Brother sister duo Shermanology, neé Andy and Dorothy Sherman, have a sound defined by a rich musical and cultural background woven into every note of their soulful grooves. Over their decade-spanning career, they’ve released on some of dance music’s most lauded imprints, from Defected to Spinnin, Armada, Dirtybird, and Cuttin Headz to Afrojack’s Wall Recordings. They’ve seen many iterations bouncing from R&B to Motown to garage to EDM. However, over the last half-decade, they have redefined themselves, infusing a uniquely crafted brand of tech house with their Dutch-Caribbean roots for a sound that is the sum of a lifetime of passion for musical expression.



Their father and uncle were part of the 70’s R&B group the Sherman Brothers, and they grew up amid a hum of activity, creative work, and DIY ingenuity. While they watched their family perform, craft outfits, and write music, Dorothy always knew that she would eventually follow the same path.



“Our lullaby was the metronome from the Atari,” Andy laughs. “My dad was making music while we were in the room trying to sleep. It was all day, every day, just music.”






Dorothy was the first to enter the professional world as a singer saying that when she was 13, her father laid a stack of money on the table and told her, “if you do the backing vocals, this is all yours.”



While Dorothy had a natural inclination toward song, Andy jokingly says he still needed to learn how to sing before he could join the family band. Still, Dorothy adds, his musical ability was innate. His pitch was so sound that even as an observer, he was often the first to notice when someone was a bit off-key during practice.



By the time the siblings were well into their teens, they were on their way to their first collaboration.



Andy explains that when Dorothy was invited to a singing competition for the Dutch islands of Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire, “She said, No, I’m only doing it if she can do a duet with Andy. We did ‘Endless Love.’” Three months later, they started their first R&B group.



Dorothy was Andy’s entré to performing. And as the two progressed, he opened a gateway to dance music. In 2002 Andy replaced Craig David as the front man for iconic UK garage outfit Artful Dodger. While he traveled the world playing at festivals and clubs, Dorothy fell in love with dance music. And when he returned to Holland, he brought her on stage to sing with him while MCed at events.



“Before I knew it, I became an MC,” Dorothy recalls. “But I didn’t like that because you can only sing the songs they allow you to sing to.” Six months later, fed up with a lack of creative capital, they decided they could make music independently.



At the time, EDM was striking big, and the Dutch scene was producing landmark talents like Avicii, Fedde le Grand, Laidback Luke, Don Diablo, and Sidney Samson, all of whom were collaborators. And while it became a lucrative period, they felt they had strayed from the soul and depth that had inspired their musical path.



“The EDM period for us, gave us the chance to know what we stand for. And the music that we made at that time, we wouldn’t play it ourselves. We never played it at our parties or in the car. So, we did it as a job,” Andy tells us. “With all the respect for everything that happened in those years with us— because we learned so much and we have so much fun— we never felt it was ours. We always felt like we had somebody else’s shoes on.”



So, they stepped back from promising careers at the top of the game to reassess and recalibrate. And while they were both undeterred by the risks of a pivot, they admit that it was one of their most difficult periods.
“At some points, we were like, how long is it going to take? Because I’m starting to lose inspiration,” Dorothy says.
“And funds,” Andy adds.



Feeling professionally and creatively fulfilled was difficult, and so was shaking the EDM image. It was challenging to earn the respect of the often insular underground house music community.



“It all changed when I saw Jamie Jones at a festival in Holland. That was way before we started the Shermanology thing,” Andy recalls. “And then I got his email from someone, and I sent him a picture and said, ‘I met you a couple of years ago at Extrema, I’ve got a few tracks for you. Let me know.’ And he replied, ‘I want all three of them.’ And when that happened, that’s when we knew the sound that we are making is working for the scene.”



“Get Loose” and “Champion Sound” were two of those songs, and while they ultimately ended up on Rawthentic, Jamie became one of their fiercest supporters. Choosing to keep those records for Rawthentic and wait for the right time for a Hot Creations release proved a smart decision. Not only did they earn the respect of two landmark labels, but when the chance to do an EP with Hot Creations came around, it ended up being one of their most poignant musical stories.







“Bon Bini,” written entirely in their native language, Papiamentu, translates to welcome. And they’ve said that it represents everything they stand for. The shimmying rhythmic precision and chant-like vocals are indicative of their culture-fusing style.



Shermanology explains how they took inspiration from Snoop Dogg and D Smoke’s “Gasper Younger.” The song samples “Bre, Petrunko,” by the Koutev Bulgarian National Ensemble. The haunting vocal sung in a traditional Baltic style became a lightweight obsession for Dorothy. When she found the acapella and sent it to Andy, he suggested they make it their own.



They signed the record to Hot Creations with the sample intact; however, the original rights holder wouldn’t clear it. “So we redid the whole vocal in that week,” Andy explains. “A friend of ours passed away. And we said, let’s write this lyric for our friend who passed away. And we redid the whole track in our own language.”







The result was far more indicative of their unique musical style than it would have been with a sample. The tight harmonies, complex rhythm, and uniquely touching beauty intertwine with Shermanology’s penchant for playfully syncopated percussion.



Dorothy’s ability to mimic the song’s vocally demanding stylistic elements while still infusing it with her sense of soulful sophistication makes it one of the more compelling tech house offerings in recent memory.



The ingenuity and self-awareness it took to write something so passionate and personal speaks to the nature of their music and why Shermanogy’s moment will continue to last. The fusion of so many musical traditions is exactly what dance music needs, especially when so much music remains a paint-by-numbers affair. Shermanology stands out because they insist on authenticity.


Shermanology

When Matisa steps into the DJ booth, she becomes a superhero. She wields power she can’t describe but knows how to use. With almost every new set, she wears a new, custom outfit from some of the finest tailors in the world who also happen to be her friends. Kind of like a super suit. Each unique look integrates ornate colors, patterns, and designs, a visual representation of the type of music she plays: inspiring, unpredictable, and powerful.









From Matisa’s point of view, being a superhero and being a DJ aren’t that different. Both pursuits are about putting the needs of others before the needs of yourself.




“Being a DJ is not only for me, but also for the people. I am doing this for all the people,” says Matisa, real name Isabella Erculei, dialing in from Florence, Italy.




Music does have the power to save lives, after all, but Isabella’s superpower doesn’t come from the music itself. It comes from knowledge. She's spent a lifetime absorbing information about as many different topics as possible.




For example, when it comes to fashion, Isabella earned a master’s degree in Fashion Product Management from the Polimoda in Florence, so she has an in-depth understanding of what it takes to design her different outfits for each show.




“I know how much you have to spend to create a dress. To create a boot. So when I put these things on my body I give them importance. For that reason it’s like a superpower. I can’t describe this emotion,” says Isabella.









Throughout her life, Isabella has approached dozens of different topics through her quest to learn. She studied traditional Greek and Latin philosophy. Then she moved on to science and politics (if she wasn’t a DJ, Isabella says she likely would have worked in politics as an ambassador). She also spent time as a football player, which taught her how to be a team player.




“When you start learning something, your brain is more open to different stuff,” says Isabella. “All this stuff together helped me understand who I am,” speaking in clear English through her Italian accent. Languages are another extension of her polymathic approach to learning.




Another crucial aspect of her education is, of course, music. In her youth, Isabella studied piano and oboe for over ten years at a music conservatory. That knowledge remained with her throughout her life until she was 23 when a friend let her borrow a full DJ setup.









Isabella had complete access to speakers, turntables, and a mixer; in her endless pursuit of learning, she taught herself how to DJ.



“For me, that moment was so nice. When I opened the box I was like a child,” Isabella laughs.




However, this was only a temporary loan, so after six months, her friend took everything back, but Isabella was already hooked. So she bought her own gear and reached out to other DJs in Perugia—a small town in central Italy where she was living at the time—in order to continue the journey.




Plus, with her considerable past musical experience, Isabella already understood the artform, which gave her a headstart as a DJ.




“When I played piano I remember that I felt that energy and when you’re a DJ a lot of people think that it’s different from playing an instrument, but I think it’s the same because you start a connection with people. And when you mix records together it’s the same emotion,” says Isabella.




Right around the time Isabella received her gifted DJ setup, she also started buying vinyl records, and now she can’t stop. She often uses modern technology like CDJs when she performs, but she spins vinyl sets as well, taking music from the past that can only be found in the format and combining it with newer sounds.




“My actual style is to merge these two,” says Isabella. “I usually play new stuff mixed into old stuff and it’s very nice. It’s hard to do it, but it’s very nice because the harmony is different.”




After establishing her style all around Italy, a country she laments is not the best place for musical exploration at this point in time, the art director of Cocorico, the legendary nightclub in Riccione, reached out to Isabella for a residency, which she continues today.




She has supported some of the most respected artists in house and techno through her residency, including Seth Troxler, Patrick Topping, and Maceo Plex. She even played back-to-back with one of her biggest inspirations, Jackmaster.




Isabella and Jackmaster first met before their shared set when she was playing before him at a party in Rome. She was DJing with three vinyl decks, and Jackmaster, real name Jack Revill, was blown away by her talent.




Revill invited her to play with him in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, where the two would eventually DJ together at the historic dance music establishment, SWG3, in February of 2020.




“Jack for me was the person that opened a big door,” says Isabella. “He has a very strong personality, identity. When he’s playing his energy is very nice and I love his way to perform. He’s very spontaneous and also eclectic.”




Another artist who has played with Revill numerous times and one whom Isabella considers a mentor is none other than Skream, real name Oliver Jones. In June of 2022, Isabella found herself playing in London during one of the nights of Skream’s residency at the newly remodeled club, KOKO, and the two closed the evening with a back-to-back set.




“I play very different stuff from him and when we did the back-to-back at the end of that night [it] was crazy because at some point we played similar stuff. It was very strange, but we felt the energy a lot,” says Isabella. “And his productions are very strong I must say.”




Production is yet another area of artistry where Isabella is always learning more. Currently, she has a handful of releases on labels like Optimo Music and On Loop, with music soon coming on Steel City Dance Discs.




Similar to her DJ sets, fashion, and other areas that reflect her creative spirit, her vast accumulation of different facets of knowledge serves her production as well. One example of this comes in relation to her debut EP, Organza, which gets its name from a type of fabric.









“I remember that I wanted to create something that was similar to textiles,” says Isabella. “Organza is a very strange fabric when you touch it, so I remember that when I produced it I put in my hands organza and I wanted to create the same, but with music. I’m doing this stuff every time with a lot of things.”




When Isabella is on the decks, the environment she curates goes beyond what she hears. A student of the world, the music feeds her history and ignites her senses and the senses of the people in the crowd in a powerful way. This is a power she’s spent her life developing and one that will ring out on dancefloors for years to come.



Matisa

There is a delicate tightrope strung between the world of the DJ and that of the producer. Being a storyteller behind the decks and crafting the gems that connect to the dancers are two separate but equal talents. When both co-exist in harmony, it’s unique.




Archie Hamilton has spent years gracefully walking that high wire. His releases on venerated underground tastemakers like Cuttin’ Headz, Toolroom, Nothing Else Matters, and his own Microhertz imprint have ingrained his singular sound into the minds of clubbers worldwide. Deftly moving between minimal house, techno, upfront club cuts, and classics, he’s helped guide a new European sound while staying true to the roots of dance music culture.


Behind the decks, he’s intuitive and technical, leading dancefloors on expertly crafted journeys. Beyond his audio-visual experience Frequency, he’s a fixture at London’s legendary FUSE parties, establishments like fabric and Ministry of Sound, and a regular for brands like CircoLoco, elrow, and Music On.




It was almost a foregone conclusion that Hamilton would walk a path towards dominating dancefloors. He grew up in a home surrounded by a brilliant patchwork of music. His earliest musical memories were early flashpoints for the kind of musical adventures he would eventually lead the dancefloor on.




“My grandfather was a concert pianist. I have very vivid memories of listening to him play for hours and hours to whoever would listen,” he wistfully remembers. “And at some points it [was] totally psychedelic and trippy. You’d sit there in the afternoon and the sun would be going down. I was only like 9/10 [and] in this half, dreamlike almost asleep state listening to him play these incredibly complex pieces.”


He also credits his mother, a former member of a punk rock band, for establishing his love for digging through the crates. Her extensive record collection ranged from the Star Wars double-disc soundtrack to Lynyrd Skinner. She always encouraged his artistic growth and was the person who bought him his first set of decks at 14.




