A CHAT W/ Cameron Riley

East Lancashire producer Cameron Riley is no stranger to carving his own lane. Following strong reactions to previous Transistor releases Cutty Dub and Cardi—the latter earning attention for its bumpy, dynamic take on a JMSN bootleg—Cameron has quietly built a reputation for avoiding the predictable in favour of something far more personal.

At a time when formulaic garage dominates the landscape, Cameron’s work resists easy categorisation. His approach is driven less by trends and more by curiosity, allowing emotion, groove, and impact to coexist without falling into a cookie-cutter mould. That mindset has led him to draw from a wide pool of influences, shaping a sound that feels deliberate and self-defined rather than inherited.

On his latest release, Soft Spot, now out via Transistor on Bandcamp and the label store, that philosophy is brought into sharp focus. The track leans into the emotional side of UKG, stripping back to raw vocal moments before giving way to a hard-hitting drop, where clear-cut drums and a deep Reese bass take control. It’s a release that balances sensitivity with pressure — hinting at how Cameron continues to explore new ground without losing his sense of identity.

To dig deeper into how that path came together, we caught up with Cameron for a quick conversation:

 

Q - Who are you, and what are you up to right now?

 

A - I’m Cameron, a producer from East Lancashire. Right now I’m building up my discography, sitting on a large bag of unreleased bits, and pushing myself forward this year with new inspirations, new ideas, new techniques, and a very unhealthy amount of new plugins.

 

 

Q - How would you describe your style?

 

A - I sit somewhere between house and speed garage, usually working in the 125–140 BPM range, with the occasional jungle track thrown in. A lot of my newer material takes inspiration from early Latin freestyle and producers like Gucci Bass, while still keeping a strong UK garage backbone.

 

 

Q - Who is your biggest inspiration outside of music?

 

A - Honestly, anyone who’s trying to do things differently. I’m not a fan of cookie-cutter work or repeating ideas that have already been done a thousand times. Anyone willing to push the boat out instead of copying what already works really inspires me.

 

 

Q - What was your inspiration for making “Soft Spot”?

 

A - I first heard the original track nearly two years ago, and the way the vocals came in over the ambient melody before snapping into the drums really stuck with me. I knew straight away I wanted to turn it into a proper dance track. It started as a two-step idea, but I can’t resist putting a fat Reese and kick on pretty much everything. Being able to rework the melody and harmonies throughout the track helped me flesh it out and give it its own identity.

 

 

Q - Why do you like UKG?

 

A - For me, UKG is the perfect genre. There’s such a wide range within it—tracks full of space, swing, and emotion, and others that just hit you like a bus. You can go from emotional stuff like Burial to high-impact tracks from Soul Mass Transit System, G.O.D., etc. It covers pretty much every mood without losing its character.

 

Q - Only 1 song can exist — what is it?

 

A - Bon Iver – 29 #Strafford APTS. It’s full of small technical details and carries a lot of personal meaning for me. I don’t understand the lyrics at all, but they feel like they mean something, and that’s what keeps me coming back to it.

 

 

Q - What is the most underrated UKG track?

 

A - There are too many to choose from, but right now I’d say Keeps Burning by Mance. Even though he’s been smashing it for ages, some of his tracks absolutely blow my mind. Garagey, housey, but ultimately just really good dance music.

 

 

Q - How were you introduced to Transistor?

 

A - Through countless hours of SoundCloud digging. The first track I heard from the label was See No Evil – Emmex Bootleg (still a tune), and I followed pretty much everything from that point on. The label’s taste, attention to detail, and community focus really aligned with what I care about musically.

 

 

Q - Any future plans?

 

A - I’ve got a serious amount of music ready to release this year. The main goals are to keep improving as a producer, make more stuff I love, keep impressing myself, and work on a lot more collaborations—producers, feel free to reach out if you think we’d make something good.

 

Listen to Cameron Riley - Soft Spot NOW