They say there’s a magical synergy between twins. Rising house duo RaeCola are proving that right in front of our very eyes and ears. With the release of their debut EP Bezerk newly under their belts—and their close-knit relationship with underground titan Dirtybird firmly minted—it would appear they are forming a firm foundation.




Hailing from Chicago, Rachael and Nicole Henderson pay homage to the birthplace of house music while advancing the genre with their own unique twist.




“Being from the Southside of Chicago, we felt it was only right to represent the music that was kind of going on in our area growing up: ghetto house, juke music, footwork music. So it was cool to be able to partner them together, and have a kind of balance of the different music that really inspires us.”




RaeCola are certainly paving the way for a revolutionary new style. And when asked to describe their signature sound of ghetto tech house and booty bass, they were cautious not to add another sub-genre to the pre-existing plethora. Yet, they are acutely aware that it didn’t quite fit in anywhere perfectly enough.




“It just really combines our influences of having the ghetto house in Chicago and the West Coast kind of tech house sound and putting those influences together… We’ve been able to find other artists who are kind of doing that feel as well… it’s not necessarily ghetto house, and it’s not necessarily tech house, so that was just kind of the perfect combination.”




Probably like me, you are also wondering what defines RaeCola’s booty bass sound. When I asked, they giggled as they told me that it just encompasses “the songs you have to move to. You just have to move your booty. You can’t help it.”




For them, it seems that the revolution they’re bringing to dance music culture is the joy of mixing different crowds—a concept that harkens to the roots of the movement. It brings together people who haven’t been in the same room before to move their bodies and enjoy the incredible vibes that so effortlessly radiate off the decks at RaeCola’s fingertips.




Growing up, Rachael and Nicole didn’t foresee DJing as a career path. Music has always been central to their lives—they grew up singing in a choir, playing piano, and even the clarinet for a stint. But their predominant interest was, in fact, fashion. And at the tender age of 17, they moved to California together to work in the industy. Nevertheless, it soon became clear, that their inherent love of music and natural flair for producing and mixing was to be the path they’d walk.




Despite not explicitly pursuing a career in fashion, as with music, they seem to have a natural inclination for it. They have no need to hire a stylist for their sets and shoots, as the duo never fail to impress with their bold, show-stopping, coordinated looks.




After almost seven years DJing together, their first-ever EP Bezerk was released in July 2022. RaeCola are also recent graduates of the ICON Collective in Los Angeles, where they say that they planted the roots of the EP.




“Once finishing, we had so many songs we’d been working on,” they said about their time at the production school that’s turned out dance music heavy hitters including Jauz, the late i_o, Dillon Nathaniel, Black Gummy, and SNBRN. “Bezerk was just a fun song. We just made it very quickly…And for the longest time we were just sitting on it thinking, 'Is it ready?”




“Bezerk’s” wonky synths, groovy experimental undertones, and slightly suggestive lyrics perfectly encapsulate that marriage of the Chicago and West Coast underground the duo are pushing. A sound that they’ve spent the better part of seven years trying to perfect. The second track of the two-part EP, “Juke That Zerk,” has elements of ghetto house and juke, with drums and vocals inspired by artists like DJ Slugo. Beyond the marriage of sounds, they ultimately want to write music that raises vibrations, inspiring listeners to have judgment-free fun.




“Hopefully we’ll have more than one release this year… We have a remix we’ve been working on with an artist that we’re really excited to play. If anybody’s been to our shows, we’ve been sneaking them in there. And we’ve gotten some good feedback. So we’re really excited for those releases.”




Amongst the new releases hopefully coming later this year, they’ve also been working hard ticking off their manifestation list, one dream at a time. The duo are confirmed to play at one of the most immersive boutique festivals in the States, Dirtybird Campout.




“Every experience I’ve had of Dirtybird has been so much fun. It’s such a carefree, silly energy, about the crowd. Where you don’t really care about who’s watching and what’s going on. Everyone’s just being themselves to the fullest and deepest. And I love that non-judgmental feel within the crowd,” Nicole tells us. “In terms of music, there’s a lot of freedom, and I guess the freedom that comes with an underground feel within a festival. That’s really cool… I’m very very excited to play there.”




So whether it’s a set at Dirtybird or an LA warehouse, you can catch RaeCola coming to a dance floor near you. And keep an ear out, as you might just catch a little easter egg from the duo teasing an unreleased track of theirs.

Being a truly inventive musician in 2022 is challenging. But Klangphonics, aka Markus Zunic, Maxl Walmsley-Pledl, and Ben Kopfnagel – reveal that it’s not an impossible task. Since forming in Germany six years ago, the band has developed a sound that blends drums, guitar, and diverse percussion with synths and sequencers; the result is deep house and melodic techno that feels organic and alive.




The band’s unique sound is rooted in a diverse musical upbringing. Kopfnagel’s dad introduced him to Prince, ACDC, and Coldplay. After learning to play drums at age five, he tried to emulate the grooves and patterns heard on Green Day records.




For Walmsley-Pledl, it was The Beatles that drew him into picking up the guitar when he was eight years old. “With guitar, you end up going through the rock and metal phase just because it’s so much fun on the instrument, so from 12-16, I was really into metal and rock,” Walmsley-Pledl explains.




Zunic likewise plunged into rock, metal, and German hip-hop in his teenage years. “As a child, I listened to the music that my parents listened to, which was 60’s hippy music. Then from the age of 12-13, I started making my own choices.”




