After growing up with the piano as his primary instrument, producer and multi-instrumentalist John Hayes eventually abandoned classical studies in college and started immersing himself in the intricacies of score work, as well as the limitless opportunities of electronic music production. Armed with GarageBand and a Beat Thang sampler, he spent his time in higher education honing his craft and making beats for other artists at school. When Hayes was 23, a close friend passed away—an experience of grief that pushed him to pursue music with even more purpose than before. “That feeling that it could all be gone is why I make music. Why would I not do exactly what I want to do with my time? We’re only around for so long.” Inspired by Nils Frahm’s hybridic neo-classical electronic approach, Hayes has since amassed an impressive and expansive body of work, both under his own name and as Twinsleep with frequent collaborator Maxy Dutcher.