“I didn’t even ask for them. That’s the funny thing,” he explains with a smile as he recalls the beginning of his journey as a selector. “At the time she was she had a boyfriend and he was a rave promoter. And, and my mom was like, ‘You got to get into DJing it’s so cool.’ So, I just I had these decks, had no idea what I was doing.”




Despite being a novice, he had an ear for the compelling and unexpected mixes he’s become known for. “I was going out and buying garage records and breakbeat records and trying to mix them in with the stuff from [my mom’s collection]. I’ve actually got it recorded on tape. I managed to mix. Zed Bias “Neighborhood” (which was a garage anthem) with the Cantina Theme from Star Wars.”

He envisioned a career as a DJ. However, a less than encouraging teacher at a rigid school quickly eviscerated that dream. Instead, he was pushed to join the army because, as the teacher told him, he “didn’t have much going on.” In a twist of irony, the budding artist failed the Army hearing test five times.







So he went to university and, like most university students in the early ’00s, spent his weekends at raves and clubs, fully reigniting his love for dance music and DJing. Instead of going home for the summer during his second year in college, he locked himself in his dorm, learned to properly mix, and recorded tons of mixtapes.




While cutting his teeth in London’s DJ circuit, he learned to produce in his bedroom and never stopped clubbing. And while living down the street from 93 Feet East in the heart of Brick Lane in London, he became a regular punter at the legendary FUSE parties, which unknowingly helped kickstart his career.

“When I moved in, there was no excuse not to go pretty much every Sunday. And [I] just happened to be there once and someone was playing the track that I’d made a few weeks before. I went up and introduced myself.”




It was one of the first times he’d ever experienced hearing his music on the dancefloor, leading to him becoming a resident for FUSE a few years later. Almost by chance, that brief interaction with a DJ playing his music helped catapult his career into overdrive. In the years that followed, he started two record labels, performed at shows worldwide, and released records with top-tier record labels.




Among his most notable career highlights was his 2020 Essential Mix. Indicative of his live performances, he fully displayed his audio storytelling, leading listeners through the strands of his musical DNA.




“It was it was very exciting. It all happened incredibly quickly but it was a real honor. I tried to try to cram everything that I love into there. House, deep house, tech house, bit of old school, a lot of the new stuff. And then ending on Francoise K ‘Hypnodelic,’ which is one of my all time favorite records.”




Tracing his musical progression from listening to his grandfather playing psychedelic piano concertos in his living room to Archie throwing down genre-spanning extended sets at the world’s finest clubs and festivals, it’s easy to see how he became such a dynamic and well-rounded artist. Equally future forward and rooted in a rich history, he will undoubtedly continue to excite and enchant audiences.





















Archie Hamilton

For many years, BRUX didn’t want to show the world her face. Like numerous artists of various disciplines before her — from Marshmello and Malaa to Banksy and Thomas Pynchon — she sought the creative freedom that came from nebulous identity. No one can expect anything from you if they don’t know who you are.




But also contrary to the previous examples, all of whom are men, her decision to shroud herself under a shadowy cloud cover of gothic design also stemmed from the shallow and insipid impressions of non-male artists predicated by male artists and other male figures in the industry—as in she didn’t produce her own music or that her music was supposed to sound a certain way.




See, BRUX, the Sydney-born producer, DJ, vocalist, and visual artist (né Elizabeth Maniscalco) had already gone the female pop-adjacent-singer route under her previous project, Elizabeth Rose, wherein she was determined to express a diverse pallet of influences.




“There was a whole lot of dance/electronic, but there was also a lot of folk, indie, singer/songwritier, pop, rap, R&B, everything.” says Maniscalco, dialing from her home studio in Brooklyn, New York. “But I think the common thread with all the influences is that I firstly gravitate towards tracks that are really rhythmic or really left of field be that sonically but also lyrically.”




Maniscalco put out numerous works with that project, telling stories in the same manner as Joni Mitchell. She produced beats inspired by her brother, dance music producer Hook N Sling. She remixed tracks for fellow Australian outfit Flight Facilities, for whom she would later record the vocals on the single “I Didn’t Believe.”









But around 2016, when Maniscalco released her debut album, Intra, the continuing expedition into pop territory was limiting her ability to fully and completely express herself. Soon Maniscalco found herself in the throes of a mid-career crisis, leaving her agent, manager, and label, essentially hitting the factory reset on her artistic career.




“I started to feel restricted about what I could talk about in the music, and also soundwise what I should be using to have maximum exposure, and writing for radio, and I just started to focus on too many limitations which was really making it quite boring for me,” says Maniscalco. “I knew that I wasn’t being authentic to myself and I had to change things up.”



Maniscalco separated herself entirely from the Elizabeth Rose name and started BRUX, her current alternative electronic project, under cover of darkness. After experiencing the woes of life as a female pop artist, anonymity provided a certain amount of empowerment in the early phases of the transition.




“I was really sure of the music and felt like it was true to myself. I felt like I could really express whatever I wanted. I still feel that. I feel like I can say whatever I want in this project and make the music as expressive and sometimes as aggressive as possible. I have a lot of energy in my personality as it is in my day-to-day so I feel like I want to express that,” says Maniscalco.




Maniscalco continued anonymously with the project for several years, signing to Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak and sharing multiple releases, continuing to honor her influences lyrically and sonically, except with an added sense of darkness and controlled rage.




But someone with Maniscalco’s energy couldn’t keep herself hidden for long. And after a conversation with Nina Las Vegas, her fellow Australian-born DJ, and producer, Maniscalco, decided to come out of hiding and bring her visage to the BRUX project.




“It’s up to us, as in female identifying artists, to lift each other up. [Nina Las Vegas] was empowering me, encouraging me to embrace my identity,” says Maniscalco. “That left quite a big impression after the conversation. I really sat with it and realized I should be doing this.”




Maniscalco’s first EP following the reveal was a release on Zeds Dead’s label, Deadbeats, entitled Take. Among the grueling four cuts, her talent for pairing honest songwriting with intuitive production shines through, along with featured vocals from New Zealand’s Kimbra on the title track.




In her years as Elizabeth Rose, Maniscalco authentically expressed her influences but found herself dictated by the pop music industry. However, in her anonymous years as BRUX, there were no limits to her creativity, yet she was inherently separating her true self from the project.




Now both worlds have come together in her new phase of BRUX, and she is ready to crack skulls.




“I didn’t expect it to happen, but even more empowerment, even more energy came rushing in. I had accessed this new level where I felt even more vulnerable, obviously, by showing my face, but emotionally as well,” says Maniscalco. “I want to go more in that direction of making music that is a punch in the face.”




One offering from Maniscalco that serves several punches to the face is “BADBOI,” the first single from her upcoming EP of the same name.









A collaboration with Vancouver-based artist Pat Lok, it harnesses the heaviest bass anyone could associate with techno at a controlled tempo. It doesn’t rely on high speeds. Instead, it relies on the energy Maniscalco has stored in her creative reserves for years. The energy she is now expressing without inhibition.




With this energy, she will take her music wherever she wants, no matter what’s popular in the industry or anyone else thinks of her.




Maniscalco tells us, “Now is the time to say what you mean and mean what you say.”



BRUX





Known as the international man of leisure, Gab Rhome is a producer and DJ based in Montreal. His music reflects elements from Africa, Brazil, and Cuba with releases on highly coveted labels such as All Day I Dream, Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, and more. 



Having played at major festivals worldwide, including Burning Man, Tomorrowland, and Nocturnal Wonderland, the French-Canadian continues to conquer hearts with his soft hands and sumptuous melodies.




How did you discover that you wanted to make music?




Did I ever discover that? I don't know. This being said, I used to be in bands when I was younger, and although I like to relax, I enjoy efficiency. And bands are the least efficient thing on earth. It's impossible to get a bunch of friends to do anything productive. So I got pretty fed up, discovered dance music, and never looked back.




How was that? How did you discover dance music? What led you there?




Shoegaze? So, this is very affected rock music. I discovered it through punk rock and shoegaze. And this led me to people like James Holden, and then somehow, through James Holden, I discovered his old trance music. And then I liked trance music, which is the very opposite of shoegaze to me. So, interesting move. From there, you know, I just started digging, digging, and digging and discovered new music.

Would you say that your childhood impacted who you are as an artist today?



Oh, definitely. I was on stage at five years old. From the very start, I was performing. My parents put me through music school, and I learned a few instruments early. So I got on stage when I was very young. It led me to being very comfortable in front of crowds. I enjoy being on the stage, so I think it comes from my childhood. It's pretty fun. Honestly, it's addictive.





What is your secret to evoking such emotion and groove in your music? 



You have to be very cutthroat with the music you play and present to the world. Both that you produce and that you play when you DJ. If you're not feeling it, why would others feel it? If I'm not dancing, I don't expect people to dance. To me, it's very important to feel everything you do, so that's the same thing with my music. If I don't get goosebumps from what I'm writing, I'm not expecting others to have goosebumps listening to it. Even if it means you have to delete a bunch of projects and give the best, I think it's better than mindlessly releasing anything you create.



What were some of your main creative challenges when you started out, and how has that changed over time?



My main creative challenge when I started was to understand house music, not understand it, but I would not go out that much, and I didn't necessarily know how house sounded. So what I was creating was my idea of how it's supposed to sound. So it lets you have pretty interesting results. I almost try to keep it that way now, so it's a bit of a challenge but also quite a blessing. Now, when it comes to challenges, I tend to be in a hurry, in a way, and my songs can reflect that there's not much downtime anymore. When I produce, they get a very short and snappy arrangement. Again, it can be good, but when you play it out, it can be hard to teach it to people because the songs are too short. But again, I think I prefer this thing to that kind of music, short and sweet.





There is no denying that you are the 'international man of leisure.' So, what are some things you like to spend your time doing when you're not working?



Oh, I think I only work. I don't like unproductive things, but I love to relax, which is a bit of a paradox and leads to a lot of inner conflict. So I try to relax while staying productive. When I'm in the studio, I try to get massages. I meditate a lot to try to make sense of my scatterbrain. I enjoy a good sauna. I love cooking. Cooking is the thing I like doing. It's the one time I'm relaxed. I just got into Korean food recently. I've always enjoyed eating it, but I never tried cooking it, and it's interesting and tasty. Something I've always been doing is Indian food in general. I love it so much. You have to work out twice as much after because it's heavy. 



What have been some of the greatest highlights in your dance music career so far?



I've always found this question difficult because you tend not to see them when you're in it. It's like that movie where basically you dream of being in the ocean, but you don't see that you're in the ocean until you look around. I played Tomorrowland. That's a pretty big deal, I guess. My touring schedule has been increasingly getting better and better, so I feel like every week is a new highlight. Yeah, it's been pretty good. And honestly, being in the music industry, it's a very saturated market. I'm thankful for being able to operate at the level I'm at right now. Although I want to keep growing, I'm still thankful for where I am.





Could you tell us any upcoming releases and plans for the year?



I'm actually working on releasing my set that I did at SXMFestival. This is a festival I did in the Caribbean in March, and I actually enjoyed my set quite a bit when I played there. So I'm working on clearing the songs and releasing the mix on Spotify and Apple Music. In the mix, there are two unreleased songs of mine that will also be available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music but won't be out until later. It's going to take a few weeks. I'm flirting with a new way of releasing music to see how it works out. I like the idea of previewing the music like this.



I like how you're always experimenting with whatever you're doing. You keep it fresh all the time. That's why it's always a highlight.

It's always different. One of my core values is to try to do things differently. If everyone's doing things the same way, it becomes very boring very quickly. And not just for the creators but also for the fans. Repetition is not always good.





Gab Rhome

When it comes to authenticity, one artist does it right. New York-based DJ and producer CODES is an artist who defies the meaning of staying true to oneself while trying to make it in this competitive industry.




For him, it’s all about making the art he wants to make. It’s all about creating the melodies he wants to create. It’s about playing the sets he wants to showcase to his fans and nothing more.




While many artists out there attain their inspiration from living in massive, music-loving cities, he lives in Rochester, upstate New York keeping him close to where his passion for music began. The tight-knit community he grew up around inspired him to pursue a long-term career as a musician. His father played a tremendous role in instilling such a profound admiration for music as an art form.




He spent hours of his youth observing his father bringing out his extensive music collection and playing with various instruments at home, inspiring him to pick up the guitar and follow in his footsteps. The music industry was rapidly evolving in the early 00s. MTV was still in its heyday, and underground raves were booming, CODES became even more intrigued by the thrill of it all.




