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.

What do a touring DJ and a real estate mogul have in common? Everything, in this case. Marc Rousso’s unusual career arc is one of the more unique progressions, beginning with dominating the college dance music scene, then establishing and successful growth of a real estate company, and finally returning to dance music. Now a major player in the funky and jackin’ house music scenes, Marc is currently ranked within the top 10 DJs on Beatport. Having released his productions on notorious labels, including God Made Me Funky and Rawtone.


“I’m very blessed that I get to build beautiful homes and, by night, I get to have fun again and just have my passion for DJing and producing music,” he tells me with a confident warmth. “It’s what I do to ease my stress, to calm any nerves that I have. I absolutely love it and I’m so glad that I’ve remade it into my story. It has made me a better CEO. It’s about having a vision of where I want to go.”


It seems a surprising combination, but there is perhaps some science to the winning combination. After all, David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, is set to DJ at the coming Lollapalooza festival after pursuing the career alongside his, undoubtedly different, day job. Marc enlightens me that the correlation between artists’ and businessmen’s successes lies perhaps in the sheer drive required.



“As a DJ, you are the CEO of that business. You run every aspect of that business. There’s marketing, there’s finance, there’s a lot of grit. There’s fostering relationships. For me, I’ve used all the keys to success that helped me become who I am today in the CEO role of building houses to succeed in the CEO role of being a DJ. It’s never a straight line toward success, there’s always zigs and zags and self-doubt. There’s doors that are slammed and questioning whether it’s the right thing to do. It can be all within a month or two. It’s no different to being an entrepreneur. The best entrepreneurs are the ones that are able to not let the lows take them out of the game. There’s been times I’ve been pursuing DJing where I was really low and feeling like I was never going to get where I wanted to go. But the other part of me was saying, Marc, you’ve overcome more as the CEO of this housing business during the recession.”




Certainly, the long pause in Marc’s DJing career between his college days and his return about twenty years later affords him a fascinating perspective on the scene. He describes the need for drive as fiercer than ever, perhaps explaining his story to date.




“‘The two most important factors of success - no matter what you decide that you want to do: hussle, willing to outwork the next person, and fostering relationships whilst being authentic in those relationships. Those two factors are the key to whatever you want to end up doing in life.”




As much as Marc is willing to work to succeed, so is he willing to work to help others succeed. His success in both fields has made him anything but self-absorbed, which becomes obvious as he asks me about my own career with genuine enthusiasm for my successes. And, to speak like a businessman myself for a moment, Marc puts his money where his mouth is. His newly launched label, Charité Records, is 100% non-profit and donates all profits to Friends of the Children - Seattle. The organization provides children from under-privileged backgrounds across the US and the UK a consistent mentor throughout the years, with a particular focus on fighting systemic racism.




The label’s music reflects its positive attitude, with Marc telling me, “All three songs have some sentimental and emotional appeal for me.”




Indeed, the label’s first song, “Coffee in the Morning,” is an uplifting, feel-good, easy listener that has already proved popular. The next “Dance,” a celebration of the return to dancefloors following the years of quarantine, remixed by none other than Roger Sanchez. 




Behind the unusual facade of a businessman, there is an overarching message of hope throughout Marc’s music and his mission.

Anish Sood is Anyasa, an electronic dance music producer with over a decade of experience composing original electronic dance records and DJing in clubs and festival stages worldwide. Known for his signature techno-house sound infused with some of the most cinematic soundscapes and esteemed voices from India, the Anyasa project is already making waves internationally.




The first Indian artist signed to Above & Beyond’s Anjunadeep label, Anish originally began his career at 18 in 2008. The young producer worked his way up the live events sphere, producing and performing his unique takes on the techno and electronic dance music he heard while traveling abroad. Before adopting the Anyasa moniker, Anish was a touring EDM DJ-producer who, in the early 2010s, performed at festival favorites such as Electric Daisy Carnival and Tomorrowland. In those days, his sound reflected what prevailed, mainly western takes on contemporary big room and progressive house music. Over the lockdown period of a global pandemic, the artist reflected on his sound and the direction he wanted to take it once live events returned.




