Highly sought after for his production capabilities, Deeper Purpose brings a distinctive style of tech house beats wherever he goes. He’s made his presence known in the music industry for the past 10 years, earning recognition from people like Lee Foss, John Summit, and Max Chapman for his modern take on a classic sound.



Deeper Purpose’s unforgettable style is laced with feelgood vibes and incredible energy, with simple touches that belie their intricacy. His range as an artist is evident through his use of minimalist techniques, hypnotic melodies, and just the right amount of lyricism. He’s shown himself to be a passionate and crafty producer.



We here at Gray Area have chosen seven Deeper Purpose tracks that showcase his driven intensity and tech house sound. If you haven’t yet heard what Deeper Purpose is all about, now’s your chance.



1. Grumble





Released in 2017, “Grumble” is a bass-heavy roller that’s full of Deeper Purpose’s signature tech house sound with a little added funk. His sampling of Timbaland’s verse from Aaliyah’s song “Are You That Somebody?” really lends an old school feel to this contemporary track.



2. Safari





Next up is “Safari,” a collaboration between Deeper Purpose and forward-thinking producer Intrusive. Released on Resonance Records, this tech house joint is a weapon of dancefloor destruction. An instant party, “Safari” has all the makings of an earworm with its catchy lyrics and sick beat. Don’t even get us started on the accompanying video, which features a variety of “animals” partying and running amok with a Ferrari as they prepare for a safari.



3. Manipulation





The next song we’re featuring is Deeper Purpose’s debut on Lee Foss’ label Repopulate Mars. “Manipulation” reunites him with Intrusive, and together they create something super spacey, all while using their own vocals. “Manipulation” has a very out-of-this-world feel and features robotic voices layered over a driving bassline. All of these elements culminate in a huge breakdown full of dancefloor goodness.



4. The System





Returning with another release on Repopulate Mars, Deeper Purpose worked once again with frequent collaborator Intrusive. Together, they created “The System,” an otherworldly tune full of synths and futuristic house beats. Continuing with their outer space theme from their previous release, “The System” takes you on a psychedelic journey into a whole other galaxy.



5. Elevate






Now we have Deeper Purpose’s “Elevate,” a track released on Catch & Release Records. In fact, he was only the third artist to release on this FISHER-run label. “Elevate” is a definite choon with quality buildups, thumping tech house sound design, and rolling synths. The prevalent percussion hits hard; it’s no wonder that FISHER himself used this song as his secret weapon in his sets.


6. Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good) (Deeper Purpose Remix)






Deeper Purpose was tasked with the honor of remixing Piero Pirupa’s version of the house classic “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” by Rozalla. Pirupa’s version added some complimentary breakbeats to match Rozalla’s voice. Then Deeper Purpose came in and added his own signature production techniques to create a fresh take on an absolute classic banger. This remix was such a hit that it finished 2021 as the longest-running Beatport Tech House #1 of the year.



7. “Party Diva”






In fall 2022, Deeper Purpose released a single called “Party Diva” that marks the third solo signing for John Summit’s label, Off The Grid Records. This track is full of high energy and aggressive bass, all the while remaining playful. Featuring memorable lyrics and a banging beat, it’s no wonder that “Party Diva” is a party anthem.



7 Must-Hear Tracks by Deeper Purpose

The worldwide shutdowns caused by COVID were a blessing in disguise for many established artists. For those who were financially secure, it created a lengthy period of time in which touring was on pause and they could focus exclusively on spending time with their families and creating music.



That being said, for many artists, the lapse in touring ultimately led to a return to their previous lives. For Deeper Purpose, his massive momentum came to a screeching halt. With a child to support, he found himself going back to his previous job working in construction.





“There's moments where I crack a little bit, but I am quite resilient in some senses,” said Deeper Purpose during his Spotlight interview with Gray Area. “I mean, I'm only human and I have moments where stuff gets to me, but I tend to have quite a positive mindset and recognize that it'll be okay. I just keep things moving."



He continued: “I’ve always done construction from when I was young. Music is obviously a hard way to pay the bills. I've got a son as well, an 11-year-old, so obviously to support him and make sure that he's provided for while paying my own bills was impossible through music alone.”