Since he was a teenager, watching DJs perform on programs like MTV’s TRL always fascinated him. Turntablists like DJ Skribble gave him a spine-chilling feeling that he couldn’t quite explain but laid the groundwork for CODES to explore scratching and cutting.




When a cousin took him to his first underground rave, it was game over. He continued to explore the rave scene and immersed himself in record crates and mixtapes, soon realizing a love for jungle. That’s when the exceptionally curated CODES sound was born.




“Jungle music is what really got me at first and is what progressed me to loving what drum & bass is now. I bought this DJ Venom Return of the Jungle Warrior tape and hearing this tape was like reading the bible to me. As soon as I heard it I was like, ‘this is what I want to do. This is what I’m going to do forever.’”






Down the line, he experimented with intertwining jungle, hip-hop, funk, house, and disco into his DJ mixes. He figured, “why not mix all my favorite genres and turn it into my own signature sound? There are no rules to this profession.”




CODES was a DJ before he was ever a producer, and he decided that if he were going to make it in the production realm, he would make a living off creating the music he wanted to make, not what the labels or anyone else expected of him.




Luckily, as his presence in the scene evolved, he crossed paths with industry mainstays who could help shape his career. Over the years, he’s released his twist on house music on renowned labels like REALM, Dirtybird, Night Bass, STMPD RCRDS, and Box of Cats. He’s performed at some of the scene’s favorite festivals, such as Electric Forest, Elements Music & Arts Festival, Dirtybird Campout and CampINN, and many more. Yet, despite his accomplishments, CODES longed for something of his own.






Today, he’s the proud founder of Holy Molé Music. Before bringing his vision to life, he knew he wanted to bring something to the table that defied genres and allowed his expansive artistic vision to shine.




“Although I was releasing on all these great labels, I wasn’t doing as much as I wanted to be doing,” he explains. “This idea and vision that I had a long time ago was kind of just put on the backburner. But once I put time aside to come up with the whole vibe of it, the look of it, the name of it, etc., records started signing right off the bat and it’s been a beautiful process.”




After struggling with what to name the label for quite some time, the name Holy Molé just felt right. His intention to showcase his one true love: music, had to be reflected in its name. A symbol of something he loved deeply that felt close to home. Growing up, his grandfather always used “holy mole” as an expression, and his family was big on guacamole and getting mole poblano everywhere they traveled. The mole-making process goes hand in hand with what CODES’ sound is about.









“To make mole sauce, it takes lots of love and dedication. It takes days and all these different ingredients. You have to roast it and grind it and it’s a 24-48 hour process. You can make it rich or spicy or tangy. There’s just so many variations. That’s where the inspiration for my label name came from. That process resonates with my own creative process.”




CODES has managed to design his own perfect, one-of-a-kind recipe that continuously prepares sensational, genre-defying records that appeal to a wide-ranging audience. In CODES’ house, there are no rules. There are no genres. There’s just great music. With a little bit of creativity, a little bit of experimentation, and a whole lot of passion, he’s managed to spice up the house music scene on his terms.









Codes

Despite the presence of a screen and many thousands of miles between us, meeting Francis Mercier is disarming in every sense. He is excited and, although undoubtedly seasoned at this kind of interview he speaks passionately about his career and his beloved industry, he is commanding in his thorough expertise, and he tops it off with a devilishly handsome smile.





The Haitian DJ, producer and founder of Deep Root Records is a regular Beatport chart topper and has toured a selection of the finest US and European stages. Emerging from the pandemic with a newfound talent in the production of afro-house, he has successfully expanded his circle and created a new niche. His, and Blond:Ish’s‑an artist particularly influential in his career’s latest turn‑latest single “Sete” is already his top track on Beatport, and has caused quite the stir in the Afro House community. But he’s not here to stay in one lane. Francis is creating his own brand.







Growing up in Haiti, where he very recently gave a very special debut home-turf show, was clearly a huge influence on the artist.



“I went to an international high school and Haiti is an island with so many influences. With French influence, with African influence, and most significantly the influence of the US, I was exposed to a variety of music. I was exposed to American rap, I was exposed to American pop because of the proximity of Haiti and Florida. I was also exposed to French music and African music, given that Haiti was a French colony. Attending an international high school, I had friends from Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria, and obviously a lot of people from the US. From there, it gave me a very broad eyesight on different musical genres, which kind of explains why I’m such a diverse artist. I create different music, I have different influences. It keeps me interested in variety. I think growing up in Haiti has really developed my taste and appreciation for variety.’





The variety he speaks of is not just a buzzword here. He tells me about his early love for hip-hop, the era of Fifty Cent and early Tupac as well as the Creole band King Posse’s take on American pop and hip-hop. His emo and indie phase and his early acquaintance with reggae thanks to his Ethiopian friends. All culminating in the discovery of Tiësto’s early dreamy and melodic electronic music. Tiësto’s early CD series, named In Search of Sunrise were clearly a huge influence on Francis, as he speaks of them as though still enamored. A slow, but present internet allowed him to search the music on YouTube and dream of exploring electronic music live.



The dream came to fruition when, at age 18, a young music-obsessed Francis moved to the US for college, deepening his passion.





“It was something that kept me grounded and positive - when I first moved to the US, I had never seen the winter - you know leaves leaving trees. Music was something that kept me happy and gave me some sort of comfort.’



Initially playing at parties on campus, Francis soon had much greater ambitions. He turned his attention to New York.





“I have a very addictive personality. I was like ‘I want to be a DJ.’ New York is a city of opportunity. If you put your mind to something, you will find someone that will buy into it and give you an opportunity. So, at first I tried to go into some of the best clubs, I think it was Cielo and there was this other club called Sullivan Room, which was a huge club in the early 00s. I was ambitious, I thought ‘I want to try and go there.’ I show up there with my little controller, and I see all these guys with all this equipment and I think “How can i learn this? Maybe I can hire one of them to give me a tutorial?” Long story short, I tried my best, but these mega clubs would be like ‘We don’t know you, we are booking artists from all around the world. Sir, please step outside.”’









He tells the story fondly, as someone who has graciously accepted failures as a part of his journey. Yet, with both clubs permanently closed and Francis now highly sought-after by bookers around the world, there is a natural irony to the story. Nonetheless, Francis - who was still at this point a 19-year-old student with a fake ID ‑ began playing in a cocktail bar and hungrily worked his way into the industry, to then become the multi-talented and recognized artist before me today.



This pattern of determined hustle repeated itself down the line when it came to founding his label, Deep Root Records. He describes its beginnings as a “little collective.” A space for classic house music in the context of a New York enveloped by a large EDM bubble. It was a vision to create something new, as well as a collaboration between friends. The vision flourished and is still flourishing and adapting today, with Deep Root’s album, New York State of House: Sunset Edition hitting no.1 on Beatport’s Afro House chart.







His recent emergence in the Afro House genre came during lockdown. He describes listening to Black Coffee and Night Freak as particularly emotional and captivating, with Antonio Lyons’ remix of Nitefreak’s “My Africa”striking a chord with its powerful speech (Nitefreak is now one of the artists managed by Francis’ new imprint). With the pandemic allowing him time to reset and try something different, Francis allowed himself space to explore the melodic music he had long had a passion for.





“I tried to work with different samples. It was challenging at times, at first I wasn’t very proficient in the genre. The community was really supportive and welcoming. It was a warm experience for me to be able to try something new. Coincidentally, bridging different cultures, which I really love to do, has given me relevance, and people became interested in my music.’









His proficiency in a new genre reminds me of his earlier words, regarding his origins and variety. Yet, on a broader level, Francis’ constant desire for exploration highlights the overarching mission at the heart of his career:





“I would love to be an ambassador of world music, merge cultures, be a bridge between Africa to Europe to the US and be able to represent music on a global scale. I would love to be a household brand that is able to empower small artists and bring new sound to the mainstage, that’s my ultimate goal. You have to give people something different, I want to be able to support, I want to be able to inspire, I want to be able to give back to the community. That’s really my mission statement. Together, it’s more fun.”

Francis Mercier

Every participant in the UK rave scene (and beyond) has benefitted from the unending passion and fiery effervescence of Heidi, who is known simply as Heidi when she’s holding down the decks at venues around the globe.



For over 20 years, Heidi’s cultural contributions have spread across her work as a DJ, event producer, label head, radio host, and record shop owner. Despite that list of activities being simplified to DJing, for the time being, her musical fingerprints have left an indelible mark on dance music.




In editorial features like these, it is commonplace to list off the subject’s achievements as world-shifting and groundbreaking, but in the case of Heidi, it is actually true, and a lot of it happened at random.




Just like how it was random that Richie Hawtin happened to walk into a bar in Windsor, Ontario, where Heidi was bartending back in the mid-90s and asked her out on a date, during which they educated each other on their respective musical backgrounds.




Hawtin’s taste was as expected. He was into esoteric experimental electronic stuff. He was producing Consumed at the time, after all. She learned all about the music that would carry her through her career (he also eventually gifted her a bunch of CDs from the likes of Plastikman, Carl Craig, and more). Hawtin was the catalyst for her education in dance music.





At the time, Heidi wasn’t into house or techno. She was into rock and roll. She grew up in Windsor, Canada, just across the border from Detroit, in a house with parents who loved to rock out.




“[My parents] had the best taste in music,” she tells Gray Area over Zoom from her home in London. In view through her screen, there are readily visible pictures of Prince (who is her absolute favorite artist of time) and David Bowie hanging on her walls.




“There was always music on in the house. Rock music mostly. They were rock and roll peeps and I loved it. We even had music on during dinner. There was no quiet time in my house.”




This great taste in music from her parents came along with their love to party as well. Heidi recalls being woken at 4 AM in the middle of the week to Black Sabbath and putting on childhood concerts in her home with family friends.




“We’d put on concerts and sing our little hearts away and make music videos,” Heidi says. “I’ve always been a performer in my mind.”




So when Heidi moved to England back in 2000, she wanted to work with rock bands as an A&R, but life led her towards being a DJ. However,as she tells us, “I never wanted to be a DJ. This happened by accident. This happened organically. This is not something I strived to be in my life.” 




But even before she had built a career as a DJ in the UK, Heidi made her first indelible mark on the country by helping to open Phonica Records in London in 2003.




Phonica is far more than just a record shop almost twenty years later. It’s an institution in the London music community. Phonica curates stages at festivals like Junction 2 and hosts in-store sessions like their recent launch of Tiraquon Recordings with a DJ set from label head Space Dimension Controller.




Before opening Phonica, Heidi worked at another famed record store, Kubla, with Simon Rigg, who continues to run Phonica today, and the late Tom Relleen, the other manager who unfortunately passed away during the pandemic. Then, in what she again describes as random, the property developers who invested in Phonica asked the trio to run their new shop.




“I’m so happy that it’s still open. I have nothing to do with it anymore, but yes I did open it and I did work there, and ran that shit for quite a long time,” Heidi enthusiastically states.




Working at the shop over the years, she would run into numerous figures in London’s dance music community, including her future colleague, the celebrated BBC Radio 1 broadcaster, Annie Mac.




Shortly after Heidi departed from Phonica in 2007, she acquired a residency at BBC Radio 1 from 2008-to 2016. She started on the now-defunct program In New DJs We Trust from 12 AM to 2 AM on one Thursday a month with the focus of bringing very underground music to larger audiences.









Then Heidi moved on to the residency slot every Thursday night from 10 PM to 12 AM.




“That was better because more people were awake,” says Heidi. “I was only supposed to be on it for six months but I was on it for nine years. I was the longest resident on Radio 1.”




With her veteran status in radio, Heidi would influence other prominent shows as well. She filled in for Pete Tong and Mary Anne Hobbs on occasion. Soon after Prince passed away, she even joined Annie Mac on her show to share her super fandom (apparently, Mac’s expert interview skills saved her from crying live on the air).




But overall, Heidi's time on the radio was dedicated to pushing exciting new music and exciting new artists.




“It was never about me. It was always more about everybody else. I was always a music pusher. I used to make mixtapes for people. I was always getting the imports from England. It had to be stuff that nobody knew. I was the one that people always came to for good music,” Heidi says. “That’s what the Jackathon parties were about.”




Jackathon was the party series she started in 2009 to create an environment for her jacking sound (a sound she describes as inducing a scrunched-up bass face and raucous pelvic movement).




By that time, she was well known from her time on the radio and DJing. However, her high-energy sound wasn’t ideal for the opening slots she was offered. So she threw a party where she played her music nonstop for eight hours. It was a Jackathon.




“I took them to town for eight hours. I was relentless. I would not let up,” Heidi says.




