Barry Can't Swim, But He Can Do Pretty Much Everything Else
From a charity shop piano to headlining the world's biggest festivals. Barry Can't Swim's rise is one of the best stories in electronic music.
Joshua Mainnie was born in Edinburgh in 1992 and goes by a name he almost certainly didn't think through. "I've just got a mate who's called Barry and he can't swim. When I chose the name. I really wasn't anticipating it was going to become my full-fledged career. Now I'm sort of stuck with it." Somehow it fits perfectly, because Barry Can't Swim has built an entire career on doing things without overthinking them and having them land beautifully every time.
From a charity shop piano to Glastonbury
Mainnie grew up learning on a piano his grandfather rescued from a local charity shop, worked behind the bar at a local spot, performed in bands through his teenage years, and eventually sutdied music at Edinburgh Napier University where he discovered the burgeoning UK electronic scene. Early EPs on Shall Not Fade and Ninja Tune's Technicolour imprint built a following in the right circles. Then the debut album arrived and everything shifted.
His career took off with the release of his debut EP Amor Fati in July 2021 through Shall Not Fade, which showcased his unique ability to blend club sounds with organic elements. He followed it with the EP More Content in 2022 via Technicolour Records. Both releases circulated through the right circles without breaking through to a wider audience. That changed completely with what came next.
The debut full-length album When Will We Land? landed in October 2023, charted at number 12 in the UK, won BBC Radio 1's Best Dance Album award, and received a 9 out of 10 from Clash. It earned him a Mercury Prize shortlist and a Brit Award nomination for Best Dance Act. For a debut on an independent label, that run of recognition was extraordinary.
What makes the sound work
His style pulls vocals and samples from all over the world, composed in an almost progressive-jazz nature: eclectic, dynamic and almost spiritual at times. He cites Ravi Shankar and Fela Kuti as inspirations, drawing from house, jazz and global genres with a skillful integration of diverse vocal and instrumental samples. It's club music that works just as well as on headphones at home, which is a rare thing to pull off.
Many DJs are now playing with bringing connnection front and centre. With Romy, Jamie xx made a house track for quiet people who frequent loud places. Fred Again made a career out of his lockdown collaborations sampling anecdotal voice notes. Barry Can't Swim worldly influence sets him apart from both of those approaches. His music has weight and texture without ever feeling heavy.
Loner proved it wasn't a fluke
His second album Loner came out on July 11, 2025 through Ninja Tune. Mainnie described it as the most authentic expression he could offer. The Times gave it four stars, writing that there's something so straightforward about this music, so uplifting and danceable, tht it sounds like the soundtrack to the summer, cementing Barry Can't Swim as a superstar DJ of note. It strengthened his skills at making airtight tracks designed to ignite the dancefloor without losing the emotional weight that made the first album connect.
Where he is right now
Sold-out shows followed in London, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne and beyond, alongside festival appearances at Coachella, Reading and Leeds, and a record-breaking crowd at Glastonbury's Park Stage. In May 2026 he plays Lighting in a Bottle in California and closes the Waterfront Stage at Movement Detroit, one of the most coveted festival slots of the summer. A Late Night Tales mix dropped in March 2026, placing him alongside past contributors like Four Tet, Bonobo and Nicolas Jaar.
The reason he is everywhere right now is not complicated. The music is that good, the live show delivers it in a way very few artists at his level can match, and he has not once given anyone a reason to stop paying attention.