“After going from 120 to around 60 shows a year to then zero, I was faced with an excess amount of time. With no clear horizon as to when things might resume and with everything feeling very uncertain, I waited,” he said. “The first few months we treated it like a holiday, making cocktails, doing intense grocery runs and performing via live streams. Then, I began to reflect.”




Ultimately, according to the Anjunadeep producer, he decided on reinventing himself entirely—honing in on the voices he enjoyed listening to, voices that transcended mediums and language barriers.




“Indian movies have a lot of song and dance, and so, they have very strong soundtracks. These soundtracks are the pop sound of India—the true, real, commercial pop sound of what the masses, what everybody, listens to on the radio and on TV… It’s always Bollywood original soundtracks. So, a lot of clubs also play Bollywood music in remixes or bootlegs. Throughout my career, because EDM and house music was so new then, I was constantly having to subvert venues when they’d come up to me during my sets like, ‘ok, you’ve had a great night, but close out with a few Bollywood tracks.’ I wouldn’t play any because I detested it—it was a sound I didn’t believe in. I wanted to transcend the Bollywood bootlegs and play what they were listening to in London and New York,” shared Anyasa.




He finally realized this endeavor under his new pseudonym Anyasa, after many years of live sets and Bollywood requests, via his debut Anjunadeep EP, “Gaya.” The title’s name derives from Gaia, the Greek goddess of Mother Earth, and as such, Anyasa pays homage to divine, feminine energy with the project.




For his first record via the esteemed imprint, he enlisted vocals from four Indian singer-lyricists whom he had discovered on Spotify and Instagram after hearing their work and resonating with it. Isheeta Chakravarty, Bawari Basanti, Avneet Khurmi, and Amira Gill give the deep-house and techno record he’s always wanted to make a cinematic feel—their voices are melodic and combined with Anyasa’s mesmerizing electronic dance soundscapes, many of the tracks also exude a meditative quality. Overall, the EP demonstrates the artist’s versatile range and detailed production prowess.




His sophomore effort on Anjuna is “Athena.” A harmonic, introspective work infused with another plethora of unique Indian vocalists and several enchanting takes on the modern house and techno sound. In the EP, Anyasa seamlessly integrates and distorts vocal samples from the various songstresses he’s enlisted for this body of work. For those that enjoy more nuanced, ambient takes on deep-house and techno, the Goan producer has included several extended mixes.




Anyasa is currently touring around India, playing the music he’s always wanted to play. Many of his live performances begin with melodic, syrupy-house cuts, which build up into euphoric, big room techno and house music that energizes and commands an unwavering focus from audiences.

A truly unique individual and artist, Pablo Fierro began studying music as a teenager growing up on Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands. The islands lie off the coast of Spain, near Africa, giving them a unique population of Europeans, Africans, and Latin Americans. Additionally, the 1990s saw an influx of people come from England, bringing with them the sounds of house music.




Combined with the local culture, artists like Pablo quickly found themselves creating Afro-house. The rhythm-heavy genre of house music is truly incredible and one of the most upbeat, happy subgenres of electronic music.




As Pablo Fierro began to find himself as a DJ, he quickly developed a signature sound and founded Vida Records. Since then, he has established himself as one of the most influential in the world of Afro-house and a DJ who can get any dancefloor moving no matter the hour or location.








When we think of DJs growing up on islands near Spain, most people would not guess the Canary Islands. Tell us about the lifestyle there and how you discovered your passion for music and playing instruments? 

Life in the Canary Islands is very calm. I had a great upbringing. I started my musical journey at 16. My brother had bought a computer, and we took turns making music on it since that was the only one we had at home. I remember that even some of the earliest DJs who came to the island would come over and help us install the programs we needed to start producing music.
 



You also dove into the professional side of things around that age. Do you have any specific memories of this time frame when you played in various bands and produced?