Eventually, the energy of the Jackathon became known within the scene, and Heidi was able to start a label arm, Jackathon Jams, that welcomed dozens of impressive artists, including Jimmy Edgar, Maya Jane Coles, Marc Houle, and more.




Heidi no longer works at Phonica. She is off BBC Radio 1, and the Jackathon parties are no more (though they are coming back under a new name she will soon reveal). And yet, her influence and reputation persist. The DJ sets are still full of energy, and most of all, she still maintains her unending passion and fiery effervescence for dance music culture.



Heidi

Mochakk’s – aka Pedro Maia – charisma is a cut above the rest. In a word, it’s viral. 



The Brazilian artist has achieved meteoric success on TikTok through clips of his captivating live sets. His mixes expose listeners to a boundless universe of genres and styles, and his tracks are supported by the likes of Vintage Culture, Tiesto, Alesso, and Chris Lake.




When describing Maia’s music taste, open-minded would be an understatement. Growing up, he increasingly expanded the variety of music he listened to.




“I was a rock kid,” Maia explains. He loved nu-metal bands like Linkin Park, Korn, and System of a Down. “My dad was a big fan of rock music, and he used to show me these bands and all these videos when I was like five or six. I’d ask him to put fake tattoos on me and paint my hair green with a big mohawk.”




It wasn’t just rock though. Maia’s dad played a crucial role in influencing Maia’s music taste. He introduced Maia to a broad spectrum of genres. “He’s a big music nerd. He’s a rock guy, but he’s also a blues guy [and] a jazz guy.”




Maia started playing the guitar when he was six years old. As he got older, his music taste broadened. “My mom was a big [fan of] disco and ‘70s funk and soul… new wave, UK ‘80s pop.” The harmonies and chord progressions in these genres laid the foundation for Maia’s passion for house music.




Hip-hop and skateboarding culture are intrinsically linked, and when Maia began skateboarding, it opened him up to the world of soulful hip-hop and ‘90s rap. Realizing that this music was sample-based led him down a rabbit hole of music discovery. So he went online to learn how to produce. “And then it all began... I started trying to make some beats and trying to re-make some beats that I liked. Trying to recreate the drum patterns… timbres.”









Brazilian dance music heroes like Vintage Culture, Alok, and Illusionize inspired Maia to produce Brazillian Bass. A sound that expanded beyond regional trends and made superstars out of its originators, he argues that these producers each had their unique style and sound.




“The reason I started listening to those guys is because [of] one of my friends. He was already a DJ. He had a party for underage people at my city at a club called Pink Elephant.”




The Pink Elephant is where he got his introduction to being behind the decks.








“Every day at school at lunchtime, he would take us to the club so we could practice on the club setup. I would practice there with him all week, so I would be able to play with him at the party on the weekend. That’s when I started playing house music and DJing.” Maia would play warmup sets at Pink Elephant, welcoming people in with deep and jazzy house tunes.




When he was 17, Maia went to an event that irreversibly ignited his love for dance music. He used a fake ID to sneak into a small outdoor party at a campsite. The pool was covered to form a dancefloor, and the lineup included Kyle Watson, Mala, Justin Martin, and RDT.




“It was a dope lineup, a dope place. That party changed my life. The vibes were insane. People would scream their asses off and dance like crazy.”




Around the same time, his father’s musical influence came back into view. Maia’s dad encouraged him to attend music production school at 18, which was central in exposing Maia to new music. Maia worked with a funk band, an emo rock artist, and an R&B singer.




“I think the music education came more from my dad, but the taste… came more from my mom.” Today, most of the music that Maia listens to, outside of electronic, is ‘70s funk, soul, and disco – the same genres that his mom brought him up on.




For a while, Maia primarily focussed on a career in fashion and produced music in his free time. However, when he released “Dong” in 2018, Maia started getting requests to DJ across Brazil.




“I started to lose the Friday classes, and I started to not be able to execute that well in fashion school.” Realizing that he didn’t want to give up on music, Maia decided to quit fashion school and pursue music as a full-time career. “I think it was the best decision I ever made.”




While he began to achieve success, he still struggled with seeing music in a modular way and falling into the dangerous trap of comparison. “That’s really frustrating and anxiety-driving as well. That can lead you to many [negative] thoughts.”




Maia sees this as unavoidable and perpetual, so his solution is to focus on his achievements and improvements. “What keeps me from getting boggled too much is looking back and listening to my old tracks, knowing that I’ve evolved and that the quality is much better now. You’re always getting better.”




Maia is arguably the first DJ and producer to achieve dramatic success on TikTok. His first post, which captured a snippet of one of his charismatic live sets, went viral and now has over 10 million views.




“I didn’t have the intention to make it happen that way! I posted that video because I saw a John Summit tweet! John Summit tweeted, ‘If you’re an aspiring DJ and you’re not on TikTok you’re wasting your time, because it’s the only platform that permits you to go viral without having a previous following.’” Following Summit’s advice proved to be astronomically beneficial for Maia’s career.









“I had 180 followers on TikTok the moment I posted it… I went for lunch, and then when I got back from lunch, it was 130,000 views. I was like, ‘What the hell is happening here?!’”




Part of the video's magic is that it’s natural and unrehearsed. “I’ve always played like that, and I’ve made videos like that before!” Maia used to breakdance and is well-versed in synching his dance moves to small, almost imperceptible elements of tracks.




Another core tenant of breakdancing is bravado and confidence, both traits that he expresses in his performance style.




“I’m not a confident guy when it comes to other stuff at all. But when it comes to showing music to people, I’ve always been really excited about it. The excitement makes me seem like I’m a really confident guy!”









Maia loves the music he listens to and wants to share that love with others. He feels that dancing helps to bring expression and life to music, which works exceptionally well in engaging audiences with genres that they’ve never listened to or usually avoid.




His career aspirations may be surprising, given his viral success. “I don’t think I want to be a huge-ass, giant, Ultra pop star DJ. I don’t think that’s my goal. I want to play in venues that I think are cool and artsy, have a good concept behind [them], and show people good music.”









He hopes to grow a unique community that avoids trends and prioritizes inclusivity. He hopes to create a space for events that allow for the kind of musical exploration that has made him such a diverse and intriguing artist. Whether it's a multi-room, multi-genre house music festival or a 2000-person ‘70s boogie party in Sao Paolo, nothing is off the table.




Maia’s dedication to his craft is uncompromising and admirable. “If I earn enough money to pay my house bills, keep on DJing, and keep on working on music, then that’s fine! I don’t want to be a super-giant… billionaire playing in Kanye West’s house, I don’t need that! I’m okay playing in venues that I think are cool.”





Mochakk

Rolling basslines, colorful percussion, and lush melodies characterize the tech house of Warrington, UK-based DJ and producer Ben Walsh. His ravenous appetite for success has resulted in two of his releases hitting the Beatport number one spot. He’s played alongside dance music titans like Jamie Jones, Richy Ahmed, Denis Sulta, and Alan Fitzpatrick. And he's received support from the likes of Solardo, Stefano Noferini, Nicole Moudaber, Steve Lawler, and Archie Hamilton. 

The dance music that first grabbed Walsh’s attention was festival and big room house. Artists like Swedish House Mafia, Hardwell, and Martin Garrix formed the basis of his burgeoning fervor for all things electronic. 

“A lot of my mates were from the Liverpool area, and EDM was big there. But with me being in the middle, between Liverpool and Manchester, I also [liked] that indie side [like] The Courteeners... I had a bit of both.” 

Frequently stepping foot on the sticky floors of indie venues and the grassy fields of dance festivals, Walsh’s music taste was also influenced by his parents. 

“My parents have always been big into their music, especially my dad. He was what you’d class as a ‘mod’ back in the day.”

By his 20’s, he'd shifted from festival and big room to tech house. “I was still listening to EDM until about three or four years ago, until it started to hurt my ears… [it stopped being] the EDM that brought a lot of emotion and excitement.” 

In 2014, as Patrick Topping and Richy Ahmed exploded in popularity across the UK, Walsh increasingly traveled to raves up and down the country. 

“I had Circus [Club] 30 minutes down the road in Liverpool, Warehouse Project 30 minutes down the road the other way, in Manchester. Because there was more of that music coming through, I just started to gravitate towards that music.” Nevertheless, Walsh continued to attend both tech house and EDM events.

Growing up in Warrington, a town between Liverpool and Manchester, Walsh split his time clubbing in both northern cities. 

“Sometimes I was doing Fridays and Saturdays. Warehouse Project on the Friday, and then I’d go to Circus on the Saturday.” His unwavering passion for the electronic scene drove his movements. “I just didn’t want to come away from it. It’s what I live for.” 

Ibiza, the sun-kissed Spanish island at the heart of the global clubbing community, is where Walsh first fell in love with dance music. 

“You’ve got all these lineups. You know that people are going to go and see someone on that lineup because they like that particular style of music. You start to get a completely different vibe then, because everyone’s there for the same reason.” 

Walsh first went to Ibiza around 2017, when he was 22. Disillusioned at seeing some people in UK clubs not enjoying themselves, Ibiza provided a stark contrast. 

“I think that’s when the moment clicked in my head that I wanted to be involved in the scene, rather than just a raver in the scene.”

Walsh returned home and began producing music with a friend and soon started playing DJ gigs with him.

Walsh is a testament that first gigs don’t always go according to plan. Two weeks after their first DJ session, Walsh and his partner were booked to play at a local club. 

“It was payday weekend, so we knew it was going to be a busy Saturday. We had a 90-minute set as well.” Neither of the guys had played in a club before and completely lacked confidence on the decks. “Absolute nightmare! I couldn’t even beat match. The little decks I had were tiny little Numarks, with half the dials missing… the next minute, I was put in front of these CDJs.” 

Walsh believes that throwing yourself in at the deep end is integral to becoming a DJ. “Everyone’s so obsessed these days about not making mistakes… For me, DJing is all about taking those risks to excite a crowd. A lot of people would’ve turned that [gig] down and said, ‘I’m not ready.’ But when are you ever going to be ready?”

The event still brings back fond memories. “It was funny! The drinks were flowing, all our mates were there. I look back now and go, ‘I can’t believe anyone ever let me go near those decks at the time...’ That’s where the journey began!"

Above all else, Walsh’s parents have helped him the most in getting him to where he is today. But, as Walsh and his DJing partner got booked to play at more events, he soon realized that he’d need something bigger and better to practice on. 

“I think I got finance on this RX2 controller. Financing was helped by my parents, but at the same time having a bedroom where you could play music until whatever time, practice at all hours, every single day… some people don’t have that opportunity... I owe them a big thanks.” 

Unlike some parents who discourage their children from pursuing a career in music, Walsh’s parents have always supported his ambitions.

While his first foray into being on stage was a great learning experience, it wasn't his final destination. “The duo was a really exciting time. I still look back, and I’m always gutted that it didn’t kick off. The buzz that we had, what people were saying about us. If we’d have pushed the right buttons and worked harder, it could’ve gone somewhere.” 

Instead, due to personal reasons, the duo went their separate ways. The split created a challenge for Walsh, as he initially had no experience producing music independently. “I always dreaded the day, if it happened, because I knew that in this scene, to try and breakthrough, I’m going to have to produce.”

“People knew who I was through the duo; the problem is I had nothing to back it up other than I could DJ.” Faced with the complexity of Ableton, Walsh luckily received support and advice from fellow DJ and producer, Kinnerman. 

“Just before we split, for a couple months we had a couple of sessions with Kinnerman, who I’m still good mates with. [I still] continue to have lessons now and again with him.” 

Kinnerman also gave Walsh resources that he continues to use today. “When things started coming together, that’s when I found the motivation to put even more work in. I was getting good feedback, good support, some labels were interested, and it just started building from there.”

A big step forward in Walsh’s career came in 2021 with his debut release, “Freedom,” on Solardo’s label, Sola. 

“The moment I got confirmation [on the release] is a moment I’ll never forget. That was the moment when I was like, ‘Right…it’s happening.’” 

Solardo have always been big role models for Walsh and helped to expose his music to wider audiences. The duo dropped “Freedom” in their live sets in Miami and on the Elrow Live Stream at Tobacco Docks. 

“The release came about a month after COVID [restrictions were lifted in the UK] which timed in great, because the track was called 'Freedom!' It was a massive achievement.”

Walsh has come a long way in a short space of time, warming up events headlined by Jamie Jones and Amelie Lens. “It’ll never feel normal. I’m the type of person who always remembers where I come from.” 