This time was a true challenge for Deeper Purpose. The idea that he could spend all day every day locked in the studio working on his craft went out the window. Real-life problems reared their ugly heads and it proved difficult trying to balance working a full-time job, supporting a family, and also somehow finding time to produce music. Additionally, for many producers including Deeper Purpose, his creative process often begins at the club.



“I'll hang around and sort of pick up on the energy and feed off the crowd a little bit,” he said. “And 9 times out of 10 I get ideas for vocals while I'm in a club. I'm very much a person that can't sit and make a track blind; I have to go into it sort of with an idea of how it's going to sound, what the vocal hook is, or what the melody or the top line will be.”



Despite the struggle, Deeper Purpose managed to persevere. He has emerged as one of the hottest acts in the past two years, releasing massive tracks on labels like Off the Grid, Spinnin’ Records, and Saved Records. 



Although the pandemic set back his career, Deeper Purpose remains as motivated as ever, and how output since shows as much. Now that he’s regularly releasing music and touring actively, we can’t wait to see what is next for the young star.

How Deeper Purpose Persevered Through Setbacks During the Pandemic

For Deeper Purpose, coming up in the world of open format DJing is just one of many reasons why his productions stay fresh and unique. “I still listen to all types of music. I'm still very in touch with everything,” he said during Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “Obviously, it's subjective, but I feel like you should never close yourself off in one genre completely. Even for production stuff, I draw so much influence from so much music. My earlier days definitely played a part in the way that I make music now.”


A self-proclaimed music lover, he encourages every producer to listen to all types of music. As his rapid rise has shown, the ability to borrow and sample from multiple genres is simply one of the best ways to stay on top of the game.



Deeper Purpose has worked hard to consistently create original music, and like many DJs, his first big breakthrough came on a classic night out, DJing for his Egg London residency where he had a chance meeting with Lee Foss. He sent Lee demos, which the legendary DJ rejected—although he advised him to continue producing and sending him music. The result was a collaboration with Intrusive called “Manipulation.” After road testing it, Lee Foss felt so compelled by it that he emailed Deeper Purpose in the middle of the night offering to sign it.




“I think that was the first stamp point where people said, ‘okay, this guy's got potential to be a serious artist,’” Deeper Purpose says. Making it in the DJ world can be as simple as networking. A high-quality product must come first, but so many discoveries are made through nights out. Deeper Purpose has made sure to make every single track count, and play every single set—whether he’s opening, closing, or headlining—like it was his last. This mentality has allowed him to create truly memorable music. Crafting original sounds, and focusing on making timeless music is ultimately what will help Deeper Purpose stay relevant for a long time.


“There's obviously a lot of sampling that has been going on at the moment, like R&B, and hip-hop stuff,” he says. “That's all fine, but it's not really me. I want to be the guy that especially nails my vocals, I want to be the guy that writes a vocal, which is so damn good that everyone else wants to sample it and remix it.”


We can’t get enough of the Deeper Purpose sound and look forward to what the young artist has in store next.



Deeper Purpose on How to Make Memorable Dance Music

Whether you love or hate to see it, there’s no denying that 2022 marked a period of significant commercial interest in house music.



The genre has had its fair share of moments in the mainstream spotlight since it coalesced in the gay, Black, and Latino nightlife communities of Chicago in the ‘80s, to be sure. Crystal Waters’ 1994 classic “100% Pure Love” hit #11 on the “Billboard Hot 100,” and #1 on the publication's “Dance Club Songs” chart. More recently, FISHER’s 2018 tech house track “Losing It” topped the latter.



2022 saw notable pop superstars join the party. Within weeks of one another, Drake and Beyoncé each dropped albums that included numerous house-inspired songs. The former artist tapped producers like Black Coffee, &ME, and Klahr for his effort. The latter enlisted dance music acts like Honey Dijon and Nile Rodgers for hers.



Some argue that these influences will only dilute house, which has already arguably suffered from recurring identity crises as each new generation of talent offers its own interpretation of the genre. Others are more optimistic, projecting that the increased attention will trickle down into opportunities for artists at every level.



