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British DJ/producer George FitzGerald's emotional, finely tuned tracks mix wide-eyed melodies with house and garage rhythms, as well as an occasional vocal turn by a notable guest such as Tracey Thorn or Panda Bear. First appearing with a series of club singles during the early 2010s, he traded samples for guest vocals with his breakup-themed 2015 debut album Fading Love, which featured Boxed In and Lawrence Hart. The more upbeat 2018 follow-up, All That Must Be, included guest appearances by Tracey Thorn and Bonobo, as well as Lil Silva, who then became FitzGerald's collaborator in the duo OTHERLiiNE. The space exploration-inspired Stellar Drifting appeared in 2022, featuring Panda Bear and London Grammar, and was followed a year later by an EP, Not as I.

FitzGerald witnessed the birth of the dubstep scene during the mid-2000s, working at London shop Black Market Records and being a part of the city's vibrant club scene, but he didn't begin releasing music of his own until he moved to Berlin in 2010, when Paul Rose (aka Scuba) signed FitzGerald to his influential label Hotflush Recordings. FitzGerald pursued music as a full-time career, releasing moody, melancholic R&B-influenced club tracks, starting with "The Let Down" 12" on Hotflush in 2010, followed by "Don't You" (also on Hotflush) and "Fernweh" on his own ManMakeMusic in early 2011. By the end of 2012, FitzGerald had additionally released EPs on Aus Music (Silhouette and Child) and Hypercolour (Needs You), remixed Jessie Ware and Throwing Snow, and completed DJ mixes for Resident Advisor and XLR8R. In 2013, FitzGerald contributed to BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix series, and signed with Domino sublabel Double Six Recordings, issuing the singles "Magnetic" and "I Can Tell (By the Way You Move)" by the end of the year. FitzGerald's music began to evolve into a more analog-based techno/house sound, rather than the U.K. garage-influenced style of his previous work. Personal issues, such as a failing relationship and disillusionment with the club scene, delayed the production of his debut full-length, then ultimately inspired it. Fading Love, featuring guest vocals by Boxed In and Lawrence Hart, finally arrived in 2015.

Following a return to London after nearly a decade in Berlin, as well as the birth of his daughter, FitzGerald released his second full-length in 2018. All That Must Be included collaborations with Bonobo, Tracey Thorn, and Lil Silva. FitzGerald and Silva continued developing ideas together, blossoming into the side project OTHERLiiNE. After releasing the singles "Chimes" and "Hates Me" in 2019, a self-titled full-length OTHERLiiNE was issued by Ministry of Sound and Sony Music in 2020. FitzGerald then collaborated with London Grammar on their album Californian Soil, which appeared in 2021. Stellar Drifting, FitzGerald's third album, was released in 2022, with London Grammar, Panda Bear, and SOAK all making guest appearances. His next release was 2023's Not as I, a largely instrumental four-track EP that featured a vocal from SYML on one song. ~ Paul Simpson

The moniker of Bedford, U.K.-based electronic/dance producer TJ Carter, Lil Silva's sound evolves with every release, although his work has several signature threads that tie it all together. His early singles, like his 2008 debut 12" "Seasons/Funky Flex" put him at the center of the booming U.K. funky scene, but he didn't want to be pigeonholed. Vocals played an increasingly important role in his work, whether he drafted singers like Rosie Lowe on 2013's Distance EP or took the spotlight himself, as on 2016's JIMI. Over the years, Lil Silva's collaborators grew to include Mark Ronson and Diplo as well as frequent creative partners George FitzGerald (with whom he worked as OTHERLiiNE) and Sampha, who appeared on releases from 2011's Patience EP to 2022's single "Backwards." After years of short-form releases, he issued his first full-length, Yesterday Is Heavy, in 2022, followed two years later by another EP, Still Heavy P1.

By the age of 13, Lil Silva was DJ'ing at local all-ages clubs and was also a member of the grime crew Macabre Unit. In 2008, he was ready to share his productions with the wider world, which he announced by self-releasing his debut 12" "Seasons/Funky Flex," which perfectly framed his angular approach to bass music. Around 2010, Lil Silva found a spiritual home in the form of innovative bass label Night Slugs, which released his Night Skanker EP, featuring six all-out tracks that fit perfectly with Night Slugs' output; so much so that both "Gold to Gets" and "Seasons" were featured on the label's first compilation, Nightslug Allstars, Vol. 1. Lil Silva took his first evolutionary step with 2011's Patience EP, which featured his first collaboration with Sampha. After his final release on Night Slugs, 2012's Club Constructions, Lil Silva veered into new territory with his 2013 EP, Distance, released on Good Years. The EP featured vocal appearances from Sampha and Rosie Lowe, and even some backing vocals from Lil Silva himself. That year, he also contributed to Africa Express Presents: Maison des Jeunes, an installment of Damon Albarn's ongoing Africa Express project. 2014's EP Mabel took another step toward vocal-centric tracks by featuring Lil Silva on lead vocals for the first time, as well as a couple of contributions from alternative R&B singer Banks; Lil Silva would go on to co-produce Banks' debut album, Goddess, alongside Jamie Woon.

In 2015, Lil Silva demonstrated how organic his gradual shift in tone was by turning it on its head and releasing the Drumatic EP, which reached back to his dancefloor roots. Around the same time, he was in contact with Mark Ronson, who invited him to work on Adele's 25 -- together they produced "Lay Me Down." Ronson's approach to song structure further inspired Lil Silva's work, a development that became apparent on his 2016 EP JIMI. The record was his most ambitious to date, featuring dynamic pacing within the songs and introspective lyrics, yet the EP was unmistakably Lil Silva. The single "Making Sense" arrived in 2018, and with Sampha, Lil Silva co-produced Chip's "Darth Vader" that year. Also in 2018, he contributed to George FitzGerald's album All That Must Be. Along with appearing on Kano's "Hoodies All Summer'' in 2019, Lil Silva once again teamed up with FitzGerald for their house-inspired project OTHERLiiNE's singles "Chimes" and "Hates Me." The project's self-titled debut album followed in 2020. Additionally, that year saw Lil Silva remix Paul Epworth's "Love Galaxy" and appear with Melanie Faye on Duval Timothy's single "Fall Again." Lil Silva then contributed production work to Serpentwithfeet's 2021 album Deacon, and reunited with Sampha for 2022's single "Backwards." More singles like "To the Floor" with BADBADNOTGOOD followed in the front half of the year in a buildup to the July release of Yesterday Is Heavy, his first full-length under the Lil Silva name. Also featuring guests like Charlotte Day Wilson, Ghetts, and Little Dragon, the album was met with widespread acclaim. A follow-up EP, Still Heavy P1, appeared two years later. ~ Liam Martin