Keen to avoid the egoism that can sometimes accompany this shift in a DJ’s career, Walsh prioritizes humility. “I’ve seen DJs where they get on these lineups, their head blows, and in a couple of years you don’t hear from them because they’ve got so ahead of themselves. My manager’s been really good at helping me stay level headed. I’ve seen it’s not an attractive look, and it can go the opposite way.” 

Yet as surreal as opening for a superstar DJ is, Walsh has found that playing headline slots at smaller shows is equally rewarding. 

Things have come full circle for Walsh in the past 12 months. After attending Creamfields for many years, Walsh was ecstatic to hear a friend of his, who opened the Arc Stage at Creamfields 2021, bang out his track “Freedom” during his set. 

“Back on the Sola release, the voice on that was Leah Rose, who I’m really good mates with. That was our second track together, we’ve got our third one in the making at the moment.” 

Similarly, in December 2021, Archie Hamilton played two of Walsh’s tracks at the iconic Manchester institution, The Depot. Walsh was in attendance at the event alongside plenty of his friends. 

Today, Walsh’s music bumps in club venues and pool parties worldwide. “I got sent one [video] the other day from South America. It was in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Argentina. My track was being played, and everyone was loving it.” 

Walsh didn’t know the DJ who dropped the track but has since reached out to thank him. “It’s always an unreal feeling. It’s a big sigh of relief.”

Words by: Luca Rizzello

Ben Walsh

Chloé Caillet has turned house music into her travelog. The DJ, producer, and multi-instrumentalist just touched back down in Ibiza after two weeks on tour. From her mini farmhouse home in the middle of a forest, she sits on the floor for a chat with Gray Area while her cat lounges behind and her husky pup Cosmo orbits next to her. 

“I spend my life on the road touring, meeting people. I’m around lots of different types of energies and noise.” Caillet explains. “It’s loud, which I love so much about my job. But I find when I’m able to come back and retreat to a place where there’s nature and you wake up to birds and trees. I feel a little bit more clarity, and I definitely sleep better.” 

It’s not exactly what dance music fanatics think of when they imagine Ibiza, but she enjoys a balance of the busy summers and quiet winters. Having grown up around major cities with heavy dance music scenes, she appreciates the diversity the island has to offer. 

Caillet was born and raised in New York City and moved to Paris at 11 years old. Her journey as a musician began when she was seven with classical piano lessons. By 16, she knew for sure she wanted to pursue music. So, she studied jazz piano at a conservatory in the UK for high school. 

Her passion is crystal clear: “I was so determined. There was nothing else. It was just music every day, all day. Whether it was listening to records, going to shows, playing in a band, writing songs, learning a new instrument, hanging around artists – everything was about music.”

“I sort of got expelled from school,” Caillet continues nonchalantly. The rebellious teenager taught herself guitar and songwriting while stuck at home. “It drove my parents nuts to the point where they were like, ok, that’s all she thinks about. That’s the only thing we’re going to do. Convincing your parents you’re going to be a musician isn’t an easy thing,” she says. 

At 19, she went back to New York for college and joined prog-rock bands playing keys. After graduating university, she worked in A&R at Universal Records. She launched a creative agency as she searched for her place in the industry before finally leaping into being an artist. 


Caillet remembers thinking, “I know a lot of DJs, I know a lot of bookers, I know a lot of club owners. I’m just going to start DJing because it’s something I can do.” Before she even gained the skills to DJ, Caillet had already booked her first gig.  


“I basically picked up a set of decks, brought them home, called a friend and said, ‘hey can you come over and teach me? I got a gig next week,’” she says coolly.  


Caillet’s initial entry to electronic music was through a DJ friend who showed her the minimal house sound coming out of France. “I grew up in Paris around the Ed Banger music scene. I used to listen to drum & bass and dubstep and house music. I remember being blown away [not just] by the simplicity of it but how strong it was.” She later moved to Bristol, a city steeped in bass music culture. Her life was flooded with D&B and dubstep. 


Daft Punk’s Homework was the defining album for Caillet. She always loved French touch and, to this day, is impressed with the underrated music coming out of the strong yet intimate Paris scene. 


“I was brought in by friends but then I always did my own research, went to raves, bought CDs, downloaded music, watched YouTube videos… I digested all of it,” she says. 


Three years ago, she dove into Ableton, considering it sample-friendly and full of dope stock plugins. Whether laying down a melody on live instruments or hearing a perfect funk sample, Caillet almost always starts a track in a different place. The depths of her knowledge allow her to improvise and feel the freedom that comes with trusting her musical instincts. 


“I’m investing in hardware and running it through really good preamps – really focusing on nailing the sound before it even hits Ableton. That’s what makes you special: when you have specific synths you fuck with… that’s how you build your sound,” Caillet says. 

She records samples on the go, carrying a Zoom H2N recorder to collect the urban soundscape of traffic, the ocean, or a conversation in a different language. Caillet says, “Every city has its own sound. Every taxi has its own honk.” 

House music culture is all-encompassing in how it touches on art, fashion, and community. They collectively build upon spaces and sounds that allow LGBTQI+ and people of color to feel at home. Caillet says, “Let’s be honest – gay crowds for me are the best. Queer parties so far have been some of my favorite gigs because I feel safe and included.” She also lets her girlfriend lead her creative direction.


Five years ago marked the beginning of PVBLIC XCESS, a collective with Josh Ludlow. Their first EP releases in April. Her ethos is simple: create the best parties ever. 

“There’s nothing better than a good dance party where everyone is united,” Caillet says. 

Caillet released the deep house single “LOVE AIN’T OVER” and a subsequent remix EP for this satisfyingly groovy track that invites you to the dancefloor. As PVBLIC XCESS, Caillet and Ludlow just dropped “Don’t Wanna (Get Down)” featuring Pat Kalla on their outlet XCESS Records. The collab sizzles with elements of disco, funk, and acid with melodic vocals that are playfully rhythmic. 

Caillet doesn’t take this lifestyle for granted. “We were so fortunate to live such amazing lives and travel the world and do what we love. You have to also take care of your body and your mind. And there’s a lot of depression, there’s a lot of anxiety in the music industry that is unspoken about,” she says. 

Caillet immerses herself in sound baths and uses techniques like tapping and meditation to reset her internal rhythms and achieve better mental health. Most of all, she reminds herself, “Don’t be afraid. Do what you want to do.” 

Interview by Ryden (@officialryden) / Words by Aurora Zboch (@symphette)




Chloé Caillet

Anyone who’s attended a Wax Motif show will tell you it’s an absolute ripper of a time. Tongue-in-cheek samples seamlessly skate among brain warping production while chest-thumping 808s shake the hips and stomp the feet of every listener in earshot. The spell of the music is hopelessly irresistible, and fighting it only prolongs the inevitable party that awaits.

But how did Wax become the G-house giant of today? How did Danny Chien from the sleepy suburbs of Sydney, Australia, become one of dance music’s heaviest hitters? The answers to those questions start with his parents—the son of two immigrants who modeled a tireless work ethic for Danny from a young age.

“My parents weren’t crazy into music… There are some people whose parents are composers. My parents weren’t that musical or anything. They were immigrants. They were just working a lot,” Chien recounts.

Left to his own devices, Danny started down a path of music discovery in high school. Platforms popular at the time like Limewire and Napster meant easy access to seemingly bottomless wells of sounds old and new.

“That was when I started finding rap shit and dance music. I would just find heaps of shit and suddenly I knew every word to ‘Juicy’ by B.I.G,” he laughs.

Danny sheepishly shares that the first dance music that captured his interest was trance and progressive house. A distant sound from the carnal bass-driven beats for which he's now famous. But those themes would prove to be mere introductory stepping stones, soon giving way to beats more in line with his affinity for hip hop.

 “It moved pretty quick out of [trance and prog]. That was cool for like… experimenting. And then French house. Because I really enjoy like Armand Van Helden cuz the sampling shit was so—the texture and stuff—the feel was so organic,” Chien remembers.

His ears now fixed on a groove, a 16-year-old Danny soon found himself exploring the rave scene with his friends. One of those friends even acquired Numark turntables, and while one might think this would be the launching point of Wax Motif, Danny sings another tune.

“When I was 16 or 17 my friend bought decks and I went to his house and started playing with them… and I was so bad it was so difficult I was like ‘Naaaahhh, I’ll never do this,’” he chuckles. 

“I went through high school and I was playing sports, so music was never really in my mind, I was just playing sports the whole time.”

High school came and went, and as Danny graduated to college, so did his interests and exposure to the music scene. 

“I started going to clubs, like actual clubs,” he starts. “You’re not going to raves anymore cuz you can get into clubs. So it was around then I just bought some shitty turntables and bought like two records and would just go back and forth. I would just mix from one record back to the other back to the other. It was like a Plump DJs record to a Chemical Brothers record into the same. Only had two vinyls. But yeah, so I was doing that but just for fun.”

But halfway through college, what started as a light-hearted hobby soon found new vigor when Danny and his friends spent part of a gap year in the United States. He humorously recounts the defining experience saying:

“Me and my two buddies came [to the U.S.] and did a season in the snow and while we were there we saw Kaskade. It was my first time ever seeing Kaskade. I think it was after that… but it wasn’t even a good show,” he cracks up.

“It was in Tahoe in some shitty nightclub. When you think about where Kaskade plays today where it’s like Staples Center like this wasn’t a good Kaskade show. But for some reason, it triggered something in me to be like, ‘When I get home, I’m gonna try and do that actually… And then I came home and tried but I wasn’t really that good… That was when the really long boring part started where I was just like trying and trying and trying and trying.”

That “long boring part” would see Chien grinding for years to make headway in a sparse Australian dance scene. Sydney's open format parties allowed him to hone his now-famous party-starting energy and technical skill. They even led him to interact with fellow Aussie up-and-comers like Alison Wonderland and Flume (then in WhatSoNot). 

However, discontent with the resources available in his homeland, Danny began taking yearly trips to the US for two to three months of networking, industry studying, and production projects.

“There was no other way you could do it from Australia. I mean now there is,” he admits.

“Now there’s a couple kids who can be based out there and smash it. But back then we weren’t even on the map. The only two people I knew that had moved were Tommy Trash and Anna Lunoe... And that was right when Tommy was like really big. Like right before he did 'Reload.' I was with him when he wrote all those records when he was still in Sydney. So I got to watch all that happen in front of me."

Danny was fast becoming a rising star, and as he watched his Aussie friends make a move to the States, they urged him to follow.

"[Tommy] said, ‘You’re getting close to the limit, to the glass ceiling.’ And then Anna had just moved out here, she was killing it too, she was like, ‘Dude, you have to move.’ And I think I had just done the Mad Decent EP and did some shit on Dim Mak and Fool’s Gold and it just didn’t make sense to stay.”

The consistent hustle in Australia combined with the yearly trips stateside had constructed the stage. Now, the move to L.A. positioned Wax Motif square in the spotlight. His reputation for no-nonsense production led him to work with artists from new walks and genres, even producing with artists like Ty Dolla $ign, Pusha T, Scrufizzer, and Diddy. His performance load hit new levels, selling out clubs across the country and headlining festivals the world over. Even the most casual club-goers have undoubtedly heard Wax’s work with tracks like “WET,” “Bunda,” and his remix of AC Slater’s “Fly Kicks” gracing the USBs of countless DJs.

Danny’s journey as Wax Motif has rocketed to the next level in recent years. He’s even taken steps to further ownership and agency of his career by founding his Divided Souls record label. Now at a professionally self-sustaining level, he looks forward, eyeing artistic growth as the next frontier.

“Now I just want to make things that I feel inspired by in the moment. I think I got so used to making music that had a particular energy or particular vibe to it that it kinda became about making club single, making club single, making club single. Which I’m not against,” he adds.

“I think you gotta do that. But I think the point where I’m at it can’t always just be making music for other people. It has to be making it for myself. Obviously, I’m still going to have club records, and I’ve still got some in the bag that I’ll put out… But at a certain point, I need to do a few things just for me, even if people don’t like them, and then we’ll go back to the regularly scheduled programming.”

It is not difficult to lose sight of your starting point in the break-neck pace of the music industry. Being aware of the aforementioned career catch-22 and maintaining the fortitude to venture from the proven path of success is a constant struggle. However, reconnecting with why you do separates the good from the great, the transient from the timeless. It’s as if we see a reconciling of Danny Chien and Wax Motif when he ties this awareness back to his recent debut album, House Of Wax.