We here at Gray Area decided to gather the opinions of house artists themselves. Some are elder statesmen who helped guide the course of the style early on. Others are up-and-coming acts who represent the future of the genre. Read on what they have to say about the matter and arrive at your own conclusions.



1. Todd Terry







Todd Terry’s career extends back to house music’s genesis in the 1980s. He’s in favor of mainstream house music hits as long as artists bring original ideas to the table.



“We need a Robin S. We need a Crystal Waters. We need a Snap! - ‘I Got The Power,'” he told Gray Area during our Spotlight interview. “We need something that helps us a little bit here, makes us come to the dance floor. We need to get something out there to mix it up a little bit.”



"Break some new records,” he went on. “Stop catering to the same piano sound all the time. We got enough piano records. Okay, you guys found the piano in the last three years. Good job. There's other shit.”



2. East End Dubs





East End Dubs is a name that has grown more and more ubiquitous among London house fans over the past decade. In his Gray Area Spotlight interview, the “bRave” producer expressed optimism that house-inspired tracks in the mainstream could offer new fans a point of entry leading to the underground.



“Recently, people have said, ‘Oh, this is going to bring uneducated people into the scene.’ For me, I think people can start with Beyoncé or Drake and then fall in love with house music,” speculates East End Dubs, who also praised the tracks by the aforementioned artists. “It's a beautiful thing. Why not? House is something that we share together, so I don't mind people getting to know our music that way and then going a little more underground to discover us.”



3. SYREETA





SYREETA stands out as a more recent house music artist who still represents the queer, Black, underground roots of the genre well. She nonetheless believes that her world can coexist with the mainstream.



“There's no judgment on this,” she said during Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “House music started underground, and it will always be to me. It hits everybody’s souls differently and is inspired in different ways, so each artist will have their own stamp on what they have taken away from it, whether it be more on the commercial side or more underground. Not everybody has to like it. People will move with what they prefer.”



4. Iglesias





Fast-rising UK house DJ and producer Iglesias also posits that commercial interest in house has little bearing on what he does. In his Gray Area Spotlight interview, he pointed out that most consumers of those releases likely don’t even associate it with house music.



“I don't really care, to be fair," he said. "What they're doing is not what we're doing, let's put it that way. They're making commercial stuff. Who they're appealing to, I don't even think that person would even know that that's a house beat or whatever. They would just be like, 'Oh, it's another Drake track.' Do you see what I mean? So it never really fascinates me that much because I don't feel like they're stepping on our toes. What we're doing is way cooler than what they're doing."



5. Harry Romero





During his Gray Area Spotlight interview, longtime NYC DJ and producer Harry Romero expressed optimism about house music’s popularity in the past few years. He did, however, have choice words about how the EDM movement impacted the culture over a decade ago.



“I hate to say it, but that EDM thing really threw us all through a curveball. We were like, ‘What the hell is this?’ he said. “The mechanisms changed. The way of doing business changed. The EDM thing really commercialized the industry, and for them to claim that they were house music was just strange."


"The reality is that it became a business," Harry went on. "It was pop music all of a sudden. A lot of people steered away from what they loved, which was the roots of house music. I understand evolution. I’m not mad at technology or the times. What I at least try to do is scratch my head and figure out how to put my own twist on it.”



6. ACRAZE





ACRAZE is enjoying an enviable breakthrough as an artist thanks to recent covers like “Do It To It” and “Believe.” With his recent good fortune, it perhaps comes as little surprise that he sees the genre’s recent popularity as a good thing.



“I think it's cool, man. I think seeing new faces in the industry is just special,” he said during Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “Massive artists like Beyoncé and Drake getting into house music only helps the genre explode even more. I guess it becomes more commercialized, but now there’s also a bigger goal for artists. Drake’s in house music—it's my dream to even collab with him. Now I know, there's a chance. I didn't even know he was into that shit. Beyoncé too, like, that's so sick.”



“Some people will think differently and say, ‘They don't know anything about the music, the culture,’ he went on. “I think people read way too deeply into those kinds of things. If people are putting out good music and pushing the genre, I think that's what matters, you know?”