In the beginning, I spent a lot of time learning the basics of the programs. I then decided to start a hip hop group with a couple of my friends who were hip hop DJs at the time, we had an MC, and sometimes I would even rap for the group. We played a couple of shows, but It didn't go further than that. I remember we had a dedicated fan group who would follow us to every show and paint our cars with the name of our group. It was a fun time.

Was there any electronic music scene in the Canary Islands, or did it take you leaving to discover you had a passion for that music?  

Yes, there actually was a HUGE boom in the electronic music scene here in the south of the islands in Tenerife in the 90s because there was a large influx of DJs, especially from England. A lot of people were fans of the breakbeat genre, drum & bass, and then later house, obviously in the 90s. People would seek out the DJs they liked, and that formed sort of a community within the scene in Tenerife, specifically Playa De las Americas.

I'm not sure if you identify with the culture of mainland Spain, but do you feel the country as a whole (outside of Ibiza) has a strong musical culture, specifically in electronic music?

The Canary Islands are split in the sense that the people identify themselves as being from three different continents, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. The influences that can be seen are very rich and diverse, which translates into its strong musical culture. In terms of electronic music specifically, I would say that a lot of the Influence and Identity comes from the UK, which at the time was two-step and drum & bass. 



You first released music officially in 2009, and three years later, you founded your label, Vida Records. Please walk us through the decision to start a label so early in your career. 

It's always good to release your music on well-known labels because it helps give the artist that extra push in the beginning that they wouldn't normally see if they released it on their own label or an independent label. I opened my own label because I wanted control over my works and wanted it to go in a specific direction. 

Your sound is so unique. You manage to combine modern elements of electronic music with your tropical roots, as well as a deep understanding of drum patterns and vocals. How would you define your style, and do you feel it's evolved over the years?

I always try to innovate my sound, which makes things complicated. My sound is a mixture of influences at the end of the day. I have Arabic, African, European, Latin American, and Caribbean influences in my signature sound, which is constantly evolving. I find that the best thing to do is get a jump on what is new in the scene and what is taking off and try to own that and make it your own and have other producers copy your style.   

Can you give us some insight into the Afro-house genre as a whole? It's a genre of electronic music that I think DJs are going to more and more, yet many people do not understand its roots.

Afro House is a lifestyle, and it has turned into a way of life for myself. I think it is going to become the next 'Pop.' Reggaeton had its turns of being in the 'Pop' limelight, but I think now it is changing its bpm and making way and opening the doors for Afro and Latin Beat, and I think that is amazing because it is going to be a great musical style and it is going to make a lot of people dance.

Your edit of "Baiana" is an incredible track and feels like a great example of what to expect with the Pablo Fierro sound. Did you have a sense when you decided to rework the track that it would be as big as it is?

I think that by listening to so many different styles and different records, you are always going to find something incredible that has a massive impact on you. I love to play, edit and remix various songs, especially those with history, such as "Baiana," and when I first heard, my brain immediately got to work. I started planning how to remix it, but I had no idea that it would make such an impact and take off. I am happy that I was able to connect with so many individuals due to this record. 

Do you have any pieces of hardware or software plug-ins that you find yourself going to often in the studio?

I always travel with my laptop, headphones, and other things. At home, I have my studio, but it's all still in boxes and needs to be built. I have a couple of synths and plug-Ins that I always find myself gravitating towards, such as Sound Toys, Arturia, Native Instruments, the reverb from Valhalla, and of course, the live samples that I record on my phone whenever I am on the go or get inspired.

House and tech house have undeniably become some of the most popular genres within electronic music in the last couple of years. Although your sound is much more than straight-up tech-house, how do you feel about the genre's growth, and do you think it's a good thing?

Of course, it's a good thing that the genre is growing! Music should be made to be enjoyed by everyone and not be confined to a niche group of listeners. Music is about discovery and finding new styles and sounds, and the more the genre grows, the better because, the better reach it has. If anything, it is putting that genre on the map for all to see and enjoy and moving it away from being underground.