“It was just such a shame to have made so much of this music sit on my laptop and not go anywhere. The album is a collection of the older stuff (there’s new songs on there too)," he explains. "The reason there are some things that are maybe a little left of pocket was because I just made it with some homies and was like, ‘This is fire. I would listen to this…’ I don’t want people to sit there and judge it. This isn’t going number one on Beatport. I don’t care. That’s not what it was for. It was just, ‘I fuck with this.’ You can listen to this in the shower. You can listen to this in the car. You can listen to this hanging with your chick. There’s a song on here for each one of those occasions. That’s what it’s all about.”

Words by: Austin Miller

Wax Motif

San Francisco-based DJ & Producer Spencer Brown is a true visionary at heart. Not afraid to challenge "the system," his sole purpose in life is to create whatever he wants, for the love of music. This mentality has played a considerable role in his success, especially with his most recent announcement. Ready to take on the next step of his career, Spencer Brown has officially launched diviine his own artist label. But how did his journey lead him to his biggest achievement yet?

"Music has always been my number one passion," he tells Gray Area.

Born with music coursing through his veins, Spencer Brown picked up the drums and other instruments at only two years old. About a decade later, he dabbled with producing hip hop beats. But, before he entered the realm of house music, he explored the opposite side of the musical spectrum: dubstep. 

"Early dubstep really inspired me to make electronic music...it was really inspiring to see people coming together."

Even at 14, Brown got major support for his early dubstep tunes from artists like Rusko. He had started to hone in on his progressive house sound by high school. And after Avicii played one of his tracks on his podcast, Spencer Brown knew he found his calling. 

However, his journey wasn't necessarily a breeze. In 2020, he came out as gay via an op-ed for Billboard. Although he faced many challenges along the way, he knew the dance music community would greet him with open arms after he made the announcement. 

"Dance music has always been my safe haven since I was a teenager," Brown explains. "I just really think it's important for me to come out publicly so I can be someone to look up to, for people who are really struggling. I never had someone to look up to who was gay."

Beyond being a role model, Brown also strives to remain faithful to his principles and values in everything that he does. "I think the more authentic you can be," he says, "the better your music is."

In addition to representing the LGBTQ+ community, Spencer Brown advocates breaking musical barriers. Unable to be classified by a single genre, his receptive mindset drives his diverse musical style. 

"I would say my sound is a progressive journey through house, deep, techno, trance, just a little bit of everything kind of mingled together."

Brown is a jack of all trades, with a sound that gorgeously weaves together the multi-colored fabrics of house music. Although he's released music on prominent labels such as Anjunadeep, Last Night on Earth, Factory93, and mau5trap, he's never bound himself to a single organization. 

He also avoids making "playlistable" or stream-friendly tracks. Instead, longer tracks (seven or more minutes) resonate with him as a listener. His label allows him to operate outside the traditional model, releasing music with no boundaries. 

"I want the music to be divine on the label, like I want that to define the music...I want every release to be phenomenal, something that I would play out all the time, something of extremely high quality. I'm not going to be doing that many releases… I'm really going to be focusing on finding the very best music that I've made, and my friends, and keep it very, very exclusive, very high quality."

The official launch of diviine comes with its debut double-sided release, "Forbidden Flow / 18 Min Loop." 

"Forbidden Flow" showcases Brown's ability to create an emotional journey through music. Listeners are greeted with a dark, ominous techno track that transitions into a softer, progressive vibe. 

"Music needs a yin and yang…even if it's a really happy light song, there should be some darkness in there too. I'm a very happy person. I live a great life. But there's definitely dark periods and darkness from [my] upbringing that you can't just ignore. So I think it's important to have dark and light in music."

Every song has its unique writing process. When producing "Forbidden Flow," Spencer recalls it was an effortless experience. 

"I ended up chopping up some vocal I had on my computer, made an interesting pattern, wrote some chords…I chopped up some other group elements from other stuff I had lying around. And then I didn't even know that a track was made. At the end of the night, I went to listen to the project, and I was like, yeah, this is pretty sick. So it was really low pressure. But the best music I think is written in low-pressure environments."

"18 Min Loop" clocks in at precisely 18 minutes long. It acts as a work that's "frozen in time," recalling an era when there was no need for DJs and producers to conform to industry standards. A time in club culture where there were no rules on the length of tracks. 

"Apple Music, Spotify, stuff like that, their algorithms and their editors are not going to support an 18 minute track, but I know putting that out, I'm already aware of that. And so I know, it's not going to "stream very well" or whatever. Honestly, for me, creative freedom is more important than catering to what people are looking for."

You may think it would take countless hours to produce a masterpiece of this magnitude, but for Spencer Brown, it took quite the opposite. 

"I opened up Logic and I just kind of remember it took maybe like an hour or two…so in one sitting, I made the whole track. But I didn't even think it was a track that I would release because it was long…and then I was like, you know what, I'm gonna put that as the second track on my first EP because I don't care."

Both of these tracks shed light on Brown's core values. By having complete creative freedom with his label, he now has a platform to share his beliefs with the rest of the dance music community. In the end, diviine has one ultimate goal; to give power back to the artists. 



Spencer Brown

The collective shock and subsequent loss of all in-person social channels during the pandemic was a life-changing moment for everyone. For Belarusian melodic techno artist, Lacularis, it plunged her deep into her darkest emotions and offered a path to transcend them. And, with less than two years of experience, the classically trained musician has entered the world of dance music with the purest intentions. Her budding catalog of emotive, starkly beautiful music has landed on labels like Natura Viva Black and Androgyne Audio.

For someone with so much evident inborn talent, it's surprising to hear that music was not a part of her home life as a child. "I never heard my parents really listen to music at all. I know they reading books, watching movies, but I never heard them listening to music."

Despite the sonic silence at home, her mother insisted she enroll in a music school to get proper classical training. She excelled at piano and dobro, an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator built into the instrument's body. The strict discipline gave her an aversion to classical music, and for most of her life, she enjoyed hard rock and metal.

That is until she moved to China at 20 years old, where she says she didn't listen to much music at all.

When she was 20, she led a successful and pioneering VR company in Belarus. Sales were great, and the government showed interest in her product. But in 2014, a staggering financial crisis swept her country, leading to a devaluation of the Belarusian ruble of over 30%.

It became more difficult to import supplies to sustain her business. "We couldn't really buy dollars. And all the suppliers on the companies were connected with currency because everything that we sell came from abroad."

At the same time, she was facing a personal crisis of her own. "The other reason, why I escaped from this country [was] because I had to get married. And honestly, I just was scared," she explains. "So, I closed my business. And I ran away to China. China was the first country that I found on the map. And I stayed there for five years."

For five years, she called China home. And by chance, she was on a short trip back to Belarus in January of 2020 to update her passport when the border to China was closed. As it dawned on her that she may not be returning home to China (and her lovely dog) anytime soon, she entered a deep depression.

She was born in Belarus, but she felt like a stranger after being gone for so long. "I have no friends here. I have no career. It was really difficult because I didn't know what to do next. It's complicated in your mind to accept it. And I needed to express my feelings, my sadness, anxiety. And I found music."

When she says that music saved her life, she means it. It pulled her out of the first depression of her life and gave her a newfound purpose. The same ambition that propelled her to start a business and move to China motivated her to seek help from a newfound community in the music industry to help her on her journey.

She says that she continues to make music because she feels that expressing herself this way can break the stigma around mental health issues. "I want to make music. I want to express my feelings. In Russia, nobody really cares about mental health. Nobody can understand you."

And now, with her newfound purpose, she's stopped pinning for a return to China. After spending over a year so mentally distraught over her situation, she's learned that the greater reward was discovering her inborn talents and nurturing them. As a result, she has no desire to return to her previous life.

As she continues to reconnect with her childhood musical training, she also wishes to reconnect with her childhood traditions of travel.

"When I was a kid, my parents always took me on trips with them. I fell in love in with trains and airports. People around you, always exploring something new. It's just a priceless experience. It's romantic."

Lacularis truly believes she can change the world with music. In 2020 she was vocal about her opposition to the arrest of Palestinian DJ Sama' Abdulhadi. She says that while she often prefers to let her music do the talking, artists' power to move the needle is undeniable. And when there is an issue that requires your voice, you must speak up.

Lacularis

 There’s an old saying that goes, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Carlos Cid—aka CID— will be the first to tell you about the lucky breaks throughout his career.



But is it luck when a kid who decided to be a DJ at 12 goes on to be one of the most in-demand dance music artists in the world? Or did the countless hours spent tirelessly mixing records and CDs as a teenager create a technical mastery shared by few artists of the same generation? On the other hand, maybe a college course in production and a music studio internship imparted a working knowledge of software and hardware that even the most seasoned veterans would applaud. 

Regardless of how you view it, the journey that has led CID to critical acclaim as an artist and label-head has been paved by indomitable work-ethic and letting his passion for music speak for itself. A passion that has long been a cornerstone of Carlos Cid’s life is as much a part of him as his flesh and blood. In fact, if it weren’t for his family and their collective love of music, the path from Carlos to CID might never have existed. 

“No one in my family pursued music,” Carlos admits. “But my grandfather was very musical, my mom was very musical and she played piano. So from an early age just sitting down at the piano with her and learning how to play whatever. It was just messing around, never lessons,” he continues.
 

“But it sparked that like, ‘Wow I understand notes and stuff.’ And from there my grandparents had a piano in their house, so every time I’d go over to their house for the weekend I would just sit at the piano and try to figure out a song by ear just fiddling around. And my oldest brother is very musical. So he always had keyboards in the house and drums. He’s 10 years older than me so when he was 16 we had a drum kit in the house. When he wasn’t home I’d be down there teaching myself how to play the drums banging away. It was always out of curiosity I guess that I picked up music.”

The seeds of musical curiosity planted by piano play and private percussion practice found plenty of nourishment throughout Cid’s adolescence. His two brothers, eight and ten years older, surrounded Carlos with the sounds of their classic rock, hip hop, and R&B discovery. Family parties rang out with the lively themes of salsa, merengue, bachata, and more in celebration of the family’s Spanish heritage while also sporting the occasional injection of Euro-dance. There were even weekend trips to one of New York’s many record stores.
 

Of all the sounds that fed the fire of Cid’s musical curiosity, one spark burned brighter than the rest—Euro-dance.
 

“I was very young, but there was this era of Euro-dance hits in the US Whenever we had family parties those are the songs I would start dancing to… After that, Daft Punk, when “One More Time” just exploded, I was like ‘What is this? This is awesome.”

Despite limited exposure as a pre-teen in New York, the surge of late 90’s and early 2000s dance music in the US found a home in Cid’s heart. The seeds of curiosity planted years earlier began laying the roots of a dream.
 

“There was a point in like seventh grade where I was like, ‘I want to be a DJ.’ And New York was not very dance music-driven. Everyone was listening to hip hop, but for some reason, that’s just how I was,” he laughs. 
 

“I gravitated towards anything electronic. At first, it was trance and at the time in New York, it was this hard house sound. And that was the beginning for me. I didn’t have a taste; I didn’t know what was out there. I was just being fed what was popular. From there I developed my taste.”

It didn’t take long for his DJ ambitions to spawn action. Later that year, Carlos bought a used Vestax mixer from a record shop, acquired an old Denon CD player, headed to his parent’s basement, and got to mixing. He upgraded to Numark belt drive turntables that Christmas, the record collection started growing, and the hours, days, months, and years flew by. 
 

“From the beginning, I was hooked. There was never a time where I was like, ‘Eh, I don’t wanna do this,’” he shares.
 

As time passed, Carlos’ father took notice of his son’s growing ability behind the decks. The owner of a restaurant and catering business, he began offering customers “a good DJ for cheap” for their small parties. 

As Carlos prepared for college, the hobby began to bear financial fruit. But Cid envisioned more than weddings and local parties for his DJ career, so he began to study the best.


“I was like wait, the ones that are coming to the US—because a lot of them are European—they’re great DJs, but they’re known because of their music. So that’s what sparked the transition to producing. It’s like hmm, that makes sense, how do you stand out as a DJ? So again, curiosity led me to producing at the end of high school.”
 

In college, Carlos’ passion continued to lead him to complementary opportunities. His budding interest in production led the accounting major to take a course in Apple’s music software, Garage Band. While many DAW aficionados may snicker at the name, the knowledge learned would prove invaluable, soon leading Cid to finish making his first completed track. 

He emailed the completed track to Markus Schulz’s Global DJ Broadcast. Four weeks later, he was on the phone with Schulz signing the single. One year later, the track was released, and when he heard it for the first time at one of Markus’ New York shows, he was transformed.

