When it comes to genuinely impacting present-day dance music, Mihalis Safras and Eskuche have the scene on lock. A quick listen to their respective libraries will show you the level of mastery each artist possesses. Combine that dual mastery into the collaborative single, “Feeling Good,” and you have one top-shelf heater ready to burn up every dancefloor in a fifty-mile radius. The skittering drum kit wastes no time setting a break-neck pace, and once that ascending buzz drops into a zesty rolling bass line, it’s only a matter of time until every foot in the room is stepping right along.





Mihalis Safras has time and time again been the mastermind behind some of your favorite underground tracks while also concocting some of your favorite DJ’s favorite underground tracks. His command of the tech house sound dates back years before the sub-genres current boom leading him to pioneering status on major labels like Relief, Hot Creations, Moon Harbour, and his own Material Records.



Running parallel to the Greek talent is house music’s premiere Russian groove selector, Eskuche. Since his debut a decade ago, Eskuche’s dynamic, no-nonsense percussion patterns and soul-snatching bass lines have made him one of the most consistently impressive talents to work on heavy-hitter labels like Hot Creations, Elrow, Relief, and more.



Consistency is one of the essential ingredients to success, and quality music output is something both Safras and Eskuche consistently have in spades. A trait that comes to life in the form of their 2022 collab, “Feeling Good.”





Follow Mihalis Safras on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Follow Eskuche on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter



Mihalis Safras & Eskuche's Rolling Tech House Heater Has Us 'Feeling Good'

United States

Eskuche

OCHO 4

Relief Records Tour Featuring Mihalis Safras & Eskuche

Superior Ingredients (Roof)

Superbowl Blitz: Green Velvet & Eskuche [Tampa]

Tampa Location

Daylight Sessions 02 w/ Beatport: Eskuche, MIME, Charles Meyer, Robbie Rivera

Tripleheader Sessions 001 w/ XENAA, Eskuche, Tini Gessler & Toni Varga

elrow'art - kaos garden

Avant Gardner

While Russia's dance music scene may not be as well known as others, the country has produced many brilliant DJs over the years. A stand out among them is Eskuche. Known for impactful drums and intense bass lines, the 

 regular is one of Russia's finest exports.  

"Now, back in the day when I was living there, it was very different. It was mostly commercial house remixes of just popular Russian tracks. I never liked it that much," he says. Even then, his style skewed underground, a sound that Russia wasn't quite ready for yet. 

Eskuche at Club Space Miami 12.12.2020

Live set recorded from Club Space Miami 12.20.2020

"Now I feel everyone is going crazy about dance music, specifically the Solomon type of style. There is also a big minimal scene that's been growing. But with Covid, there is not really a lot going on, you know? And Russia is also very strict with all the laws and stuff. So it's a different vibe there."

He honed his craft as a resident DJ at a friends club in Russia. Yet somehow, Eskuche found himself stateside with an incredible opportunity to jumpstart his career. Although he has now settled into a home in Miami, Eskuche first lived in Brooklyn, NY, then Manhattan, and Ibiza. 

Despite his northern roots, the cold weather was a deterrent for Eskuche. And while living in New York City for almost ten years allowed him to play regular gigs and take his music production to the next level. The cold winters and dense crowding of the city eventually pushed him out. He truly hit his stride during a two-year stint in Ibiza. 

"2016 I went to Ibiza for a week. I'd been there before in 2013, but it was like I was too young on the trip, and it was just going crazy above the clouds and stuff," he remembers.

"I came back and it was really open for me [in a new way]. I really loved the island and I decided, I want to try to live there. I was there all summer, and it really changed my musical tastes like what I want to do. A lot of things that I came up with, like the tracks 'Activator' or 'Concentrate' became hits. So basically, 2016-2017, was my real starting point with the musical style I have now."

Ibiza helped shape Eskuche into an artist both in sound and how he connects with nightlife.

"The vibe and the culture [in Ibiza] are so special. The island is so beautiful, and it's so connected with the nightlife, so you know, they go together, and you never see any other places like this." 

"Activator" and "Concentrate" were released on Hot Creations and Relief Records, respectively. Eskuche was already well established, and these two tracks thrust him into the spotlight. 

Most importantly, "Concentrate" introduced him to Green Velvet, an icon of the electronic scene who helped Eskuche grow his career and take significant steps towards improving the quality and quantity of his catalog. 

"So I actually met him for the first time in Ibiza. I went to one of his shows and introduced myself in the summer of 2018. And then the 'Concentrate' track happened. It had been sitting on my computer for three months, and I was like, what am I going to do with this track? I said you know what? I've never sent anything to Curtis [Green Velvet]. I sent it to him, and 30 minutes later, he replied, saying that he loved it and wanted to release it the following week. 

"It wasn't my plan for the track to release that soon but he said to trust him and I of course agreed. Soon after I began playing shows with him and playing at his La La Land showcases. We just became really good friends, he's a great guy and I respect him a lot."

Eskuche's future is bright. As he prepares to take on a US tour with Relief Records label mate and friend 

, he reflects on how his DJing has changed over the years.

