Blanke joins us on In Close Proximity to discuss creative identity, the making of his debut album, and why the best art comes from trusting your own vision instead of chasing trends. In this conversation, Blanke opens up about the journey to his debut album, Edge of the World, and what it took to rediscover his identity as an artist. We discuss the creative freedom that comes with making an album, building an immersive world around the music, the realities of today's music industry, and why creating for yourself is more important than chasing trends. Chapters 0:00 – Intro 1:09 – Catching up: Beyond Music Festival & The Gorge 2:02 – Moving to Colorado 3:58 – Early days playing Red Rocks 5:11 – Career origins: DJing before producing 7:10 – Announcing debut album "Edge of the World" 9:32 – Why albums still matter in the streaming era 12:24 – Album concept & "The Nobodies" lore 18:13 – Creative process behind the album 21:25 – Favorite tracks (Internal Shell, Arsenal, Sunrise) 25:27 – Teasing album collaborations 26:32 – Announcing the "Far From Home" tour with Virtual Riot 27:23 – Favorite drum & bass artists 28:40 – Melodic vs. heavy sound 30:09 – Musical identity across genres 34:28 – The ÆON:MODE alias project 37:27 – Twitch streams & Patreon community 39:50 – Advice for upcoming producers 43:01 – Illenium collabs: the story behind Hollow, Hold On, and Gorgeous 45:35 – Unreleased tracks & the Seven Lions ID 46:44 – Rapid-fire round (vocal collab, ritual, crowd moments, jerseys) 48:14 – Espresso machine deep dive 50:33 – Latte art skills 52:38 – Advice to his younger self 54:37 – Underrated music recommendation 56:20 – Album release date & sign-off Want more music? Check out Proximity Radio, our companion mixshow series featuring exclusive guest mixes, new music discoveries, Proximity Premieres, Golden Era Classics, and interviews with the artists shaping dance music today. ⁠radio.prxmusic.com⁠