“That was the moment I was like, ‘THIS is what I want to do.’ I already knew what I wanted to do, but it was like, ‘THIS is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’ And it just grew from there. I was still in college. I finished accounting, but that combination of events kind of led me to be like, ‘OK, after I graduate, I’m not going to work in accounting or try to get a job. I’m going to focus on music.”
 

After college, Carlos reconnected with a high school friend, Eren Cannata, while DJing in a New York lounge. Carlos voiced his career ambitions, Eren believed he could help, and invited Carlos to his father’s music studio. Richie Cannata, the original saxophone player in Billie Joel’s band and owner of Cove City Sound Studios, recognized Cid’s passion and offered him an internship. 

This day-to-day experience with seasoned sound engineers would prove to be a launching point and crucial home base for Carlos and his budding career. He gathered critical studio knowledge, supportive guidance, and connections, including veteran dance music presence Greg Bahary. Years later, Carlos’ relationship with Greg would lead to work with a member of the Miami music scene. Word of “this kid Carlos” spread to Cedric Gervais in Miami, who for then recruited Cid for their GRAMMY award-winning remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness.”

 
“Winning that for me was very affirming for my abilities as a producer,” Cid shares about his GRAMMY experience.

“I was still living at home, my family was so proud. For me, it was more like, ‘I can do this for myself.’ That was the moment where I was like I just want to focus on my own career. And that really gave me the confidence to do it. I got here. And I want to come back here and I want it to be my name up there. And from that point on it was all about putting myself first as far as a producer and an artist. And going back for remixing LSD’s “Audio” record was such an incredible experience to go back and be like, ‘I made it back.’ Not many people can get one nomination and that for me was such a special moment to be there again.”
 

Today Carlos has worked alongside some of the most legendary figures in dance music, including Diplo, Steve Angelo, Kaskade, Don Diablo, and many others. One could safely say Cid is well on his way to becoming one of dance music’s new legendary figures. 

He has covered official remix duties for pop’s biggest stars, including Ellie Goulding, Lizzo, and Halsey. He’s proven himself to be a master producer and performer across a broad spectrum of dance music themes while honing a sound that is distinctly his own. His label, Night Service Only, allows him to mentor up-and-coming artists like Greg Bahary, Steve Angelo, and many others did for him.
 

So let’s revisit our first question. Did Carlos Cid get lucky? Or did his passion, preparation, and unquenchable desire to learn set him down a path and forge relationships that would give him potential opportunities—opportunities he has undoubtedly made the most of? It just might be the latter.
 



Striking the perfect balance between the codified classics and what’s en vogue can be a test for any artist. For French-born DJ, producer, and composer Kevin Rodrigues—aka Worakls (pronounced “warrackles”)—that challenge comes in an even more literal form. 



With inspirations from German composer Hans Zimmer to dubstep maestro Skrillex, Worakls combines the vivacity of classical orchestral concertos with the ethereality of modern, minimal techno.

Worakls built his career on this unique musical amalgamation that has captivated audiences worldwide. He grew up in a family of musicians. His father, a self-taught guitarist, motivated his musical path – enrolling Worakls in piano lessons at the age of three and conservatory at the age of six.

“Conservatory was so different. Much stricter,” he says. “Even the first year I went there, they told me, ‘No, you’re not going to touch a piano for one or two years.’ But I was already able to play the piano. So, for me, it was weird – and I didn’t stay there for a long time.

Formal lessons lasted until the age of 12, giving way to more typical pre-teen musical pursuits: garage bands, metal music, and, later, nightlife. 

“At first, I fell in love with harder style, hard stuff. I was getting out a teenage passion for metal music and those things. I loved it because it was full of energy,” he says. “Later, I fell in love with the [club] community as well. Going into the club and seeing people dressing in a different way than they would dress in the streets. I found it very interesting. So, I started to go clubbing every weekend, and eventually I even got a job at the club because I needed money to pay the entrance fees.”

“One weekend, I saw Eric Prydz play,” Worakls says, reflecting on a formative set at Redlight, the Paris club where he worked. Whereas other DJs tended to spin mostly chart-toppers, Prydz, he says, constructed an entirely new world out of his original tracks.

“First of all, I thought, this guy is incredibly talented. And second, Prydz brings us into his world. He’s not just playing tracks that we already know by heart. He plays his own stuff.” At this moment, Worakls knew he was destined for a career in electronic dance music.

“That was the beginning of a very nice adventure.”

That adventure has led Worakls to the leading edge of sonic experimentation in EDM. But blending digital sounds with classical instrumentation posed a challenge all its own and forced Worakls to relearn the intricacy of composition altogether.

“I think like a pianist,” he says. “Writing for guitars, basses, drums, et cetera, taught me a lot of things. When I decided that I wanted to bring orchestral and classical instruments into my music, I had to learn again, how to do it. Some instruments are very specific. You can’t blow in a trumpet for hours, for example, the guy has to breathe – those are the details I had to learn.”

That adventure has led Worakls on several tours throughout the U.S. and Europe. One of his most prolific was his 2019 Orchestra tour. He composed the score for a chamber orchestra consisting of violinists, cellists, percussionists, and an ensemble of brass and woodwinds players with, of course, Worakls conducting at the helm on keyboard and mixer. 

His studio album “Orchestra” was the inspiration. In venues and amphitheaters in cities including Geneva, Lyon, and his thrilling Cercle debut at Château La Coste orchestral harmonies floated overtop of vibrant, expressive electronic melodies.

“That tour is the ultimate version of my life. I want to do it, like, every day. That’s my goal: to only do live shows with the orchestra,” he says. “I like solo shows, but it’s not the same. Once you taste the show with the filmography, lights, it’s like defending something, really. Like a movie. Like a book. It’s a whole project. It’s not just like going to a club. You are presenting something, like, ‘Here’s what I did for the past three years.’”

“Of course, it’s a show. So,you need sometimes to have, let’s say, beautiful string parts overlapped with a big drop of only electronic music. And you have to find the right balance to surprise your crowd and keep them interested.” 

Balance was something that took him years to perfect. It remains an ongoing test for any live show he plays, even in a club environment.

“You know what is hard? When you bring an instrument on stage, you don’t know where to put the filler. You don’t know if you want to have more electronic music or classical instrumentation. A lot of these guys just want to go to a club and dance. Some others want to have a concert. So, you have to find the right balance between the two. And, of course, I didn’t find that right away. I worked for that.”

Worakls learned from his first tour how to create a perfectly harmonious experience. And plans are already in the works for a 2.0 version of his Orchestra tour. 

“Electronic with a full orchestra?” questioned one YouTube commenter. “This may be one of the greatest collaborations of all time.”

Worakls

The concepts of songwriting and producing often intertwine in the world of electronic music. Artists who champion the genre are generally referred to as "producers," because they build a track from the ground up, but in this process, they also engage in songwriting.

Elderbrook, on the other hand, is a songwriter who engages in production. This core difference allows him to alternate between indie and electronic soundscapes with such precision and grace.

Elderbrook—real name Alexander Kotz— always takes a songwriter's approach. Whether he is writing lyrics for vocal features like the now-infamous charting record "Cola," with Camelphat, or building a song from the ground up as he did on his early hit "Rewinding." It always starts with the acoustic guitar.

"As soon as I learned three chords I just started writing. I always wanted to write," Kotz tells Gray Area over Zoom from his home in the UK.

To further understand how songwriting is essential to Kotz's approach, it's important to understand the differences between songwriting and producing.

Songwriting refers to creating the core elements of a song. Melody, chord progressions, lyrics. The fundamental aspects that allow a song to be performed through any number of different applications. 

Like when Kotz covered "You're The One That I Want" from the musical Grease during one of his Hotel Room Sessions. He took the core elements and repurposed them to fit his style. 

Producing involves the layers that come on top of those core elements. The polish. The finishing touches. Once the foundation is in place, production implements sound design, effects, mixing, etc. That's what makes the song inimitable by another artist.

Kotz was happy to write songs with some of the most basic core elements imaginable in the beginning days of his artistry. From a young age, he wanted to be in bands, so he taught himself acoustic guitar.

To this day, the acoustic guitar can serve as a foundation of his writing process even though his sound has long since shifted from the acoustic, Mumford & Sons, aesthetic he initially wanted to write.

"There's always a guitar just lying around my house and whenever I walk past it I pick it up and mess around with the same three chords I always used to play as well," Kotz says.

The shift towards the more electronic sound came after Kotz broke away from the idea of being in a band and wanted to be a solo artist. Like with the guitar, he is self-taught on his preferred DAW, Logic Pro. However, unlike the guitar, Logic Pro, synthesizers, and production, in general, have so much less structure. The entire piece of music can change with the twist of a knob. It's an endless universe of exploration, and Kotz dove in headfirst.

At the time of this shift, house music was all the rage, so being a newly minted solo artist, he wanted to try his hand at it.

"I went in and what I was trying to accomplish I got absolutely nowhere near, but it still sounded OK, and that was the song called "Rewinding," which was the first thing I put online that went a little bit viral," Kotz says. "I really did not try to make that tune at all. I was definitely trying to make something else. I'd like to think the reason why my sound was original when I first started doing electronic music was simply because I had no idea what I was doing."

Kotz may not have known what he was doing with the synthesizers at first, but his talent for singing and writing lyrics served as the connective tissue holding his productions together. While his debut EP, Simmer Down, was still very much in the indie realm, the EP also included a heavily electronic remix of "How Many Times" from the German melodic techno outfit andhim. 

In that one release, Kotz demonstrated his ability to transfer his voice seamlessly between genres, and this versatility stems from his upbringing as a songwriter. 


"I rarely start with the vocals. It's mainly the track first, and then when it comes to doing the vocal I mumble things that I think, phonetically speaking, would fit in with what's already there," Kotz says. "Not that it doesn't mean anything, but then when it sounds like something I try and figure out what it sounds like. And once it sounds like one phrase, I see how we can delve deeper into that with the lyrics surrounding that."

Beyond writing his own work, this separation between writing vocals and writing the music has allowed Kotz to collaborate on several massively impressive vocal features as well. He's contributed his voice to music from Black Coffee, Rudimental, but by far, his most well-known vocal feature is "Cola," with Camelphat.

Currently, "Cola" has over 225 million plays on Spotify, reached number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in November 2017, and was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

When Kotz set down to write the lyrics and vocal melody to "Cola," Camelphat already had the music finished, which fit right into his creative process, and so all he had to do was start mumbling to the music. When that process begins, an image begins to form in Kotz's mind…

"Whenever I'm thinking about lyrics for a song I always have an image in my head. Almost a music video, but not really a music video. More of a scene. A scene from a film. I can really picture it vividly, and once I have the scene, that really helps me understand what the song is about," Kotz says.

With this in mind, the widely eclectic sonics and lyrical messages within the music of Elderbrook become immensely intriguing. What sort of mumbling was he doing before he devised the shuddering hook in "Numb"? What image was in his head for "Inner Light," his swelling dance ballad with Bob Moses?

The listeners only get the end product of this fascinating process, but they can at least be comforted to know that Kotz is not going to stop writing songs any time soon. Currently, he's sitting on hundreds of different songs he wrote over the past two years of the pandemic, and he resolves to continue in the direction of electronic music.




Elderbrook

Ask any successful artist, in any genre, how they made it to where they are. The answer will always be a different version of the same thing: determination and self-motivation. 



There is no roadmap to pursuing the arts. Instead, it’s a field where a college degree is mostly meaningless, measures of what’s “good” or “bad” are entirely subjective, and the amount of competition is astronomical.

That’s why the ideas of determination and self-motivation are so universal. They are simple to understand but not necessarily easy. 

House music is inherently simple, yet so many replaceable tracks are attempting to follow formulas based on previous hit records. To transform that simplicity into something that captures your soul takes determination and self-motivation, just like building a career as an artist, and HoneyLuv—real name Taylor Character—has accomplished both of those impressive feats.

“When you have those two things, honestly, anything is possible. And also speaking positivity into the universe because the words that you put out into the world are very powerful. The universe is listening,”  Character tells Gray Area over Zoom from Los Angeles.

Character didn’t begin speaking a career in producing and DJing into the universe until a few years ago, but the universe surrounded her with music from a very young age. She has memories as far back as three and four years old of riding around in her father’s purple drop-top Mustang in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, listening to old R&B songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“From there it started,” Character says of her fascination with music. “Music is everywhere. You really can’t escape it, and so it’s best to just embrace it. Literally everywhere you turn there is music.”