Their affinity with electronic music started later in life. Zunic first gravitated towards techno in the late 90s. Walmsley-Pledl didn’t engage with electronic music until after the trio met in 2016. For Kopfnagel, a trip to Music Meeting Festival in the Netherlands piqued his interest while also triggering his desire to pursue music as a full-time career.











Listening to music at home can be enjoyable, but experiencing music live can be transformative. At a Hans Zimmer concert in 2015, Walmsley-Pledl’s perspective shifted to a career in music. “It made me realize how much more is possible, and how much more you can really do.”




He, Zunic, and Kopfnagel decided to enroll in the same music college in Germany in 2016. They met a few weeks into the course and had their first jam sessions together. “With all of us we realized after our first try that, ‘OK, this is a good fit!’ We were pretty lucky to have met there,” Zunic recalls.




Originally consisting of five members, the band first played jazz and funk. “None of us wanted to sing (or we couldn’t sing…)”, says Walmsley-Pledl. “One of the first things we noticed at our first gig was how much people like to dance. Songwriting went evermore in the direction of music that people could dance to.”




The band’s sound gradually took on electronic tones and textures. During rehearsals, Walmsley-Pledl started plugging his guitar into synth pedals and noodled on an electric banjo doused in effects. Meanwhile, Zunic experimented by combining electronic effects with his saxophone melodies.












The group eventually reached a crossroads. Unsure of whether to move in the direction of jazz or electronic music, they decided on the latter; electronic music energized their audiences and got people dancing as nothing else could.




“At the end of the day, if you want to do it for a living, you need to have a product which people can relate to and understand,” Walmsley-Pledl explains. “What fascinated me about electronic music is that it’s such a mainstream music and it’s instrumental music.”

















The band hit the ground running with their first gig in a small college café for 40 or 50 people. They felt an immediate connection both amongst themselves and with their audience. By 2021, the group had excelled to new heights with the release of their debut EP, Songs to Try.




The character and personality of Klangphonics developed through social media. Faced with the reality of being unable to play live during the pandemic, the group took an idiosyncratic approach to promoting themselves. Using household appliances like washing machines and hoovers, the band wrote, recorded, and uploaded dance tunes that mesmerized audiences worldwide.




“It definitely felt like a breakthrough because we were getting a lot of engagement,” says Walmsley-Pledl. “It was a way for us to stand out from the crowd a bit more because you’re more likely to stop and watch something that says, ‘Techno on a Ukulele and a Bucket,’ rather than perhaps drums and guitar.”




Despite the comedic appearance of the videos, the songs were undoubtedly good. “It only works if you have a good songwriter behind the ideas, and Maxl is one of the best I know,” Zunic explains. “Washing Machine Techno,” one of their most popular clips, exploits the brutal and industrial sound of the appliance as it whirs into motion.














Combining acoustic instruments with dance music is no small feat on stage. For Kopfnagel, drumming in time while coming up with ways to be creative requires preparation. “We work with Ableton and we have a click track in our ears… [but] it’s easy to overdo it as a drummer, in the same way that it’s easy for Maxl to overdo it on guitar and play too many notes.”

















The band aspires to involve more instruments and collaborators in their future work. Frank Klassen, a ground-breaking electric cellist, featured on the band’s Instagram in early 2022 after recording an incredible cover of their track, “Great Plains.”




But for now, the trio is focused on bringing their current live show to audiences further afield. After bridging the gap between band and producers and creating extraordinary music from ordinary objects, Klangphonics have proven their creativity to be boundless and their parameters non-existent.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a talent Maria “Ri Ri” Garcia, aka Rimarkable, doesn’t possess. A multi-faceted artist, the international DJ, producer, vocalist, drummer, dancer, and broadcaster has jettisoned into the global spotlight as one of dance music's premier tastemakers.

Many know Rimarkable as the voice and face of the Defected Radio Show, one of the world's most widely syndicated dance music shows. The Detroit native hooked up with Defected in early 2021—shortly after signing with the UK-based house juggernaut—and has since become a staple on their global festival and club circuit.

One of Rimarkable’s most striking qualities is the sheer depth and richness of her musical knowledge. Yet as much as her success can be attributed tenacious work ethic, an understanding of the industry, and an academic approach to music history (she’s teaching a lecture series called “The Alchemy of DJing” at New York University this fall), her most refreshing and inspiring trait is something often absent in music today: heart.

Rimarkable grew up in a crucible of sonic influence, a child of funk, soul, jazz, rock, hip-hop, and what she references as the "foundation” of many American genres, gospel. Her mother was a classically trained pianist and music minister at a Pentecostal church where Rimarkable sang in the choir. Both gospel and classical music still play a pivotal role in her identity as an artist.

“I grew up pretty privileged with the ear,” says Rimarkable. “My very first intro to music was classical. I count that as a privilege because classical music is adjacent to class. It wasn’t common, as a Black woman growing up in Detroit, to have access to that beautiful and complicated style of music. It prepared my brain for intricacies and awareness of music.”

That well-tuned ear resulted in a life-changing discovery: house music. She vividly recalls her first encounter with the genre as a kid dozing off in the backseat of a car on a trip home from Chicago.

“My mom was raised in Chicago, so we visited often. On one trip coming home, I fell asleep with my Walkman headphones on. I’ll never forget, I was leaning on the window, and this music came over the radio. It woke me up out of my sleep. It was house music… My body just started going. It was incredible. I had to have it. I needed more of it. For the rest of my life, I was in constant pursuit of it.”