7. Shermanology





Dutch-Caribbean outfit Shermanology are also enticed by the prospect of working with more commercially successful acts. In their Gray Area Spotlight interview, the brother-sister duo named one hip-hop artist in particular.



“What we wanna do in the near future is collaborate with artists you wouldn’t expect us to collaborate with,” said Dorothy. “For example, if I could dream big I’d say Anderson .Paak. That would be someone who would excite me.”



Andy added, “I wanna work with people who may have said, ‘I will never do a house record,’ and get them to do a house record. Just mix and blend different genres.”



8. Tim Green:





Count longtime DJ and producer Tim Green among the artists who feel Beyoncé and Drake’s interest in house music has no bearing on the underground. Why? Because he doesn’t consider it house.



“I literally couldn't care,” he said in his Gray Area Spotlight interview. “You can call a car a tree if you want, and that's your prerogative, but each to their own opinion. When you start to get down to the finer details of what something is, who knows—and really, who cares? It doesn't matter.”



“I understand, of course, the negative connotations that it kind of has, and it's not right,” Tim continued. "But for the people that know the kind of music that they're into and want to listen to, I think that's enough.”



9. Kyle Walker





Breakthrough tech house artist Kyle Walker, on the other hand, does think mainstream artists dabbling in house will affect the underground—but in a good way.



“[House music is] definitely headed to the top 40 chart, I would say, like Billboard and such,” he said during Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “I could see more dance records being in the top 10, even. It's definitely a good thing for everyone—even the underground. It's a good thing that more ears and eyes are gonna be on the scene. I just think everyone's gonna start with this wave of just having house music producers come onto their albums, which in turn is just going to create more house music fans.”



10. LOVRA





Rounding out this list is the perspective of LOVRA. The German DJ and producer agrees that the increase in attention to house music has created new opportunities for artists.



“It's super interesting, but it also shows that the people understand this music right now,” she said during Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “They're more open to it. Back in the day, sometimes you couldn’t play in a club because it was too commercial or you were too underground. But now, I feel like the people and the club promoters are way more open to trying it out a little bit more, and this is a good thing.”





10 House Artists Weigh in on the Genre's Recent Mainstream Popularity

Sometimes an artist's journey includes a moment of inexplicable fate. Perhaps it's a chance encounter with a legendary producer or a treasure trove of inherited records. For DJ and producer Deeper Purpose, it was when security apprehended him at a club in London.




The British tech house DJ was out clubbing with some friends after finishing a set of his own earlier that night. They were at Egg London, a warehouse-style club licensed to host 24-hour dance parties. It was 4:00 in the morning. Ever the responsible raver, Deeper Purpose (real name Stephen Galloway) handed his buddies a bag of disposable earplugs on the dancefloor. Moments later, he was whisked away by Egg London staff and toted upstairs.




“I got grabbed by members of security, taken upstairs into the office, and searched because they thought I had narcotics on me,” he said in a Spotlight interview with Gray Area earlier this year. “They searched me and found nothing. The manager said, ‘I’m so sorry I’ve ruined your night, how can I repay you?’ I was like, ‘Well, you can give me a set.’”



The manager of Egg agreed, offering Deeper Purpose an unpaid gig in one of the smaller rooms in the club's upstairs. “He gave me a good set slot time to be fair,” he said. “It was, like, 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM. Right when I got on, there was no one in the room. By the end of my set, the room was packed.”



That one-off gig earned Deeper Purpose a job regularly hosting a room at the club. Eventually, he also began playing direct support for touring DJs there. “It all sort of happened organically. It just came together,” he said. “That's when I sort of wiped that polish off and finessed what I'd already learned along the way.”



After making a name for himself with his residencies at Egg London and XOYO, Deeper Purpose has now become a familiar face at US festivals like CRSSD and EDC Las Vegas.

The Security Blunder That Landed Deeper Purpose an Egg London Residency

United Kingdom

Deeper Purpose

OCHO Episode 12

At age 17, Deeper Purpose had resigned himself to a lifetime of working on a farm with his grandfather. That all changed after his first visit to Croydon, South London nightclub Tiger Tiger, near where he grew up.