Amidst an atmosphere consistently swirling with music, Character’s mother introduced her to house. She’d play it all the time, and one track that still sticks with Character to this day is “Your Love,” by house music legend Frankie Knuckles.

Character heard it when she was growing up and then again when she played the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, wherein “Your Love” is featured on one of the radio stations. The track continued to inspire something deep within her.

“This song is a classic. It’s just timeless,” Character says. “I wished I could make something as dope as that or something as classic and timeless as that.”

Once the bug to make house music had buried itself under her skin, the determination and self-motivation to become an artist began, even if Character didn’t realize it herself. 

Character’s introduction to DJing came, in some ways, by force. She moved to Los Angeles in 2016 after the Navy stationed her there, and her friends in the city twisted her arm into DJing because she would play all the good songs on the aux cord.

“I kept the energy going when we were in the car,” Character says. “So they just kept pressuring me to do DJing, and at first I was reluctant, but they kept pushing me and pushing me and then eventually I gave in.”

Character bought her first DJ controller, and that’s when her determination and self-motivation kicked into high gear. She practiced every day in the barracks at the military base after work.

Character was already playing gigs at R&B and hip hop parties within a couple of months. She wanted to play house music parties, but she only knew people in the realm of R&B and hip hop. 

Then the pandemic closed all the parties, but that didn’t slow her down. Instead, she recognized a huge opportunity to start playing house music on Twitch, and before long, she was playing streams for major channels like Desert Hearts, Groove Cruise, and LP Giobbi’s Femme House.

In December 2020, when the scene was still remanded to live streams, Character left the military and started taking production courses the following month at The Los Angeles Recording School.

“I started grinding into making music because I knew that was the only way that I could actually excel to higher heights,” Character says.

The universe was listening, and she’s been transcending ever since. Soon after restrictions started to relax, she met one of the founders of the LA via San Francisco label, Popgang Records, at a gig, and within a few weeks, they released her debut, “Free.”

With original tracks to her name alongside a solid reputation from Twitch and the experience of an open format DJ, Character had the CV to reach out to promoters all on her own for house music gigs. One of those gigs was a show at The Flamingo Deck in San Diego, supporting Dirtybird’s VNSSA.

Character connected with VNSSA’s agent, and they hit it off. And just like that, Character was opening for Chris Lake at the Brooklyn Mirage and playing Insomniac festivals. 

“We had a meeting I think that following week, and then literally after that meeting a week later he had me on all these festivals, and so it happened pretty fast,” Character says.

In 2022, she is already scheduled to play Skyline and Beyond Wonderland, and she just dropped her debut single on Insomniac Records, “Your Tongue.”

Character created success in a timeframe that’s unheard of through determination, self-motivation, and a bit of trust in the universe. That’s the secret sauce, but it’s so deceptively simple.

One must apply these tenants to every aspect of their life, not just music. Determination and self-motivation must drive every decision at all times. They must become a part of someone’s humanity. That’s when the universe will start to listen.

“If you have all those three things intact and you stay consistent with what you want, things are bound to happen,” Character says. “I never wanted to be comfortable in anything that I’m doing. I never wanted to be satisfied. I don’t want to be a regular. I just wanted more out of life, and I’ve always been like that since I was little.”



HoneyLuv

With a glistening discography and collaborations with dance music pioneers, Supernova - aka Giacomo Godi and Emiliano Nencioni - have finessed a classic house sound of their own through decades of experimentation. Born and based in Florence, Italy, the duo proudly founded three labels - Lapsus Music, Downtown Underground, and Blackboard. They have performed at some of the world's most celebrated venues and festivals, including elrow, BPM, Ministry Of Sound, Space (Ibiza and Miami), and Tenax (Italy). 

Despite being born in the '70s, the music of the '80s had the most considerable influence on the duo. The first band that Godi can remember loving is Duran Duran. 

"Of course, all the music that you listen to as a child… eventually influences you. In our first album, we did a cover of Duran Duran' Save A Prayer.'" In the late '80s, when house and techno were first emerging in Chicago and Detroit, the pair began DJing and producing.





The duo's friendship has a long history. They grew up together and shared the same friends from a young age. Nencioni recalls that the concept of Supernova started because of a party they both went to. "I was DJing… We used to speak about music [and] our projects. I was starting a new project with a club in Florence. I invited Giacomo to [see if he wanted to] do these projects together." 

After visiting Godi's studio in Milan, the pair began producing music together and decided to join forces for good. 

"And here we are after almost 20 years," Godi concludes. "Next year is our 20th anniversary. We've [got the idea] of releasing an album in 2023, but first we have to produce it." They're also planning a tour off the back of the album release. 





Godi and Nencioni first fell in love with dance music thanks to 'The Godfather of house' himself, Frankie Knuckles. His track, "Your Love," which they bought on vinyl in 1988, remains one of their all-time favorites. 

Now, for Godi, being a DJ has become conflated with social media presence. "A DJ career is not only about DJing, or music… it's maybe half about social media, or maybe [even] more than half…You can be a 'pop star' DJ today if you are really good with social media, but that's another job."

The first track that Supernova produced was one of the tracks included on Afterbeach, their first album. Godi explains that while they're unsure which one it was, Afterbeach encompassed all of their earliest productions. 





"We were in a studio in Milan… At that time, we were using Logic. The fun thing is that we were using a synth… that is from Novation, and it's called Supernova." It's this synth that gave the duo their iconic name. 

Over the years, Supernova have churned out an incredible quantity of brilliant remixes for some of the world's most accomplished artists. Godi believes that a critical breakthrough moment came 15 years ago. "We had the chance to remix a track by Kerri Chandler that did very well. It was played by tons of DJs. Kerri is one of our favorite DJs." In the same year, they flew to London to work on a major project with Defected Records, culminating in mixing Defected's coveted Miami in The House compilation.





In 2012, the pair were asked to remix "The Whistle Song," a legendary house track by the Chicago mastermind, Frankie Knuckles. In a world saturated with house music producers, it's Supernova's fresh approach to remixing that has continually caught the eye of legendary artists. Godi says the best approach to remixing a classic track is translating its biggest element to the new generation. "We were able to give a different and new vibe to a big hit without moving too far from it, without ruining it. I think this is the goal of a remixer."

For Nencioni, another breakthrough moment in their career came in 2009, with their first label, Lapsus Music. "[The label] allowed us to create a real Supernova music scene because we could share all the music we wanted. I think from that moment, a new Supernova era started. It was really important for us." Today, the pair are living the dream. They own three music labels and a publishing company, which allows them to release music from a broader range of genres than house alone. 





In 2010, Supernova released a massive hit with the Detroit legend Kevin Saunderson, one of the pioneers of Detroit techno. "We first released the record without meeting him," Godi recalls. "We took a sample from a library that we had, that wasn't just a small sample. We didn't realize that it was part of a Kevin Saunderson record. Kevin, at the beginning, was a little bit upset about this because we didn't clear the sample." After re-releasing the record as with Saunderson credited, the duo developed a great relationship with the iconic producer and have played together in New York. 

Nencioni highlights the pair's work with other members of the Saunderson family. "His son, [Dantiez Saunderson], released on Lapsus too… and we've had several collaborations with Ann Saunderson… So, we've collaborated with all the family! We feel like part of the family."





Part of Supernova's individuality stems from their innovative live setups, which have shifted significantly. They started as some of the first artists to experiment with doing a live set in a club with real instruments. 

"I was coming from a live, studio [background]," Godi explains, "and [Emiliano] was a DJ… We were going into clubs with thousands of keyboards, mixers…every gig was a mess in the beginning." The duo soon found that sticking to a rigid, pre-prepared set of tracks was ill-suited to a club setting; for them, live shows worked better at festivals. 

"We started to do this mixed thing between DJing and a live set… we moved to using decks, and Ableton, so basically we were playing music from decks, and at the same time adding on live percussion or playing some small live synth lines, or playing our tracks from Ableton as well." Nowadays, Godi and Nencioni generally stick to standard DJ sets but plan on incorporating both DJ sets and live performances into their 2023 album tour. 





With a wealth of experience and wisdom, Godi and Nencioni are well-placed to reflect on how the Italian electronic music scene has changed over the years. Nencioni argues that, during the '90s, the Italian scene was one of the best in the world. 

"Now, maybe it's not the best… [but I still] think we have good spots, good festivals, and good clubs these days." The industry has transformed in tandem with the growth of the internet and social media. 





COVID hit the Italian electronic scene hard, but nevertheless, Godi remains optimistic about the future. "Maybe now it's a new beginning… for the club scene in Italy. One of the things that I think the Italian scene doesn't have, or hasn't been able to do, compared to other scenes… is to make a really Italian scene and export it around the world, like for example the UK does, or Amsterdam." 

For Godi, Italy has always been and continues to be home to tons of great Italian producers and DJs. "But we haven't been able to set a trend. We always take trends from outside." Nencioni also sees this as a political issue. "In Italy we have more restrictions than the UK or Berlin, so it's not easy to develop a good culture for the young generation, or for investors. It's difficult to evolve with these kinds of limits."




Supernova

Ammo Avenue – aka Sebastian Paul – sits in his studio with a customized Funko Pop! of himself on the speaker. He resides in his hot hometown Lima, Peru, where he champions its small but flourishing dance music scene. 

"I think we're at our best time right now." he says, looking back on a decade of local dance music shows. "Compared to when I started going to raves in 2012-13, you can tell it's grown so much in terms of scene, production, crowd, and franchises that now come that didn't come before."





Ammo Avenue is a straight shooter in tech house. His beats have let him reach Rawthentic, Deeperfect, Repopulate Mars, and, as he's most excited for, Chris Lake's label Black Book. 

He beams, "Sharing a booth with some of these names, being on the labels and them knowing my name, writing and contacting me… it's still a little bit surreal but it was what I was looking for."

When he was younger was moved by punk rock and hip hop. His brothers shared their musical tastes with him, listing off rappers Eminem, 2Pac, and 50 Cent. While he grew up surrounded by music, he didn't dream of making it in the industry until after he first studied publicity and advertising. Now, he lives and breathes house and is a self-professed music addict. 

"I didn't see music or DJing as a proper career. You dig deeper, and realize it's actually a full time thing," Ammo Avenue says. 





"You think of money, you think of time, you think of your personal stress." When it comes to  hard work towards a dream, he says, "if you want one to properly blow up, you have to let the other one go." 

"It was a natural transition," he continues. "I studied and worked in advertisement agencies parallel to DJing and involving myself more into house music. I had to decide which one I wanted to blow up, which one needs to have more attention, and I had to let the other one go." For Ammo Avenue, it was critical to carefully plan and take it slow.  

He first discovered the world of dance music at house parties during high school. He recalls the key moment when he first heard Tocadisco's remix of "Body Language" by M A N D Y and Booka Shade. 

The first festival Ammo Avenue attended was Creamfields 2014 in Lima. Around that same time, he started playing parties and developing his artistic identity as a house producer. He downloaded and promptly deleted Ableton before getting serious and giving production a real shot. With the help of his cousin and friends, he learned the musical skills that led him to where he is today. 





He's a proud DJ of the digital era, happy to travel with simply his USBs and headphones. He respects any road to making the dream of being on stage come true. "I love all setups. If it works for you, it works for you," he says. 

Ammo Avenue's earliest releases were in the realms of nu-disco and G house. He developed his current sound by "Being more mature about my style and realizing I don't want to follow short-term trends," he says. "Instead I want to make timeless music – tech house, deep house and house fell into that." 





As much love and sincerity that go into a track, most artists look back and call their first works "trash." But when fans have gone back to Ammo Avenue's early music and said they loved it, he can't shoot them down. "If they're feeling it, it's for a reason." 

With newfound confidence, Ammo Avenue is pushing his signature house spices to other aspiring producers. Recently, he released a sample pack with sounds that continue to appear in his upcoming tracks. Crisp hi-hats, far-out flips, and tight bass grooves are Ammo Avenue's way into house. He also launched his own production course. 





"What I love about sampling – I don't just drag and drop, I try to make something different out of it," he says. "You cannot get too purist about some stuff. Everybody can access a 909 hat, so it depends on you." 

While only at the beginning of his artistic journey, Ammo Avenue looks forward to his European debut in the near future. He plans to tour more of South America, then explore Central and North America. He'll soon be releasing more tracks through Repopulate Mars and Syracuse Music. The rest of his success will arrive in due time. 

"Don't rush. It applies to everything," Ammo Avenue shares. "Everything happens for a reason."
 


Interview by RYDEN 


Artist Interviews