Australian-born producer John Paul Orchison, also known as Blanke, began ÆON:MODE to give his drum-and-bass work a separate identity. Interest in the genre started in his teens, but Orchison waited until he felt more confident producing it before launching the project. “Breathe”, featuring Orchison on vocals, was ÆON:MODE’s first single. The project later grew into a standalone act, distinct from Blanke’s work across dubstep and melodic bass. Orchison is based in Denver, Colorado, and has described ÆON:MODE as a way to introduce American audiences to a wider range of drum-and-bass sounds and artists.
In 2022, ÆON:MODE released the ÆON:ONE and ÆON:TWO EPs through Deadbeats; each EP has three tracks. The project has also put out music through Hospital Records, UKF, Monstercat and Bassrush Records. Its collaborations include “Awake” with Metrik, released through Hospital Records, and “Polarised” with Koven, released as a Monstercat single in 2025. ÆON:MODE also worked with Friction and Lauren L’aimant on the Deadbeats single “State Of Mind”.