“I was underage, and I borrowed one of my friends’ IDs to go to the club,” he says. “I spent the whole night standing next to the DJ booth just watching the DJ. We became friends and I went down every single week after that. He taught me how to DJ, and then farming sort of went out the window. I was like, ‘Sorry granddad, not gonna work on the farm anymore.’”

On the other end of the roller coaster ride that often accompanies such career decisions, Deeper Purpose (real name Stephen Galloway) is enjoying a surge of international popularity. After making a name for himself while holding long residencies at well-known British clubs like Egg London and XOYO, he’s become a familiar face at US festivals like CRSSD and EDC Las Vegas.

Deeper Purpose Live at the Repopulate Mars Jumpin' Jam Fest

“I sort of knew I had a following in the States but I didn't realize to what extent people were going to like receive me as a UK artist,” he says. “I've just been blown away.”

Stephen suspects it was his introduction to DJing at Tiger Tiger, where he landed his first residency, that set him up for success down the road. “That was playing open format stuff,” he recalls, “so it was across the board from R&B, hip-hop, garage, dubstep, and drum and bass. That's where I learned how to play in the clubs, basically, every week.”

While he was holding down this residency, a misadventure curiously led him to his next big opportunity. One night after his set, he accompanied some friends to Egg London. He handed a bag of disposable earplugs to a friend—and the next thing he knew, he was being escorted off the dancefloor.

“I got grabbed by members security, and taken upstairs into the office and searched because they thought I had narcotics on me,” he says. “They searched me and found nothing. The manager said, ‘I’m so sorry I’ve ruined your night, how can I repay you?’ I was like, ‘Well, you can give me a set.’”

That one-off gig dovetailed into Deeper Purpose regularly hosting a room at the club, and eventually into playing direct support for touring DJs. "He gave me a set in one of the rooms upstairs, an unpaid gig in the third room," he says. He gave me a good set time to be fair; it was 2:00am to 4:00am. Right when I got on, there was like no one in the room. By the end of my set, the room was packed."

"Afterward, he said, 'You’ve done really well tonight; let's speak about doing some future stuff.' From there I started hosting the room, so I would get to program the room the whole night, pick my own DJs, and sell tickets. I sold tickets for two years, building my way up through the club. I ended up getting to host room two, the bigger room of like 500-600 people, and then from then on, I got asked to then be the main support act for a lot of the big nights there."

Deeper Purpose began learning to produce music, and by 2017 he was releasing tracks. By the time he released “Safari” the following year, he had dialed in his creative process. Then, he met 

 when the Chicago DJ and producer performed at Egg, which would end up signaling a turning point.

United States

Lee Foss

The first tracks Stephen sent weren’t an ideal fit for Lee’s Repopulate Mars imprint. “But he was like, ‘Keep sending me stuff,’” says Stephen. He wrote “Underground” and “Manipulation” over the next couple of days, and Lee asked him to let him test them out at gigs over the weekend before making his decision. By Saturday he had already confirmed it: Deeper Purpose had landed his debut on Repopulate Mars.

As he spreads his wings as an artist, Deeper Purpose is more interested in applying his natural aptitude for songwriting to his upcoming music. “I’m trying to move towards the middle ground between what could work in the club, and what you can listen to it at home, or in your car,” he says. “I've always I've loved songs. I love music that tells a story.”

"I feel there's a lot of tracks out there that are very good but get forgotten about. They've got a two-week lifespan after their release," he says. "I've tried to think about how to create music that's got longevity. I want you to discover a track of mine in four years, and it still works. It stands the test of time and has a longer lifespan than the two weeks that I pushed it on Beatport or Spotify. I just try to base my stuff around ideas that aren't gonna be forgotten about."

Deeper Purpose Live at Warehouse Sessions 1

The first instalment to the Deeper Purpose Warehouse sessions live streams

Deeper Purpose Live - Warehouse Sessions 1

This change of scenery is a far cry from his humble beginnings as an open-format DJ in Croydon. With that being said, it is by no means the end. Deeper Purpose is only starting to make his mark on house music, and a long path forward lies ahead.