In addition to growing up in a family of musicians, Rimarkable's adolescence was during one of the most sonically abundant eras in history: the 80s, which saw the advent of hip-hop, the dawn of house, and the emergence of techno in the very city where it was born, Detroit.

“I grew up hearing everything,” she emphasizes. “The 80s was just a cauldron of everything. And everybody was into it.”

That same effortless defiance of categorization has become a marker of Rimarkable career and sonic style. As a self-described fuser of sounds, “wrapped into a house and techno box,” she’s made a name as a globally-renowned purveyor of great music—be it disco, house, or hip-hop. Of course, growing up in the Motor City played a massive role in Rimarkable’s ethos as an artist. When asked about her hometown’s seemingly magical ability to churn out prolific musicians, Rimarkable reveals that it might not be magic at all. Rather, it’s hard work and hope.

Detroit is a stone’s throw away from Canada, it was one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad, and she explains, it’s a place of tenacity and raw industry, whether that comes in the form of an automobile or a Motown record.

“Detroit is a hard place. But it’s also super beautiful and super soft. It’s so far up north that people kind of forget about it. There’s so much hope there. But also, a ton of industry and hard work,” she says. “People kind of forget about Detroit. It doesn’t get remembered all the time. I like to think when people aren’t watching you, you get to do whatever the hell you want to do. We can be weirdos. We can try different things. We can be adventurous. The music tells it all.”

And that it does. Detroit has produced some of the deepest, most soulful, and acidic sounds to bless a sound system. But Rimarkable is mindful of giving credit where credit isn’t always given: To the women of dance music who inspired her career.

“Sarena Tyler. Stacey Hotwaxx Hale. I definitely want to give them a shoutout.” Rimarkable says of the two artists foundational to the birth of modern dance music.

In the same way, fighting for her rightful spot behind the booth and recognition among industry insiders has been part of Rimarkable’s own story as an artist.

“A big part of my journey is combatting people’s assumptions,” she says. “I’ve always had it in my mind that I had to prove people wrong. Because people made assumptions about me being me. Me being a woman. Me being a Black woman. Or just me being powerful.”

A self-described “club kid” at the time, Rimarkable began DJing during college in 1997, first doing private events (which taught her valuable lessons about spinning for a crowd with diverse tastes) and eventually migrating to the New York club scene in the early-2000s. She continued to cut her teeth as a professional DJ while learning to produce music.

“I started recording with some producers, and I was getting taken advantage of in terms of business. I have a ton of music out in the world that does not list me as the artist, has misnamed me, or for which I haven’t gotten paid. But I wanted more autonomy with how [my music] sounded anyways, so I taught myself how to produce music.”

Today, the multi-hyphenate musician has developed a stronghold in the dance music world, with recent releases on Rise Music, Urban Folk, and toucan sounds. Recently, she’s performed at New York’s Avant Gardner, Le Bain, Knockdown Center, and Ibiza’s Eden. She’s even helped bring her hometown roots to the Adriatic coast, DJing for Defected Croatia’s first-ever “Defected x Detroit Takeover” hosted by Motor City legend Carl Craig.

Rimarkable’s intrinsic ability to understand the spiritual connection between the dancer, the DJ, and, ultimately, the producer has taken her to new heights in her career. But no matter where in the world she is at any given moment, it always comes back to the sanctity of the dancefloor.

“Music is my ministry,” she says. “I want to bless as many people as possible. I want you to come to church. I want you to get some healing. I want to create an experience that takes you away from the craziness of the world. Joy is my life’s work, and I mean that.”

As the artist eyes her next moves, she intentionally creates opportunities for others, specifically, creating more spaces for women and Black artists. And as one of the most well-known dance music radio hosts, she’s conscious about helping the culture reconnect with its roots.

“People have gotten away from the goal. That love of music. Have gotten away from ‘I’m making this track for my people at the club tonight to dance to.’ There was something so pure and so beautiful about that. I think what the industry has been doing is making a facsimile of that heart. Because what happens when something constantly gets faxed? The ink dulls. And you start having blotchy imagery. And it looks like a carbon copy.”

But just like the City of Hope where she grew up, she is confident that good music is still to come.

“There is still time. There is still space for newness. There is still time to impress folks. We haven’t heard everything yet.”

Words like legend, icon, and pioneer are tossed around wildly in dance music, often ascribed to those whose time in the industry falls far too short for such superlatives. However, when it comes to DJ Sneak, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with any other way to describe the multi-hyphenate artist who has influenced the direction of dance music in such innumerable ways. From leading the charge as part of Chicago's second wave of house music to inspiring Daft Punk with his trailblazing filtered disco sound, the DJ, producer, songwriter, label owner, and often outspoken self-professed "House Gangsta" helped draft the blueprint for modern dance music.







Born in Puerto Rico, he moved to Chicago in the dead of the winter in 1983. Spending the first months in the States inside, avoiding the bitter cold, and being unable to speak English meant the only way he could soak up American culture was through Chicago's vibrant and cutting-edge radio stations. WBMX FM's groundbreaking mix shows like Hot Mix 5 took early house music out of the bedroom studios and dark warehouses into homes, car stereos, and boom boxes.




"A couple of radio stations were dedicated to dance music, even though it wasn't called dance music [at the time]. It was semi disco, funk, and early electronic house. But it was every day, and it was 24 hours a day. We were getting educated by just listening," he explains.




No one knew they were at a critical inflection point for modern music. Hip-hop, funk, disco, and house formed the foundation for the following four decades of urban culture. On the weekends, DJ Sneak listened to Farley Jackmaster Funk and Ralphi Rosario, who he later learned was also Puerto Rican. "And once I put one and one together, my interest in the music became bigger because his music was early Latin house with his vocals. I was like, 'Holy shit. That's so me!' That really brought me into house music."




