Sammy
Mackwood

South East London drummer, producer, bandleader and DJ Mackwood draws equally from jazz tradition and UK soundsystem culture. More interested in the spaces between genres than the boundaries that define them, he describes his sound as “Future Jazz, born in the dance.” It’s a phrase that perfectly captures the essence of ‘Sammy’, a record where jazz fusion, grime, bruk and bass music collide, balancing the finesse of live improvisation with the weight and physicality of club culture.

Named after close friend and guest saxophonist Sam Norris,‘Sammy’ also features Jay Verma on keys and Laurence Wilkins on trumpet. Together, the trio draw from London’s interconnected musical communities, creating a track that feels part jam session, part instrumental grime riddim and part late-night heater. Its shifting moods and evolving arrangements create a sense of momentum that drives the record forward, with recurring motifs threading through from beginning to end.

“This track feels like all of London at once,” says Mackwood. “I’ve seen people skank to it live, I’ve had MC’s shell on it at jams, I’ve watched people go introspective to it with headphones on. Excited to see what other ways it finds people.”

At its core, ‘Sammy’ is an exploration of London’s shared musical DNA. The track began with a simple idea: to place a hard-edged jazz horn inside the framework of a club record. Mackwood describes “in conversation with a friend recently, they described experiencing a “triple nostalgia” in London – nostalgia, FOMO, and loneliness – despite being so close to so many people.You got all these histories side by side which is beautiful, but also kinda haunting… I’m interested in music that joins some of those dots.” Drawing inspiration from the worlds of XL and Hyperdub while remaining rooted in the city’s distinct musical identity, Mackwood connects scenes and lineages that have long existed side by side.

That creative tension runs right through the release. Built from a combination of live playing and digital production, ‘Sammy’ occupies what Mackwood describes as a liminal space between ‘Jazz finesse and bass pressure’. Horns cut through heavyweight low-end, freeform instincts meet system logic, and organic textures intertwine with electronic sonics.

The track also marks a deliberate shift in Mackwood’s creative process. Revisiting the production techniques that first drew him to making music, he has begun creating a clearer distinction between his roles as player and producer, allowing each to shine independently. Working from Onehand Studios in Hoxton, he combined live bass and keyboards with software synthesis, blending human performance with digital precision.

While ‘Sammy’ marks his debut release for Tru Thoughts, Mackwood has spent years becoming one of the most distinctive voices in London’s new wave of player-producers. Cutting his teeth alongside artists including Col3trane, ELIZA and Jim Legxacy, and emerging through projects such as Silhouettes Project, Levitation Orchestra, and session drumming for Theon Cross, he has built a practice that moves fluidly between progressive jazz, beat-making and club culture.