At age 17, Deeper Purpose had resigned himself to a lifetime of working on a farm with his grandfather. That all changed after his first visit to Croydon, South London nightclub Tiger Tiger, near where he grew up.



“I was underage, and I borrowed one of my friends’ IDs to go to the club,” he says. “I spent the whole night standing next to the DJ booth just watching the DJ. We became friends and I went down every single week after that. He taught me how to DJ, and then farming sort of went out the window. I was like, ‘Sorry granddad, not gonna work on the farm anymore.’”





On the other end of the roller coaster ride that often accompanies such career decisions, Deeper Purpose (real name Stephen Galloway) is enjoying a surge of international popularity. After making a name for himself while holding long residencies at well-known British clubs like Egg London and XOYO, he’s become a familiar face at US festivals like CRSSD and EDC Las Vegas.





“I sort of knew I had a following in the States but I didn't realize to what extent people were going to like receive me as a UK artist,” he says. “I've just been blown away.”



Stephen suspects it was his introduction to DJing at Tiger Tiger, where he landed his first residency, that set him up for success down the road. “That was playing open format stuff,” he recalls, “so it was across the board from R&B, hip-hop, garage, dubstep, and drum and bass. That's where I learned how to play in the clubs, basically, every week.”



While he was holding down this residency, a misadventure curiously led him to his next big opportunity. One night after his set, he accompanied some friends to Egg London. He handed a bag of disposable earplugs to a friend—and the next thing he knew, he was being escorted off the dancefloor.



“I got grabbed by members security, and taken upstairs into the office and searched because they thought I had narcotics on me,” he says. “They searched me and found nothing. The manager said, ‘I’m so sorry I’ve ruined your night, how can I repay you?’ I was like, ‘Well, you can give me a set.’”





That one-off gig dovetailed into Deeper Purpose regularly hosting a room at the club, and eventually into playing direct support for touring DJs. "He gave me a set in one of the rooms upstairs, an unpaid gig in the third room," he says. He gave me a good set time to be fair; it was 2:00am to 4:00am. Right when I got on, there was like no one in the room. By the end of my set, the room was packed."



"Afterward, he said, 'You’ve done really well tonight; let's speak about doing some future stuff.' From there I started hosting the room, so I would get to program the room the whole night, pick my own DJs, and sell tickets. I sold tickets for two years, building my way up through the club. I ended up getting to host room two, the bigger room of like 500-600 people, and then from then on, I got asked to then be the main support act for a lot of the big nights there."



Deeper Purpose began learning to produce music, and by 2017 he was releasing tracks. By the time he released “Safari” the following year, he had dialed in his creative process. Then, he met Lee Foss when the Chicago DJ and producer performed at Egg, which would end up signaling a turning point.





The first tracks Stephen sent weren’t an ideal fit for Lee’s Repopulate Mars imprint. “But he was like, ‘Keep sending me stuff,’” says Stephen. He wrote “Underground” and “Manipulation” over the next couple of days, and Lee asked him to let him test them out at gigs over the weekend before making his decision. By Saturday he had already confirmed it: Deeper Purpose had landed his debut on Repopulate Mars.





As he spreads his wings as an artist, Deeper Purpose is more interested in applying his natural aptitude for songwriting to his upcoming music. “I’m trying to move towards the middle ground between what could work in the club, and what you can listen to it at home, or in your car,” he says. “I've always I've loved songs. I love music that tells a story.”



"I feel there's a lot of tracks out there that are very good but get forgotten about. They've got a two-week lifespan after their release," he says. "I've tried to think about how to create music that's got longevity. I want you to discover a track of mine in four years, and it still works. It stands the test of time and has a longer lifespan than the two weeks that I pushed it on Beatport or Spotify. I just try to base my stuff around ideas that aren't gonna be forgotten about."





This change of scenery is a far cry from his humble beginnings as an open-format DJ in Croydon. With that being said, it is by no means the end. Deeper Purpose is only starting to make his mark on house music, and a long path forward lies ahead.

Deeper Purpose

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