DJ Sneak spent the next ten years immersed in the city's DJ culture, eventually working at one of its most celebrated record stores, Gramaphone Records. Alongside coworkers like Derrick Carter, he was at the epicenter of the second wave of house music and trusted by customers like Bad Boy Bill and Cajmere—aka Green Velvet—to slip them the best cuts and most exclusive white labels. The relationships he formed allowed him to promote his homegrown house music. After two years, he was on the rise off the back of the Blue Funk Files EP released on Green Velvet's Relief Records.




DJ Sneak's ability to shapeshift while maintaining a raw and edgy sound across subgenres earned him early praise from the likes of Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, and Louie Vega. On his first trip to New York, Sneak was floored when Vega dropped his track "Show Me the Way" at The Sound Factory for a room of industry icons, including Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Francois K, and Barbara Tucker.


He explains that there were two DJ Sneaks. Chicago Sneak brilliantly fused the city's deep and funky side with its bangin' booty bass alter ego. Todd Terry inspired New York Sneak to reimagine disco into what would become the prevailing sound of the late '90s, filtered disco house. And while French producers like Daft Punk eventually dominated it, he's largely credited with creating the subgenre's warbling, futuristic soundscape. Daft Punk even name-checks his influence in their single "Teachers" and enlisted him to write the lyrics for "Digital Love," released in 2000.




What's most impressive is that he did all this without a massive studio. He crafted his first hits with only four pieces of gear. And the filtered disco sound emerged due to experimentation and limitation.




"The first 20 records I did, I was messing around and practicing, and people liked what I was doing," he explains. "The filter came from the necessity of not having anything else to use."




In his early days, he ran across mixtapes from Ron Hardy, known for his disco edits. But Sneak explains that his primary influence for digging through old disco records was Todd Terry. He used the SP1200 sampler similarly to hip-hop producers to add his patented bone-crushing swinging drums to disco.




Sneak took the idea one step further when he acquired an Akai S950, a sampler with a less gritty sound.




"I went through each little button, and then one day, I found the filter. And I twisted a button. I was like, 'Whoa, what?' And that became my trademark. So, Todd was doing straight disco. I started filtering and making basslines out of shit. And then sampling the same sample on another channel [for] the high end. The only people that were doing that shit were the drum and bass guys from the UK."




For all of his influence musically, DJ Sneak has never been one to let his music solely speak for itself and has often been outspoken about the prevailing state of dance music. He's quick to mention that it's not house music that's changed. It's the industry. And throughout the EDM boom, he was sure to point out the hypocrisy of a culture founded by social outcasts and Black and Brown people, overrun with a celebrity ideology that put the DJ on a pedestal.




"Everybody says I make moves because I'm DJ Sneak, and I haven't put up with people's shit," he says. "I speak my mind. I've always been true and original towards the love I have for house music and the craft of DJing. I take pride."




He explains that when he spoke out about those at the upper echelons of EDM making a mockery of the art and culture, he did so with a complete understanding of the cash cow the industry had become.




"I was like [you're all] a bunch of phonies. It's a show, I get it. You're entertainers, you're not disc jockeys. You're not DJs who love music. But I grew up in it. So I took a lot a lot of low blows."




After a period of being a boisterous proponent for preserving the culture, and a lot of negative press that often took his words out of context, he hung up social media for good. Instead, he took back control of his masters and carried on as he had before, with the full intention of being an unapologetically authentic curator of the culture.




"I remember Frankie Knuckles saying, 'The first 30 years, you're just practicing to get it right. After 30 years, you're gonna get recognized, and people are going to really know,'" Sneak says, emotionally remembering his friend and mentor. "I'll stand on my own two feet. And still do what I do. I still make music. I still love everything about the music part of it. [The] music industry, the business of that. I can care less. I can survive on my own."

“Live wild. Write honest," four words born from a lifetime of experience, a heart full of purpose, and a spirit full of ambition. You certainly could call
Jeffrey Hartford, bka ATTLAS, a music producer, but that label barely begins to scratch the surface of his depth not only as an artist but as a human. In an industry largely dependent on marketability and capturing the latest trends, Hartford has relied on his heart to lead his writing. The result? A library of rich organic sounds, breathtaking cinematic textures, and soul-inspiring melodies.




But one is not simply born into the role of "artist." A person is not haphazardly thrust into the part of "composer." Steps are taken, experiences are shared, and decisions are made. At the end of it all, a story is written and lived.




“The first time I started playing music is when my family moved to Michigan when I was six years old,” Jeff begins.





“It was an old house with an unfinished basement, and the previous occupants had a 120-year-old piano in the basement. My parents aren’t musicians, they aren’t musical, but it was just down there near my Legos and hockey stuff, that’s where all my fun stuff went. So the piano was just another really fun thing to figure out. I’d toy around and figure out melodies on the piano that matched what was happening on the radio.”




As the years went on, it became increasingly apparent that the 120-year-old piano was more than another toy.




“When we moved to Ontario after Michigan, my parents thought, ‘You know what, Jeff’s liking the piano, why don’t we bring it with us.’ It wouldn’t fit in the basement of our new place in Ontario, so it had to take a more prominent place in the living room. Because it’s such a big chunky piece of furniture, they wanted to make sure, ‘Jeff are you still going to play it? Do you want to take lessons?’”




