Hailing from the UK but now calling Spain home, Tom Banner has achieved measurable success in relatively short order. Emerging via a 2023 debut on Mango Alley affiliate Maldesoule, the Barcelona resident would go on to record projects for Cafe De Anatolia LAB and Kognitiv Records across the next calendar year, firmly establishing himself as a producer to watch. 2024 would also mark Tom's Musique de Lune debut, with a well-received remix of 'What Were the Skies Like When You Were Young' by Irish producer Sturge. Now, getting his 2025 off to an auspicious start, Tom returns to the label for his first original project 'It's You', alongside remixes from Dowden, The Wash, Alley SA and George Yammine.
Progressive Astronaut caught up with Tom to learn more about the release of 'It's You', growing up in the UK, DJing and much more. Enjoy!
Hi Tom, thanks for talking to us today. How has the start of the year been for you?
It’s been good, thanks. I've been very focused in the studio. Working on new music and developing new skills.
What is a track or tracks which have been released in 2025 that impressed you the most and why?
It probably has to be Maribou State - All I Need.
Maribou State are big inspirations for me. I love how deep their production is.
Their layering is next level. They are using around 500 tracks in each track. If you listen carefully to their music, you will notice these small details and they all add up to create a really immersive and deep sound. They are also proper songwriters, making actual songs but in the context of electronic music.
What is a song/track you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? And why has it stuck with you this long?
Moby - Why does my heart feel so bad?
My Dad had a copy of Moby - Play , and it was my favourite of all his records. I've always found that music and art that comes from pain is often the most beautiful and I love the combination of emotive piano, soulful vocal and drums, so tracks like this and Natural Blues on that album really resonated with me.
I know you’ve spent time living in Spain, South Africa and the UK, please tell us where you grew up and how it affected your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer?
I was born and grew up in London which has a really strong music and party scene. I was really into Drum & Bass as a teenager and I started working at fabric at 18. Working at fabric was a great education in dance music, I got to watch masters at work every weekend, and it was while working at fabric that I got my first real exposure to House/Techno.
Who from your home country inspired you the most early on and why were they inspirational for you?
Four Tet
My taste in music has gone through different phases, as have my favorite artists. But one that is always among my favourites is Four Tet.
I love his creativity. For me, he is one of the most creative producers. Very creative and deeply emotional. 2 things I look for in music.
Did living in South Africa have an affect on your production sound at all?
Maybe a little, I really like African music, stuff like Zulu chants.. and also the Afro House scene in South Africa.
For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you?
I'm still learning every day and I think I will probably always be learning.
Music is the craft that I want to master over a lifetime and I think to be a true master, one needs to be constantly improving. Also today with YouTube etc, we have so much information at our fingertips.
I take inspiration from many places and try to combine these inspirations in unique ways but I try not to emulate directly too much. I don't use reference tracks when I produce. Maybe this makes things harder for myself, but I really want to create music/art that is unique.
You have a new single ‘It’s You’ out now via Musique de Lune, please tell us a bit about the release and what sort of vibe you were going for on the track.
The track was inspired by my cat Charlie who follows me everywhere in my apartment and brings me a lot of joy. At the time I was listening to a lot of Tourist’s music so his work was influential.
I was also experimenting a lot with morphing. I used the Zynaptiq Morph VST a lot in this track, for example morphing the vocals with the drums to create a stutter effect, and morphing the piano with recordings of Charlie’s meows to create interesting textures.
Interesting track title, is there a story behind it?
It’s kinda a love song and the hook of the track is the interplay between the 2 vocal phrases: “It’s you… and me.” . It’s actually all from the same vocal but one is pitched down to make it sound male. I pan them in opposite directions and get them to talk to each other.
Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on ‘It’s You’ EP?
I don't have much hardware. I did for a bit, even modular stuff, but actually I sold it all and bought a really powerful MacBook so I can have a lot of tracks in a project without CPU issues. I like being in the box, using Ableton. I like to make music in all kinds of places, like by the sea, in the sun, on the sofa. So I really enjoy the freedom of having a portable studio. Also, computers and plugins are so powerful (and only increasing), so the possibilities are endless and the technology is always improving.
I have a Moog Sub 37 which is my only hardware synth. There is a certain fatness to the Moog sound and it’s nice to sometimes get away from the computer.
I also have a beautiful Yamahah piano which I use a lot. I love the sound of piano.
There is also a great selection of remixes from Dowden, The Wash, Alley SA and George Yammine as well, how involved in the remixer selection process were you? And why were this group of artists a good choice to remix ‘It’s You’?
Dowden was the artist that I requested. His remix of Ben Haydie’s “November” is a big favourite of mine, and I also have been watching his excellent YouTube channel for production tips for a few years now. He is a great technical producer, and I’m really excited to have him involved. The other artists were introduced to me by the Musique De Lune team. They are all lovely people and great producers, and I’m happy with their remixes.
You also act as one of Musique de Lune’s A&Rs, tell us a bit about that and what you generally look for when signing a new project to the label?
I look for originality. A lot of dance music these days sounds very generic to me these days. Like it was made from a template. I love music that surprises me or is hard to put in a box. I'm also looking for emotion. I want the track to make me feel something. A good song is the most important thing but I'm also looking for a good level of production. I have a very particular taste so I try to remove too much of my personal bias from the decision and we are a team of 3 (Jordan, JFR, and I), so we often do a vote when we are split on a track.
Shifting to DJing for a moment, you’ve performed at some great events like Musique de Lune’s ADE party, so please tell us your approach to DJing and how you go about programming your sets.
I generally make quite deep, melodic and emotional music but I have a really wide taste in music, from slow, emotive and deep, to faster and more aggressive tracks. I will change what I play to fit the moment, the crowd, the venue. It’s nice to be able to take people on a journey through different styles and energy levels.
What is it about DJing, compared to producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?
I love to get feedback from people. Writing music alone can be quite isolating and I can easily fall down rabbit holes and mental spirals of self-criticism etc. Seeing people enjoying my music is hugely inspiring and energizing for me.
Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?
When I'm writing I'm always trying to find the sweet spot between optimizing for listening and for DJing. For listening I prefer shorter, more dynamic tracks with plenty of surprises and weird moments. But DJs generally prefer longer tracks with drum intros and outros etc. I try to find a happy medium between the 2. Maybe in the future, I will consider making separate mixes for listening and DJs, but I do have mixed feelings about just cutting a track in half to make a streaming version since the progressions over time in a track are usually very important in my music.
If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book, and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? (Do not include yourself)
Dubfire
Four Tet
Maceo Plex (Live)
Tim Green B3B Roy Rosenfeld B3B Sebastien Leger
Kasper Koman B2B JFR
If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)
I’d be working in Venture Capital (VC).
What’s something people do not know about you?
I love to play Padel
What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?
The Office (American version) is my favourite of all time. Special mentions for: Life’s Too Short, Peep Show and Extras
'It's You' is available now via Musique de Lune: https://tinyurl.com/44z4f56f
