We recently had the chance to connect with DERRICK STEMBRIDGE and have shared our conversation below.
DERRICK, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of building that nobody really sees is the life that exists quietly behind everything else. The sense of stability for my kids. The creative world I’ve built piece by piece. The strength to keep showing up and moving forward even when no one’s watching. It’s not loud or flashy, but it’s the foundation that makes everything else work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Derrick Stembridge, a composer, producer, and storyteller who’s spent the past two decades exploring the emotional landscapes where sound and memory meet. Through my ambient project, Drifting in Silence, and my label, Labile Records, I create music and experiences designed to slow the world down, allowing people to feel, reflect, and reconnect with what matters beneath the noise.
My work is about more than just music; it’s about building spaces where people can breathe, heal, and see themselves more clearly. I’m currently working on new releases, books, and multimedia projects that weave together sound, story, and personal transformation. At the heart of it all is a simple yet profound belief: the right sound at the right moment can alter our perception of everything.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful was the first time I created something that moved someone else. I was a kid experimenting with music, and I watched a friend’s whole mood shift just by hearing something I’d made. It was the moment I realized that creativity could reach beyond me that I could shape how someone felt with nothing but sound and intention. That feeling stuck with me, and it’s been the driving force behind everything I’ve done since.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I think that shift happened when I realized that hiding my pain was only keeping me stuck in it. For a long time, I tried to bury it, to pretend I was fine but it always found a way to surface. The turning point was understanding that pain isn’t a weakness to be ashamed of; it’s raw material. Once I started channeling it into music, writing, and creativity, it stopped being something that held me back and started becoming the fuel that pushed me forward. That’s when it turned into power.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
I’ve always been drawn to thinkers and creators who challenge our perspective on the world, including Brian Eno, Rick Rubin, and Alan Watts. Their ideas about creativity, presence, and perspective have shaped how I approach both art and life. I lean on their philosophies as reminders to stay curious, to embrace simplicity, and to trust the process even when I don’t have all the answers. Their wisdom often becomes the quiet framework beneath my own ideas.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I built things that meant something that I left behind, more than just music or words, but spaces where people felt understood, inspired, or a little less alone. I want the story to be that I showed up fully, loved deeply, created fearlessly, and turned even the hardest parts of life into something beautiful. And that, in some way, big or small, what I made helped someone else find their own strength.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.labilerecords.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labilerecords
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickstembridge
- Twitter: https://x.com/drstembridge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derrickstembridge
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@labile_records
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/driftinginsilence