Jeff jumped at the opportunity and dove head first into the next level of piano exploration. Piano lessons were soon joined by guitar, trumpet, and others as music tastes evolved to include sounds of pop punk, classic rock, blues, jazz, classical, and folk. The eclectic nature of these sounds went hand in hand with the diverse nature of Hartford’s other interests.





“I was very very busy, and I still am, in a lot of different areas of life. I was always trying to be top of the class, played a ton of sports… everything I did was full throttle. Of course music too.”




Despite consistent interests, the groups to exercise those interests with were anything but.




“My family moved around a lot growing up. Every two to three years we were in a new place. So there’s not a lot of consistency with your friend group. It could be a bit socially isolating and you need some kind of consistent thread through your story. Mine was my hobbies. A lot of books, a lot of imagination, and music was the one.”




While this kind of inconsistent connection would be tough for anyone in their formative years, the dive into art, story, and music that followed became the foundation of Hartford’s artistic direction.




The ATTLAS sound is more than a chugging bass line, intermittent synth stabs, and a cheeky vocal hook. Instead, time, patience, purpose, and emotion thoughtfully intertwine in a rich tapestry of both organic and synthesized compositional themes. Melodies dance in delicate balance with harmonies and counter-melodies telling stories and sharing experiences with room for personal connection imbued by every listener.





Listening to a singular ATTLAS track would provide no more than a glimpse into the depth of experience the library holds. Rather, one should listen to an entire album or a full mix to understand the journey lies within the compositional intricacies. Projects form from sonic transpositions of a vast spectrum of inspiration ranging from existential turmoil to profound geographic experiences (thus the name ATTLAS). It is a musical exploration of the human condition.




“You can write character, you can use an instrument as narrative development… There’s a lot you can achieve with wordlessness. There’s very little room for interpretation when a track has a lyric like ‘Shake it off,’” he shares.




“That’s pretty obviously about shaking something off. But a big piece like a Wagner piece or a Beethoven, or I was a big Chopin guy because I was a piano player first, you can convey a lot of emotion but that emotion can be interpreted a lot different based on the emotional context of the listener. What’s sad to one person might mean something very personal. But what’s sad to somebody else might be weather inspired and I think I appreciated being able to take my own story and understand it through all this wordless music. It was just beautiful and I wanted to try and give back to the music that meant so much to me and got me through a lot of isolation.”




This deep appreciation for the challenge of composition led Jeff to follow that same course of study at university, later taking on internships with commercial studios and professional composers. Through these opportunities, he honed his technical aptitude for studio hardware and later fostered his love of dance music.





“The first time I was exposed to electronic music knowingly delving into it as a genre was Boards of Canada's first album. For a long time, electronic music for me was just Warp Records, Ninja Tune, it was less the dance side and more electronic music,” Jeff remembers.




“Then, after a breakup, I did a whole backpacking thing and you go to places in Berlin that only open at 4 am and I’d never even had the guts to dance with a girl let alone. Not only was the music awesome but you can actually dance by yourself. You are someone before and after you come to that realization.”




While Jeff found himself working in LA after university, waves were crashing in the realm of dance music that could not be ignored.




“I knew the process to work up in LA, and I knew what the composer route was gonna be. But that was the time when deadmau5 was sort of setting a new standard on not just the writing but the sonic fidelity of what he was pulling off. And I said ya' know ... If they sign my records, then I’ll switch [from commercial composition], I’ll really go after the dance side of electronic music. Fortunately, deadmau5 and his team did sign me and he was the reason why I was excited to switch to the dance side,” Hartford recalls.




Jeff was soon opening on deadmau5 tours, co-producing records, and developed what is to this day a meaningful friendship. But Jeff wanted to explore the ATTLAS experience even deeper.



“Even if you get fortunate enough to find your voice, what are you going to say with that voice… I know what I care about, I know what I love, I know what motivates the writing, but is that coming across properly,” he ponders.




That determination to find the truest conveyance of ATTLAS has led Hartford to explore the deepest facets of himself while writing albums. But will those explorations—self-reflections—be accepted in an industry that demands digestibility and predictability? That is a question that, like music, has many shades of gray.




“That’s been the challenge of most musicians that I’ve spoken to personally. Finding the balance of doing something that truly feels like your own while retaining some semblance of forward momentum career-wise when tastes are a lot more middle of the road,” Jeff examines.




“You talk about a Michelin star restaurant and they’ll struggle on their margins and you’ll get a Subway that has a million restaurants. What is a successful restaurant? Is it how much money you make, how interesting it is, is it being critically acclaimed but commercially under-appreciated? I think that’s a bigger question, but there’s an evolving version of success for anyone in a creative pursuit.”





Indeed Hartford brings to light an undeniable point.




When speaking to a person like Jeff Hartford—a lifetime disciple and devotee to music and the wonder of all its abstract power—it becomes apparent that there’s so much more than the play counts, nominations, and metrics we’ve grown used to monitoring. ATTLAS has scored millions of plays and has multiple award nominations, but Jeff still searches for ways to open doors to new worlds and feelings through mode and melody.



Will he ever be able to fully capture the feeling of immense calm required to control one's autonomic system when plunged into waters barely above freezing? Will he ever be able to communicate the rush of fear that follows a deafening thunderclap? Is music capable of transposing the tumultuous duality of feeling pride in how much one has grown while simultaneously struggling to reconcile the relationship with past versions of self? The pursuit is one with no guarantee of closure or solace, recognition, or reward. But it is one Hartford will choose to traverse time and time again because his guiding light is, and always has been, the music.

