Smokey Bubblin’ B talks about music the same way many producers talk about old notebooks. His playlists act like rows of labeled chapters, each one tied to a time, a city, or a phase of steady growth. When he digs into older USBs, he hears unfinished ideas, half-formed versions of his current style, and tracks he still keeps in rotation. That relationship between past and present sits at the center of everything he shares here.
His new single “Temptation” with Guy Burns and James Poole reflects the same pattern.
The track came together in one afternoon, shaped by instinct, shared taste, and the rhythm-driven house energy that has followed him through every phase of his work. The release arrives during a period where he has been refining how he organizes his playlists, how he reads a room, and how he folds older influences into modern production.
This interview walks through that process in detail. He opens up about early memories from South East London, the records that shaped his listening habits, and the track that still defines a clear era of his life. It is a look at how he organizes his approach each night, how mood and environment guide his choices, and how “Temptation” fits into the progression he has been carving out all year.
Interview With Smokey Bubblin’
Do you ever go back through old playlists or USBs and feel like you’re flipping through a journal?
All the time. I always stumble across so many gems that I may have forgotten about, especially when I dig out the old skool usbs. I end up falling in love with tracks all over again and adding them to my current playlists.
I love hearing old productions of mine and WIP’s that I was working on at the time. I listen back and think what I would change now, which is normally alot… Some I’ll revisit and some I’ll leave just as they are, but you can definitely hear an evolution in sound and also how far I’ve come with my productions and selections.
Has your music selection ever mirrored something you were going through in your personal life?
More so when I’m on my own, I’ve pretty much got a Spotify playlist to suit every mood, so I’ll whip out the one that’s needed at the time.
On a DJ’ing front, I think when we properly came back from the pandemic I’d play some more emotional bits at the start of the sets. We were just so happy to be back dancing again and that definitely reflected in my selection with how I was feeling at the time.
Can you think of a moment where the way you were feeling shaped the music you played that night?
I try to leave any emotions or anything I’m going through at the door. It’s a total reset for me as soon as I have a sip of beer & put my usb in.
I’m a crowd reader so the only thing I think about, bar having a dance, is what the next track or direction is going to be. It might sound a bit cheesy, but for me it’s the only thing that matters in that moment, there’s not much time to think about anything else.
Do you build playlists or folders based on themes, phases, or emotional chapters?
I base the majority of my playlists around the nights I’m playing. I’ll always check the lineup and the brand of the party if I’ve not played for them before, always sticking to my sound but adding some curve balls along the way.
For my personal Spotify playlist it’s a different story. I listen to a lot of chilled music with emotive chords, which could range from A Tribe Called Quest to George Micheal to Giveon, plus I always hear great things to sample in these tracks
What’s a track that defines a specific era of your life—and do you still play it?
I was a young kid when I first heard Double 99 – RIP Groove. I was instantly obsessed with it. The samples, the bassline and the whole story of how the track was put together in a kitchen using minimal equipment. I’ve taken that mantra and put it into my own productions.
For me it’s the epitome of what a House and Garage track is. It has everything I love in it and it still has the same impact on the dance floor 25 odd years later. I don’t think there’s a set where I haven’t played it. In my opinion it’s one of the greatest dance/electronic tracks ever.. Pure genius!
How much do you think your sound reflects where you live, who you’re around, or what you’ve been experiencing?
My sound fully reflects the area I’m from. Growing up on a council estate in South East London there was always loud music being played from somewhere. Whether it was Reggae, Hardcore, Jungle or Garage. I loved the raw unpolished sound of it all; it was just so rugged.
That’s when I discovered my love for pirate radio, I would endlessly flick through the dial to find the songs I’d be hearing on the estate. I’d record them then take the tape to the record shop & hopefully come away with at least a couple. I do miss that culture of record shopping.
Is there a moment where your musical identity clicked for the first time and felt like a real reflection of you?
I never really felt like I fitted in anywhere when I was younger, especially in my early teens, but music would fill that feeling.
So I’d say high school is where it really clicked for me. I’d literally spend hours in my bedroom mixing records, reading labels, recording sets, researching the history of it all, it became a very obsessive passion for me
That’s the best thing about music, it’s for everyone & makes us feel like we’re part of it.
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