Mihalis Safras

Mihalis Safras has been making a name for himself since the early 2000s. Growing up in Greece, Mihalis cut his teeth as a resident DJ in Mykonos. After a decade of honing his skills and releasing high-quality music, he broke through in 2015 when he signed tracks to Toolroom, Saved Records, and Knee Deep in Sound. Soon after, he found himself under the wing of Green Velvet. That relationship has propelled Mihalis to the front row of the tech house world. 











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As his sound has constantly evolved, he's worked hard not to rely on his older hits. Recently he's drifted into melodic, minimal, and deeper styles. He likes to experiment and keep his mixing creative while oscillating between old and new. 

He also used to play his own tracks exclusively. In recent years, however, he has made an effort to highlight other artists' music. He recognizes that 
part of the art of DJing is music discovery. 

Gray Area Spotlight: Eskuche

▪️Follow Eskuche▪️
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/eskuchemusic/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/eskuchemusic
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/eskuchemusic/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/26OGW7G9W6HKQ3yjQ2CEkX?si=UmkTg-pLQjm8wavX5Jq_qg
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/eskuchemusic
Beatport - https://www.beatport.com/artist/eskuche/284115

Connect with Gray Area:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/entergrayarea/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/enterGrayArea
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/entergrayarea
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@entergrayarea
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3nGJIfQ
Website - https://grayarea.co

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Miami scene
02:40 - Being from Russia
04:45 - Russian scene vs American scene
07:15 - Relationships with other artists
08:00 - What b2bs are like
09:53 - Progression of his sound
11:34 - Playing with an in-depth catalog
13:20 - Ibiza
16:04 - Working with Green Velvet
19:00 - Favorite hardware
20:05 - Favorite upcoming artists

#grayarea #eskuche #housemusic

Gray Area Interview: Eskuche

While Russia's dance music scene may not be as well known as others, the country has produced many brilliant DJs over the years. A stand out among them is Eskuche. Known for impactful drums and intense bass lines, the Relief Records regular is one of Russia's finest exports.  

"Now, back in the day when I was living there, it was very different. It was mostly commercial house remixes of just popular Russian tracks. I never liked it that much," he says. Even then, his style skewed underground, a sound that Russia wasn't quite ready for yet. 

"Now I feel everyone is going crazy about dance music, specifically the Solomon type of style. There is also a big minimal scene that's been growing. But with Covid, there is not really a lot going on, you know? And Russia is also very strict with all the laws and stuff. So it's a different vibe there."

He honed his craft as a resident DJ at a friends club in Russia. Yet somehow, Eskuche found himself stateside with an incredible opportunity to jumpstart his career. Although he has now settled into a home in Miami, Eskuche first lived in Brooklyn, NY, then Manhattan, and Ibiza. 

Despite his northern roots, the cold weather was a deterrent for Eskuche. And while living in New York City for almost ten years allowed him to play regular gigs and take his music production to the next level. The cold winters and dense crowding of the city eventually pushed him out. He truly hit his stride during a two-year stint in Ibiza. 

"2016 I went to Ibiza for a week. I'd been there before in 2013, but it was like I was too young on the trip, and it was just going crazy above the clouds and stuff," he remembers.

"I came back and it was really open for me [in a new way]. I really loved the island and I decided, I want to try to live there. I was there all summer, and it really changed my musical tastes like what I want to do. A lot of things that I came up with, like the tracks 'Activator' or 'Concentrate' became hits. So basically, 2016-2017, was my real starting point with the musical style I have now."

Ibiza helped shape Eskuche into an artist both in sound and how he connects with nightlife.

"The vibe and the culture [in Ibiza] are so special. The island is so beautiful, and it's so connected with the nightlife, so you know, they go together, and you never see any other places like this." 

"Activator" and "Concentrate" were released on Hot Creations and Relief Records, respectively. Eskuche was already well established, and these two tracks thrust him into the spotlight. 

Most importantly, "Concentrate" introduced him to Green Velvet, an icon of the electronic scene who helped Eskuche grow his career and take significant steps towards improving the quality and quantity of his catalog. 

"So I actually met him for the first time in Ibiza. I went to one of his shows and introduced myself in the summer of 2018. And then the 'Concentrate' track happened. It had been sitting on my computer for three months, and I was like, what am I going to do with this track? I said you know what? I've never sent anything to Curtis [Green Velvet]. I sent it to him, and 30 minutes later, he replied, saying that he loved it and wanted to release it the following week. 

"It wasn't my plan for the track to release that soon but he said to trust him and I of course agreed. Soon after I began playing shows with him and playing at his La La Land showcases. We just became really good friends, he's a great guy and I respect him a lot."

Eskuche's future is bright. As he prepares to take on a US tour with Relief Records label mate and friend Mihalis Safris, he reflects on how his DJing has changed over the years.

As his sound has constantly evolved, he's worked hard not to rely on his older hits. Recently he's drifted into melodic, minimal, and deeper styles. He likes to experiment and keep his mixing creative while oscillating between old and new. 

He also used to play his own tracks exclusively. In recent years, however, he has made an effort to highlight other artists' music. He recognizes that 
part of the art of DJing is music discovery. 