything independently—artwork, mixing, mastering, and release—he quickly realized the scope required collaboration to meet his quality standards.
The solution came through his university's in-house label, 1043 Recordings, professional mastering, and artwork by graphic designer Archie Smith. "I wanted this to be above anything I've made so far," Simpson explains, demonstrating the artistic growth that drove the project's evolution.
Building Real Connections
Simpson's promotional approach prioritizes genuine engagement over streaming metrics. "I'm not aiming for streams or playlist placements, I'm trying to build a real fan base that want to stick around for future releases and engage with the art I create," he states. This philosophy extends to platform choice, as he encourages artists to direct listeners "to direct to artist storefronts and platforms" like Bandcamp.
His commitment to authentic connection comes through in his interaction with other creators: "I love talking to anyone who creates or enjoys music or any kind of art. I love getting feedback and love from the small circles I've found myself in both online and in person."
What's Next
Looking ahead, Simpson remains focused on the fundamental joy of creation. "Making more music!" he exclaims when asked about upcoming projects. "I'm still a producer and love recording local bands and artists in Manchester, but I'm also looking forward to making more personal projects, and inviting more of the talented musicians I know to be a part of it."
For an artist who chose to release music under his real name rather than an alias, Simpson's work reflects an honest creative philosophy: "It's just whatever's going on in my head at the time. Something will inspire me, a song, a picture or painting, even a walk or a conversation, and that will inspire or directly influence whatever I'm making at the time."
