Lloyd Barwood [Interview]

Lloyd Barwood is an emerging DJ and producer ascending through the electronic music scene. Beginning his journey only in 2022, he has quickly established a notable presence with performances both domestically and internationally, gaining support from internationally acclaimed artists and releasing tracks on esteemed labels such as Capital Heaven, IDYLIA, and inU Musika. And now he debuts on Yulia Niko’s AXEPT Records with ‘Praying to the Moon.’

Lloyd’s diverse production style is reflected in his dynamic DJ sets, where he transcends genres, drawing inspiration from various aspects of electronica to create a distinctive sound. His versatility has led to bookings across the U.K. and beyond, including supporting globally renowned DJs, headlining his first show, and gracing international stages at renowned venues like the Forum club and Extrema Outdoor in Belgium.

Additionally, Lloyd has curated his own progressive and melodic house events throughout the U.K.

Recently we caught up with Lloyd Barwood to learn more about his career, releases, background in electronic music, and much more. Enjoy! =D

Full Intrview with Lloyd Barwood

Hello Lloyd Barwood, thanks for talking to us. It’s great to have you here. How are you doing, and how has 2025 been for you so far?

Lloyd Barwood: It is great to be here, thank you very much for having me. 2025 has been amazing so far, my release calendar is already filling up with releases on some amazing labels like AXEPT, Controlled Substance, Stripped Digital, Prognosis, Music To Die For, and many more. I have also been part of some amazing gigs here in the U.K., playing alongside Dave Seaman at The Cross and and supporting Quivver at our Super Progressive parties in London.

About your latest release, ‘Praying To The Moon’ — are you excited about this one, and how was it to collaborate with AXEPT Records? Any behind-the-scenes stories you’d like to share?

Lloyd Barwood: It has been difficult to contain my excitement for this release, and having the opportunity to release on Yulia’s label has been a dream come true for me. Yulia has always been an artist I admired after I discovered her music on Selador and 8Bit Records.

The story behind ‘Praying To The Moon’ is an interesting one. I produced the record 18 months ago, and it was initially meant to be used for the UEFA Champions League. We even filmed a boiler room style set at Night Tales in London to capture the footage but unfortunately the opportunity fell through. I was heartbroken at the time as it was going to be played to millions of people worldwide, but it was only fate that it would end up in Yulia’s hands and be released on Axept.

Who from your home country inspired you the most early on, and why were they inspirational to you?

Lloyd Barwood: No artist has inspired me more than Sasha. For the last 35 years, he has been a true pioneer in the scene, always staying one step ahead of the game and carving out his own path. I have had the opportunity to watch him DJ more times than I can count and there is no one who can take you on a journey like he can. The diversity in the music he produces and DJs has inspired me to not constrain myself to genres, and I feel like this comes through in the music I release and the DJ sets I play.

In 2024, you showcased a great and dancefloor-oriented progressive house release called ‘Burning Desire.’ Could you share more about the inspiration behind it and the feedback you’ve received?

Lloyd Barwood – Burning Desire | IDYLIA

Lloyd Barwood: ‘Burning Desire’ has been my most successful release yet, garnering support from some of the biggest DJs in the world and becoming my top selling record on Beatport. The club-orientated record was produced to be played at the peak time in my DJ sets, taking inspiration from a variety of different genres of electronic music, like progressive house, tech house and afro house, to create something unique and different.

We are now four months into 2025 — what tracks that have come out so far this year have caught your attention?

Lloyd Barwood: 2025 has been a great year so far for music. A few of my favourite releases have been the feel-good daytime house vibes of “Monkey Safari – Voices”, the proper rave tune in Gorgon City’s “5am at Bagleys” and Danny Howell’s and Matt Masters’ latest EP “Introspection”. I heard this get played in Koko’s in London a few weekends ago and it sounded amazing.

Monkey Safari – Voices | Good Vibes From Paradise

Gorgon City – 5am at Bagleys | REALM Records

Danny Howells & Matt Masters – Introspection | Lazy Days Music

Is there an electronic music show that really blew your mind? Could you name it?

Lloyd Barwood: It would have to be Black Coffee playing the closing set of the weekend at Extrema Outdoor in 2023. Whilst Black Coffee is not usually my vibe, he played a truly incredible festival set and the production was off the charts! If you have not been to Extrema Outdoor, I highly recommend you attend.

What are your thoughts on the use of AI in electronic music? Have you incorporated any form of AI into your recent productions? If so, how do you feel about the results?

Lloyd Barwood: As with any technology, I believe that AI can be a great tool if used in the right ways. For example, I tend use AI tools for specific use cases, such as converting a vocal sample into a different voice to provide a unique vocal or to isolate different instruments from a record to create a remix or edit. You can also use generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) to get suggestions on topics such as social media content, which can be helpful and save time. However, I’m not sure I could ever get behind using AI to actually write music. For me, music is all about that human connection and it must come from the soul.

And now, looking ahead — how do you see or imagine the future of electronic music over the next 10 years?

Lloyd Barwood: It is a hard question to answer as so much can change in 10 years. You can see that just by looking backwards, for instance, the electronic music scene is very different now from where it was 12 years ago when I first became a part of it and it is a completely different world to 30 years ago. I would expect that the commercialisation of the scene will only increase over the next 10 years, with the bigger events only getting bigger and a reduction in the number of smaller parties caused by the rising costs of throwing an event.

Social media is also changing the ways in which people consume music too, with the focus becoming more on the artist than the music itself. It is not all doom and gloom though, there will always be good people listening to good music and I will always try and attach myself to that.

Thank you for your time, Lloyd. it was a pleasure! Wishing you all the best, and we look forward to catching up again soon.

‘Praying To The Moon’ is available now via AXEPT Records. Download here.

Image via Lloyd Barwood