After a decade of success with your label, countless releases, and tours, what do you hope to accomplish in the next decade?

I am not sure about what I hope to accomplish in the next decade. I can imagine and try to create my reality, but I am not sure what will happen. I think the genre will continue to grow and evolve and will only get better and create more of those fun moments which I enjoy as time goes on.

Despite its intimate and insulated dance scene, Australia regularly produces exemplary electronic acts. Kam and Aaron of Night Tales are firmly on the map as the next act to watch from the land. Their deep emotive beats and introspective lyricism make them a singular act. Seamlessly combine a deep house aesthetic with a focus on songwriting. Much like fellow Aussie Rüfüs Du Sol, they’ve found that sweet spot between infectiously danceable beats and lyrics that capture the breadth of human emotion.




“There’s a melting pot of undiscovered talent in Australia. The electronic family is small and it’s a tight group,” Kam tells Gray Area. “A lot of the artists also work on the events side so there’s a lot of collaboration and helping people get gigs locally. The landscape is small despite the size of the country. There’s 4-5 festivals that host electronic music, and there’s only a couple cities that have serious clubs so there’s limited opportunity for artists to play. It was definitely part of the decision to move to LA, we know that a lot of our fan base is in the US and there’s simply more opportunity to play shows here.”




The two artists were working on solo projects in the early 2010s before a mutual friend introduced them and suggested they make music together. After sending some projects back and forth, Aaron and Kam eventually decided to link the studio together. Their first track, “Move You,” saw immediate success, and a friendship and dynamic duo was born.






“2017 is where it all began. We played a lot of local shows. A lot of hustling, a lot of no’s, a lot of rejection. We knew we were onto something so we stayed on it but there were so many setbacks," Kam explains as they recall the early stages of their journey together. "We’ve had about 2-3 managers. We started with Matt Denuzo who now works for Insomniac. He had to leave us to focus on his full-time job with Insomniac. We were on our own for a bit, and then we had a guy from Australia who wasn’t able to get us to the point we wanted to.” 





“We had come to the states a couple times to build our network but nothing seemed to be coming of it. We started to look internally and ask, is the music good, is it resonating, should we go in a different direction?" Aaron said.



"Everyone we worked with along the way represented a lesson," Kam adds. "Everyone was helpful in getting us to the next step and helping us learn about what we needed.”







The Night Tales story is by no means a unique one for up-and-coming artists. Their perseverance, however, is what stands out. It would be easy to simply return to a day job and quit music. For Aaron and Kam, however, giving up was never an option. They felt that despite the continued setbacks, the reactions they were receiving from the music were strong enough to keep them going.




The offers for live performances were not coming through as they hoped, but their artistic vision remained strong, and their continued success with their music gave Aaron and Kam the sense that if they stuck to it, the success would follow.







“We knew we had good music between us. The tracks [their first two releases] almost take on a life of their own and grow naturally over time. It seems like people are finding our music on their own, not necessarily through Spotify playlisting," Aaron explains. "Our early live performances were very simple and we had less music to work with. There’s no mistakes when it comes to creativity but we have obviously grown over the years. The vision and sound become more consistent over the years. The approach to our music now is different as well. The live show has grown as well in terms of how we are presenting our music.”









As Aaron and Kam have focused on growing and learning, the world has noticed. A little over a year ago, they signed with a new manager based in the states, and it feels as if everything has clicked into place since then.





After receiving an offer to play at New York City’s premier dance music festival, Electric Zoo, in September of 2021, the guys were able to string together a couple of other shows to make the trip to the states during COVID worth their while.







What was supposed to be a two-week tour ended up being a three-month stay due to the lockdown restrictions in Australia. As a result, they spent most of their time couch surfing in Nashville, roughing it, making music, and taking any gigs they could find. Although this period was emotionally challenging, it helped Night Tales produce new music and accomplish things they didn’t think were possible.





After playing at Electric Zoo, they secured a coveted slot on a Brooklyn Mirage show and performances in Chicago and Boston before signing with an agency and a record label (CAA and Ultra Records, respectively).







