Sean Roman has spent more than two decades carving out his own space within underground electronic music.
Photo credit: Sean Roman – Official
First emerging through his acclaimed drum and bass productions as Mutt, the Toronto-based producer and DJ gradually expanded into house, garage, disco, and 2-step, developing a sound shaped as much by deep groove and hardware experimentation as by the multicultural energy of the city around him.
Across releases for labels including Nervous Records, Freerange, Wolf Music, and Strictly Rhythm, alongside his own Lately Bass Records, Roman has built a catalogue that moves fluidly between dancefloor functionality and emotional depth. Recent collaborations such as ‘Could It Be’ with Toronto Hustle and Abacus further reinforced his position within contemporary deep house, reaching number one on both Traxsource and Juno Deep House charts.
His latest project, ‘Sweetboi’ LP, feels like a defining moment in that evolution. Built from field recordings captured in northern Ontario, Scarborough, and his Ojibwe reservation, the album blends deep house, garage, breakbeat, ambient textures, and live collaboration into a warm and deeply personal body of work rooted in memory, movement, and atmosphere.
We caught up with Sean Roman to talk about the making of ‘Sweetboi’, his evolution as an artist, the Toronto scene that shaped him, and where he is heading next.
EG: Hi Sean, welcome to EG. ‘Sweetboi’ LP feels like a very cohesive and personal record. What was the starting point for the project?
Sean Roman: Thanks for the invite. My partner, Sahar, planted the idea in my head and then helped write an arts grant for it. After that, a lot of things fell into place. It became an exploration of places that formed me.
Sahar and I ended up travelling to northern Ontario, where we did a bunch of field recordings in nature and at my reservation (I am half Ojibwe). I also did a bunch of field recordings in Scarborough, a part of Toronto where I grew up.
These field recordings were the starting point for the rest of the album.
EG: The album moves between deep house, garage, and breakbeat quite fluidly. Did you approach it with that range in mind?
Sean Roman: Yes! I wanted to do a multi-genre electronica album that you could dance to and chill to. Like the albums I remember from the 90s and early 2000s. I thought that if the aesthetic and sound of the project were defined, you could write all different types of music to “fit” it.
I think the field recordings and nature sounds kind of bridge the tracks together in a nice way…
EG: You are widely known for your drum and bass work as Mutt. What pushed you toward house and garage over the last decade?
Sean Roman: I first started putting out records when I was 20 years old. And like everyone, you get older and start wondering what else is out there… so I would always experiment by producing different genres (2-step, hip-hop, etc.). I started buying house records around this time and fell in love with producers like Moodymann and Jimpster. And my approach to production was also changing and evolving. I started using more hardware, which also informed the music I was producing… house felt like a natural step in my musical progression.
EG: Do you feel that background in drum and bass still informs how you make house music today?
Sean Roman: Yes, I think it gives me a different perspective, which definitely informs the house music I make today. Hopefully it differentiates my sound in some way…
“I would love to discover and nurture young producers, and continue to put out music we believe in!”
EG: Tracks like ‘Move Fast’ and ‘Skylines’ bring in vocal collaborators. How important was collaboration on this LP?
Sean Roman: I love collaborating and bringing other people’s ideas to the plate. So I knew I wanted some vocalists on the project…
Annaroza is the vocalist on ‘Skylines’, a deep breakbeat track with rave influences. And Ras Thug is an MC from Scarborough, whom I have known for a long time and is basically family now… he is the vocalist on ‘Move Fast’.
EG: There is a strong late-night feel across the record. Was it written with the dancefloor in mind, or more for listening?
Sean Roman: I think both! Tracks like ‘Blushin’, ‘Batchewan Riddim’ and ‘Goin’ Up’ are definitely meant for the dancefloor. And tracks like ‘Jo’ (which is an ambient track) are definitely an introspective number… So I think you get a bit of everything on this album (which is how I think albums should be!!!). I am a big fan of albums you can listen to all the way through, and that’s what I wanted to do with ‘Sweetboi’…
EG: Toronto has a distinct underground identity. How has the city shaped your sound?
Sean Roman: I definitely would not have the musical knowledge and influences I had growing up if I had not been in Toronto. The city is so diverse, with so many scenes and so many people from different walks of life. For instance, in high school, I would be listening to things like Mobb Deep and Heltah Skeltah, then move onto a jungle set from DJ Hype, then maybe listen to some dancehall… these were the influences I was surrounded with.
EG: You have released on a wide range of labels and now continue to build Lately Bass Records. What is your vision for the label?
Sean Roman: I would love to discover and nurture young producers, and continue to put out music we believe in! I think one thing that sets Lately Bass apart is that we release all sorts of electronic music, so releasing multi-genre efforts is important to us…
“I definitely would not have the musical knowledge and influences I had growing up if I had not been in Toronto”
EG: Your track ‘Could It Be’ recently hit number one on major charts. Has that kind of recognition changed anything for you?
Sean Roman: It is really great to be recognised for a piece of work that stays with people. Yes, it has changed some things, but in a way, you’re only as good as your last tune… so I try not to frame my success that way if that makes sense?
EG: Looking ahead, what is next after ‘Sweetboi LP’? Any new directions you want to explore?
Sean Roman: I am going to do some dates to support the album. In terms of releases, I have some music coming out on WOLF Music and Freerange this year with my homey Toronto Hustle. I have been asked to do a drum and bass album with a lot of older cuts I never released in the early 2000s…
In terms of new directions… It would be cool to produce a band next, maybe…??
Sean Roman’s ‘Sweetboi’ LP will be out on May 22nd, 2026, via Lately Bass Records. Stream and download your copy here.
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