Combining his unrelenting passion for music with an inextinguishable desire to positively impact his community, Shimza is a totem figure in South Africa's music scene and arguably the leader of the new Afro tech movement. Renowned for his deep and rhythmic strain of underground music, Shimza's back catalog includes his full-length Shimuzic album and a long list of collaborations and singles, from his stunning collaboration "Uwrongo" with Prince Kaybee, Black Motion, and Ami Faku, to his Eminence EP on Cadenza and his Kings And Queens EP on Knee Deep In Sound.



After making worldwide waves on those two landmark imprints, Shimza launched Kunye (which means together in Xhosa/Zulu) Records in November 2020, a label that bridges South Africa's emerging producers and the global stage. Inviting a selection of artists to perform in KUNYE's weekly livestream sessions, Shimza formed a new movement for Afro tech while amplifying the label's mission to unite people through the love of music.







Let's go back to the early days. How did you get started as a DJ?

It stemmed from the love of music that I grew up around. My parents and my brother used to play a lot of music in the house, and I think by that time, there was a youth radio station, which was starting in South Africa called Y-FM, which was very on the piles and pushing new music to people. We were exposed to much more music as a country, South Africa. We were exposed to new music from all around the world. I think that influenced me into loving music and wanting to be a DJ.




What were some of your main creative challenges when you started, and how have they changed over time?

My biggest challenge was obviously learning how to DJ, which took a lot of practice, but over time, that got better. Even now, I listen to music that I'm going to play. I don't sit and practice DJing anymore because I feel like I've got the rhythm. Now it's just my brains and putting together music that I've got during the week or some of the new songs that I think will make sense for my sets. But obviously, you have the normal challenges as a young, up-and-coming DJ or a producer where you need certain doors to be opened for you, which is not that easy. With time, patience, and always trying to prove yourself, you'll always find a way to open those doors.

In 2020, you launched Kunye Records. Could you tell us a little bit about this project? How did it come to life?

Kunye records is our voice as South African artists in the Afro sound. We're using that vehicle to push our music out to people. We're creating our own parties that play that sound we've commercialized. We are literally opening up the space for people to learn about the music. To say yes, we can come as Shimza, Da Capo, Zakes Bantwini—as individuals. But we have a movement that we can come with as a collective that will properly express how our music is and properly deliver it how we would want people to learn about the music. So, it has been doing very well.




What do you hope for the future of Kunye? What plans do you have for it?

Our events have been growing over the past year or so. We plan on taking everything all around the world, doing remixes with international artists to expose the music to a wider audience. Most of it is mainly just putting on guys that ordinarily wouldn't [have] such big labels support them because of the type of music they make, which is not really radio commercial stuff. So, we want to use Kunye as a vehicle to drive our music.





We remember your performance at Robben Island on Nelson Mandela Day in 2020 as you were the first South African to have a musical performance there. What did that special moment mean to you?

I feel like we were in a space during COVID where we felt like nothing really mattered, and I needed to use my music to inspire people—too say, "Guys, this is a place that had a lot of hardship." It carries a lot of bad vibes for a lot of people that were on that island suffering and being mistreated somehow. And here we are years later, and we can express ourselves the way we want to because of the sacrifices that people who were on that island made for us as South Africans. So, I used my talent to recreate that story and give it a much more appealing and relatable way for young people to want to learn about our culture and where we come from as a country. What better way than to use music, which helps us connect with every generation in South Africa?



That was one thing that really inspired me to teach the young people who follow me about our history. Because when they see me playing on this island, they ask themselves, 'Where's this guy? Why is it so important that he is doing this thing on Robben Island?' So then we get to educate young people, and hopefully, they will also learn and teach other generations so that our history does not fall with the past. We keep it going and keep educating people about where we have come from as a country.

The music coming out of Africa is currently driving the sound of the global dance scene. What are your thoughts on how African dance music is being embraced?

It's doing quite well, and we're seeing ourselves being embraced in different parts, which really matter to the growth of our music. Like today I'm playing in Ibiza at Ushuaïa for the first time, and as one of the Africans that are going to be on that stage, it's quite amazing that someone decided that this will work for what we are trying to do.



It's something fresh, and we want to give it the platform to shine. It's all up to us to make sure that we open up those spaces for the younger DJs and producers so that we don't hog the space and say, this is just for me. I think the world is warming up nicely to us. We need to take advantage of this time and make sure we put out as much music and mixes and just connect with the world as much as we can right now.

Locally in South Africa, there's such incredible talent. What do you look for when seeking out new acts?

Originality and, honestly speaking, effort more than anything. As long as people put effort to make sure that their sound is clean, they become unique in their sound and offering. We're seeing the likes of Mpho.Wav from South Africa, we're seeing it with Inuna Aba, who is also doing well in the international markets, and a lot of other African artists like the guys from Gondowana are putting out music from everywhere that's quite cool. We're all pushing in different directions. And I think the more we do, the more we inspire, and the more we will grow as a community.







Do you think there's a certain responsibility when it comes to more established artists cultivating new talent and sharing the opportunities?

It's not a must. You know, we must not think that people who are at the top owe us anything. You need to put the responsibility on yourself to work hard to be noticed so that people see your value in certain spaces and not wait for handouts. It's inevitable when you put in the effort, and people see, and they feel it. It will always come back, and it will always bear the results that you want.









The relationship between a DJ and the audience is crucial, and it seems you have mastered this delicate exchange. How do you see the balance between giving the crowd what they want and treating them to something new?