Aaron and Kam have since moved to the United States to commit even further to their careers. They will be playing at Electric Forest this summer and a handful of other festival gigs before going on tour in the fall for their album. Coming off of a massive performance at Mexico’s Tecate Pal Norte Festival, Kam described their feelings about performing live and the future of their careers.




“A lot of our dreams came true with that trip. There’s a lot of styles of artists there so it was beautiful to be on that lineup. It was great to play and road test some of our brand new music as well as some unreleased music. The performance side is what we enjoy the most and we always feel so free on that stage.”

Rising electronic superstar FLORENTIA came into the world with house music running through her veins. Born and raised in the UK, the London/Essex-based musician became enamored by electronic music during her teenage years and discovered her passion for the scene on the dancefloor.




She manifested her dreams thanks to a natural boldness and inability to take no for an answer. Surrounded by an all-encompassing musical environment her entire life, she was bound to make it in the music world one way or another.






Her devotion to the house music scene began in the early 2010s when artists like Calvin Harris and Disclosure were on the rise. She was intrigued by the distinctive notes in “White Noise'' by Disclosure. As she listened to it on repeat, her curiosity for sound design and production was piqued. Eventually, her love for the underground emerged.




“When I was in my early teens, I started really listening to more underground house music, specifically all the tracks released on Defected Records,” she explains. “That was a record label that really introduced me to that whole underground scene. My love for the scene kind of just took off from there really.”




Being from a dance music hub like London gave FLORENTIA all the tools to kick-start her music career, and she did everything in her power to make it happen despite a few setbacks along the way.




“Funny enough I actually wanted to be an athlete when I was growing up, but you know, life happens. I ended up on crutches, so sports were obviously out of the picture and I had to decide what I wanted to do full-time. I’ve always loved music, and I said to myself that if I wanted to pursue anything it was going to be something that I truly loved in life and something I thoroughly enjoy. And music was it for me.”




Sports were officially off the table, so she applied to the Music & Sound Engineering program at London's acclaimed Point Blank Music School. While she didn’t get into the program the first time around. Yet, she was determined to make music a profession and applied to Point Blank again. She became one of the school’s most highly-recognized graduates.




As part of the program, she participated in the International Music Summit in Ibiza, one of the foremost dance music industry insider events in the world. During her time there, she built connections distinctively with Defected Records. Once she was back home in London, opportunity after opportunity just came knocking on her door.


Everything in her life seemed to be coming full circle. Once lockdown restrictions were revoked, she became a mainstay at venues throughout the city. She didn’t think things could get better.




But just when she was content with where she stood in the electronic music community and felt nothing but gratitude for how far she’d gotten, something even greater came along. Suddenly, everything began to feel even more like a dream.




Shortly after stepping her way into London’s legendary DJ circuit, FLORENTIA’S music career exploded thanks to a significant call. Renowned Spanish party brand elrow’s music director was on the line with the news that she was the newest elrow resident DJ. The call came on her birthday, a fitting gift for someone so determined to succeed.



When she decided to apply for the Elrow DJ Residency contest that the event brand unveiled during lockdown, she didn’t think anything of it. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to shoot her shot. But after consistently being the top contestant after several rounds, she still couldn’t fathom that she made it to the final round. And a few weeks later she was being asked to travel across Europe performing on the intricate stages amidst the absurdity and confetti blasts.









Since her residency victory was announced, she’s performed at the first Elrow in Barcelona post-lockdown, Chinese Row Year in Bulgaria, Elrow Town Madrid, and El Bowsque Encantado in France. She’s scheduled to make her grand Amnesia and Ushuaïa Ibiza debut in 2022.




Elrow aside, she has a plethora of other noteworthy accomplishments coming her way shortly. She recently announced her first-ever performance ANTS Ibizaperformance and her Dream Valley Festival debut on the Foreverland stage alongside prominent names like Claptone, Idris Elba, Basement Jaxx, Roger Sanchez, and more.





