At the intersection of distinct music styles, David Kennedy, a.k.a. Pearson Sound , connects the blueprint of UK soundsystems to the cutting edge of contemporary dancefloor music. Widely acclaimed as a producer, DJ and mix engineer—as well as one of the three founders of the Hessle Audio imprint—he is synonymous with a wide-angle view of the bass spectrum.

Pearson Sound productions, DJ sets and remixes are all brought to life in high fidelity with dark rhythmic grooves, complex percussive arrangements and exacting melodic details. Contrasting the behind-the-scenes operational nature of Kennedy’s Hessle Audio responsibilities, his Pearson Sound productions have always cut boldly across a speaker stack, embracing futurism at every stage; this is evident in a run of iconic dancefloor cuts, from the dub-heavy minimalism of his late 2000s tracks inspired by seminal London clubs FWD>> and DMZ', to contemporary breakout hits like 2020’s rave-ready Alien Mode and 2022’s Red Sky. Not content to only inhabit record bags and set lists, 2015 saw the release of Pearson Sound, a singularly hypnotic self-titled debut LP, which foregrounded a resolute desire to experiment with the form.

Pearson Sound’s perpetual forward motion is fuelled by the crucial feedback loop that exists between production and DJing. Whether testing dubplates at club sets, bleeding across genres with on-the-fly edits, or sparking off within the dynamics of Hessle Audio’s legendary B3B DJ sets, his signature is ever-evolving.

Photo by Chris Hoare for Crack Magazine
Homepage artwork by Andrew Stellitano & Owen Silverwood