It's always a matter of knowing your crowd and what you're giving to them. When we play for totally different crowds, they're more receptive to receive, but if you're playing in a place like South Africa where there's a bigger culture of a certain sound like amapiano, you always have to educate but always bring them back. I don't know how to explain it, but it's an art that I feel, and that's how I think I've managed to stand out as an artist. So I think it's very important to know who you're playing for, what they like, and how you can introduce something new to that audience.




Who are some fresh talents we should be listening to right now?

Mpho.Wav, for me, is doing quite nice stuff. There's an EP that was just dropped by Frigid Armadillo, and then Vitoto is also doing quite well. I work with him a lot. Artful Fox, brilliant producers, Karyendasoul is working on a new album. Caiiro just dropped. There's just a lot of music that's coming out of South Africa, and I think there's potential in a lot of these guys.




Can you hint at any upcoming projects you are currently working on?




For now, there's something big that I'm working on with a big UK artist, and then another UK artist hit me up for us to work together. So I think there's a lot of music that I'll be dropping quite soon, a lot of collaborations, and hopefully, work towards an album.

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.

The climate of the dance music scene is changing. More women and those identifying as females are taking over the charts and lineups. Historically, house music was dominated by men, who are also behind some of the most significant events and labels. However, Nostalgix doesn’t let that bother her as she keeps a laser focus on dominating her own space within house music. Since bursting onto the electronic music scene in 2017, Nostalgix has seen a rapid rise.




Born in Iran, Nostalgix spent her first eight years there until her parents decided to move to Vancouver, Canada.




“My parents wanted to move from Iran to Canada because they had two girls," she says. "They always tell me if they had two boys, ‘we would have just stayed in Iran because they would have been fine. But because we had two girls they wanted to move to Canada to give you girls a chance to be what you want in your life .’”









That support truly meant everything to her and guided her to remain assertive in her decision to pursue music full-time. A self-proclaimed DIY type, she taught herself the basics of DJing after seeing the legendary Hardwell at a rave in Vancouver.




Rarely do we see an artist who can command crowds at some of the largest festivals and sell out club events regularly in such a short amount of time. But Nostalgix does just that.




“I go up there and I do me. I just put my best foot forward and I don’t think about gender or anything because I could easily outshine a guy any day of the week.”




That confidence guided her trajectory towards signing with esteemed labels like Confession, Night Bass, Thrive, Insomniac, Dim Mak, and UKF. In addition, her unparalleled skills as a producer have put her behind the boards collaborating with the likes of Dr. Fresch and AC Slater.




“It’s honestly the strangest and [most] full circle feeling ever. But I just feel very grateful to get to work with people that I looked up to when I was just starting out. I remember seeing Zed’s Dead, I remember seeing Dr. Fresch from the crowd. And now to get to be peers with them, and to have them support my music and make music with them. It makes me feel very proud that within a four-year span, that could become possible.”









It's no accident that the self-starter floats in the orbit of her role models. In the span of time it takes many producers to sign their first record of note, she's carved out a clearly defined lane and continues to take on challenges with a DIY spirit emblematic of the dance music's origins.




“I can figure anything out myself, even right now I’m going through a phase in my career where I’m doing a lot of new things for the very first time. And I’m always like, 'you know what I’ll figure it out. I'll do it myself. I don’t need anybody else and I’m gonna do this thing.'”




She took that go-getter spirit and learned music production, even joining an artist development program to help hone her skills and further her education.




“I taught myself most things for the first part of my career and then i joined an artist development program back in 2018 called Cosmic Academy. I learned a lot about the technical side of things and how to really run a project. To make music, as much as it’s a creative thing, you have to really have the technical side down to understand how to produce a record. To understand what actually sounds good, how to mix something, to actually get it to translate to the people listening to it.“




Her music is translating to the dancefloor. She's garnered over five million streams across her growing catalog, been featured on the cover of popular Spotify playlists, and earned a coveted spot as one of the top 100 bass house artists on Beatport.









One of her most poignant success stories is her flourishing relationship with fellow Candian artists Zeds Dead. She debuted on their label Deadbeats in 2021 with her Black Mirror EP, written at the height of the pandemic. Like most people, the pandemic hit Nostalgix hard. The world began to shut down just as things took off for her. The weight of the pandemic was truly reflected in that EP and featured a darker, grimier sound than her typically fun and energetic tracks.




“When I was writing Black Mirror, it was right when Covid had started and I had just gotten my US Visa. I was about to come to the US to do my first shows and move out here. And I was so excited about it," she recalls.

"And then everything was just getting canceled before my eyes and I felt everything that I had worked for was disappearing."




She says that weeks spent alone in front of her computer put her in a darker headspace. "When I was writing that EP, that’s where I was at, hence Black Mirror. It was just a very interesting time.”




Her sophomore Deadbeats release, titled “Heat Rush,” is a melodic, bass-heavy track that features the ethereal vocals of Dyer. An homage to hope and emotion, “Heat Rush” honors the euphoria that can accompany love.









“That’s been one of my favorite songs that I’ve been wanting to release for such a long time. It was the last song that I produced when I [was] still living in Vancouver, so it was kind of the era that I was just sitting in the studio producing and all up in my feels. I really wanted to make an emotional song based on what I was feeling. And I found this amazing vocalist Dyer. I hit her up and the song came to be." Its release marks the end of an era for the young artist.