“These shows and festival bookings I’m doing now are literally the things I’ve always dreamt about in my head and it’s so weird seeing them all manifest in front of my eyes. It's crazy really. I would love to play every festival I’ve been to as a raver first. It’s so nice being able to attend them as a fan simply for the love of the music and then be part of the other side of it as you evolve as an artist. It’s a really rewarding feeling.”

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.

Just as every piece of music is dependent on rhythm, every person who decides to pursue a career in music will follow a certain rhythm. For some, that rhythm is as sporadic as UK jungle, a journey with wild peaks and valleys, great successes, and great missteps. For others, the rhythm follows the linear path of a minimal kick drum as they discover their niche and hold steady.




For Victoria Rawlins, the rhythm of her career is that of the perpetual turn of a record, steadily moving towards the central point as a widely regarded DJ, vinyl collector, curator, and radio personality.




“I love music,” Rawlins says over Zoom from her home studio in Los Angeles. “The relationship between me and the records and turntable and the people.”




Rawlins has exclusively played vinyl in her sets for almost the entirety of her 13 years as a DJ. Whether she is playing her streaming program, Psychic Bassline, on Twitch (where she has reached the coveted status of partner) or performing at a celebrated music festival like Dirtybird Campout, she is always spinning wax.




Rawlins has lugged records through airports. She’s (unfortunately) watched records melt on the platter during sets in the desert.




“[Vinyl] is what got me into DJing,” Rawlins says. “I have a relationship with my records. I feel like I own them more, and I feel like I support the artists more by owning records and playing them.”




Rawlins now has “thousands and thousands and thousands” of records in her collection. There are so many that she is building a fourth vinyl shelf in her home. During her Twitch show, a mix of camera angles show off her vast collection surrounding the decks as she digs to find the next heady selection.




Rawlins’ collection began over twenty years ago when her sister’s vinyl collection became her own (Rawlins would play them more than her sister). That initial wave included a very eclectic pallet of sounds, she says, “Jazz, dub, reggae, goth, punk, big band orchestras, female vocalists,” among others.




This initial exposure to so many styles stemmed from her parents, both artists. Her father was a jazz musician, and her mother was a singer signed to Latin Motown. Her mother also served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Music and Art School in East Los Angeles.




“I grew up going there as a kid, and I took all the classes. Singing, tap, ballet, violin,” Rawlins says of the school. “I grew up there at that school. That school is amazing.”




Rawlins pawned all of her instruments as a teenager to buy more records, and the rotation got closer and closer to DJing. With her collection already established, getting DJ gigs was as simple as reaching out.




“I was told if you have needles and headphones you could start playing out,” Rawlins says. “At first it was for alcohol because I was pretty under age. So that was good enough for me at the time but it began to be a real job and I got paid for it. The more jobs I did the more I got booked.”




Like the trajectory of her record collection, Rawlins started out with more band-heavy sounds. Playing punk rock in dive bars before finding focus in dance and electronic, which viewers of her Psychic Bassline know is now her bread and butter.




“I am not psychic. The bassline is psychic,” Rawlins says.




Rawlins continues to stream the program on Sundays despite the fact that most DJs have abandoned Twitch for live gigs. In a recent broadcast, she explored everything from minimal to disco. From electro to techno. All vinyl all night.




Even before the pandemic settled in, Rawlins and her husband considered a function along the same lines as streaming. They imagined hosting friends in their record room while they streamed DJ sets. So, when Twitch became the saving grace for DJs and dancers in 2020, Rawlins hit the ground running. She had all the equipment. She had all the records, and now nearly two years later, she’s still going.




“Twitch is kind of like my radio show. Everything is controlled. I get to connect with people globally, and they’re really listening. They’re real listeners who are also music lovers,” Rawlins says. “It’s still a blessing.”




In the thick of the pandemic, Rawlins caught the attention of the famed record label, party brand, and cultural force, Dirtybird, after Rawlins was a guest on Nala’s streaming program, TV Party. Dirtybird was building their Twitch programming at the time, and they offered Rawlins a weekly slot.