“Heat Rush was kind of at the end when the world was actually coming back. There was light at the end of the tunnel, there was actually hope. You know it’s a bit more of a euphoric and emotional song," she says. " There is love out there, there’s beauty out there and euphoria, all that, all that beauty exists. “

It’s easy to become fond of music as an art form when you’ve been surrounded by it your entire life. Culture plays a significant role in someone’s creative pursuits, and that notion speaks volumes for Brooklyn-based producer and DJ AKKI.




Born in Malaysia to Indian parents, she moved to Australia at a young age. She emigrated to Singapore as a teenager before making her grand move across the Pacific to attend Columbia University in New York City. Surrounded by such a radiant array of cultures her entire life, she was bound to become an affluent creative one day.




For AKKI, a collection of small moments and realizations led her to exactly where she is now. Her devotion to house music might have been something that unfolded slowly over time, but now, it’s become a soul-stirring passion that she can’t even begin to imagine living without.




She was first introduced to the scene in Singapore, coincidentally when there was a tremendous burst in its club and nightlife ambiance. At the time, the opening of Singapore’s Ministry Of Sound attracted a plethora of European and American DJs to perform, and attending these events was what initially exposed her to all things house music.




Without realizing it, sound production and design were always her forte. It was the driving force of everything in her life. It was her calling all along.


In college, she managed all of her Latin dance team’s music and sound editing. She was always the one to bring her friends together for concert and club nights. And ever the curator, exposed them to unfamiliar artists and distinct genres. She always found herself writing song lyrics and practicing her self-written vocals in her free time. Eventually, she began to play around with producing music in Garageband and finally decided to experiment with DJing.




She grew fond of both art forms, and she was especially excited about the idea of being able to merge her vocal expertise into her own music and mixes. Her adoration for electronic music had become boundless.




“I love production and I love creating music. But if I can’t connect with people and I don’t have that opportunity to really move people on the dancefloor, then I’d be at a loss. It’s just one of the best parts of working in this industry. Being able to connect with people whether its friends, new followers or other artists is all just so beautiful.”




Everything transformed for AKKI when her instilling life in New York City began. She plunged into a new world of opportunity, cultural beliefs, and creative endeavors. Her “Aha” moment ignited while passing the renowned Webster Hall in Downtown Manhattan with a close friend.




“It was actually an accumulation of little moments that led to that big moment where I realized this was something I wanted to pursue full-time. A few years ago, I was walking by Webster Hall with a friend while I was still in college and thought to myself, ‘Wow I’d love to DJ at a club like this one day!’ and he replied, ‘well, why don’t you?’ And that’s what did it for me. One thing just led to another and here I am today. Life is crazy man.”




Not only was she exposed to a side of the underground scene she had never witnessed before, but the city’s liberal culture revamped her outlook on life and redesigned her artistic vision. The Big Apple inspired her to intertwine her love for house music with her political positions and philosophies to make her voice heard, something many artists are too afraid to do.




Aside from being a phenomenal producer, vocalist, and performer, AKKI is a tremendous female empowerment and women’s rights advocate. Her dedication to this movement emerged from involvement with the women’s Barnard College at Columbia. That experience made her unafraid to stand for something that had always affected her as a woman of color. It empowered her to utilize her creativity in a unique manner and as a way to speak up for what she strongly believes in. And that’s exactly what her most recent projects illustrate.









A few years ago, she began her Midnight Snack mix series, a project created to connect female trans and non-binary artists from all over the world. She then became involved with 23 by 23, a nonprofit organization with a goal for labels to increase their percentage of female producers to 23% or more by the end of 2023.




Enamored by 23 by 23’s forward-looking concept, she submitted her hypnotic re-work of J.Worra’s “You” and ended up winning the remix contest along with two other fantastic female producers. The track was released just in time for PRIDE month in early June on Club Sweat records. After this rewarding experience, she aspires to continue to collaborate with other like-minded artists like J.Worra and LP Giobbi, among others.









At first, there was very little conversation regarding where women stood in the music industry. But today, that’s a different story, thanks to artists like AKKI.




Her presence in the NYC underground scene continues to flourish, and her progressive artistic vision is one bound to resonate with house music aficionados to last a lifetime.




She’s performed at exemplary venues and festivals like elrow, Elsewhere, The Brooklyn Mirage, Quantum Brooklyn, Brooklyn Steel with Chris Lake, Elements Music & Arts Festival, and more.




For AKKI, sticking to a singular house genre is a nonexistent concept. Her extraordinary soundscapes encompass a stunning blend of deep, acid, tech, and piano house notes that continuously leave listeners begging for more. Her foreign cultural influences are evident in every release.




“I want the soul of my music to be groovy and for people to really be able to move to it," she explains. "But I love surprising people with distinct elements and twists and turns during my sets. It’s kind of like a rom-com meets a psychological thriller but in music terms. That’s the vibe I’m going for.”

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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



The Brazilian artist, whose real name is Pedro Maia, 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, Tiësto, 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 consumed.




“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 his music taste, introducing him 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. It was a sound that expanded beyond regional trends and made superstars out of its originators, and 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 was also where Mochakk 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," Maia says. "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.” He 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," Maia says. "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 him 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,” he says. Today, most of the music that Maia listens to, outside of electronic, is ‘70s funk, soul, and disco—the same genres on which his mom brought him up.




For a while, Maia primarily focused 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,” he says. 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," he says. "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 says. He used to breakdance and is well versed in synching his dance moves to small, almost imperceptible elements of tracks.




Another core tenet 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," Maia says. "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.”









Maia hopes to grow a unique community that avoids trends and prioritizes inclusivity. He wants 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," he says. "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.”

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

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)

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

Artist Interviews