“They’ve been so wonderful to me,” says Rawlins of Dirtybird. “They really took me in.”




Rawlins went on to perform at Dirtybird CampINN and Dirtybird Campout in 2021 (with her records). After Campout wrapped in October, Label Boss Claude VonStroke announced that Rawlins would take the helm of the newly minted Dirtybird Radio, formerly known as The Birdhouse.




“I love doing it,” Rawlins says of Dirtybird Radio. “I do all the voiceover work. I get to host a bunch of different artists from the Dirtybird label and beyond. It’s just been another really great way to get to know other music acts out there and showcase talented people.”




At the core, that drive to showcase talented people is how Rawlins has maintained her steady accruement of success. With every record and every needle drop, she spreads the good word of great music, whether to her nearly 12,000 Twitch followers or the hundreds of people who dance before her in real life.




But soon, Rawlins will showcase even more of her own talent through upcoming original productions, which is something she has been working towards for a long time.




“That’s a big goal for me. To finally put out my own music. It’s been on the mind for years and years and years,” Rawlins says. “Now that I’ve gotten into dance music I understand I could do my own stuff and play it. It all makes sense now.”




For years Rawlins career has followed the consistent rhythm of vinyl on a turntable, and not too far in the future, that vinyl will have her name on it.

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.”

Dosem is one of the leading Spanish acts shifting the conversation in dance music towards the uplifting late 90s tinged sounds of melodic techno and house. Quickly after his first releases in 2006, he found his footing in melodic house and techno. A quickly-evolving space that seeks to meld the driving pace of techno, the swaying funk of house, and the transcendent melodics of early progressive house into a sound that’s just at home on the beach or poolside as it is on the massive stacks of festivals and in the darkest of clubs.




Growing up in the Spanish city of Girona, Dosem had an early opportunity to learn the crucial skill of warming up, a necessary skill (and lost art) for any DJ who hopes to one day rock the headlining slot. He showed early promise for his ability to control a room and secured a residency at one of the bigger local clubs.




As his star rose, he effortlessly flowed into his current role as a world-class selector while also producing music back at home. He truly broke out in 2014 with the release of his first album, Origin. Since then, he has become an international DJ, regularly releasing with Anjunadeep and playing on the biggest stages worldwide.

You released your first official track back in 2006, many years before you came into the international consciousness as a must-see artist. Although this was your first official track, you surely started DJing and producing before this. Can you tell us about those early years, what you remember of the gigs you were playing back then and how different it was versus now? 

At that time, I remember my focus was on learning as much as possible and improving on the technical side. I also had the opportunity to be a resident of several clubs, playing many hours in a row. That was a turning point in developing my skills as a DJ and producer.





Growing up in Girona, I would guess you didn’t have regular access to touring DJs coming through your hometown to play shows. So how did you first discover electronic music, and what pushed you to dive into the world of becoming an artist? 

Luckily it was the opposite. In my city, there were two renowned clubs named La Sala del Cel and Blau Club, with weekly programming of international DJs. I was a resident of the second one doing the warm-up for several national and international artists. It was a great meeting point for networking. This is how my professional career began. Being close to Barcelona also made it easy to attend amazing festivals like Sónar, a great music discovery hub.

Spain has a rich history of electronic music, from elrow and Florida 135 to the vibrant scene in Barcelona. And of course Ibiza. How do you feel the electronic music scene has changed in Spain throughout your life? Do other cities get overlooked with so much focus on Ibiza? 

The Spanish electronic music scene has always been very powerful and dynamic. There are fantastic clubs and festivals in different cities with a great trajectory: Ibiza, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Alicante, Granada, Seville, Coruña, Bilbao, and Mallorca.

Your output over the years has been tremendous, including multiple albums that have consistently raised your profile. You put out two full-length albums in two years, Origin in 2013 and City Cuts in 2014. What prompted you to put out these lengthy projects back to back? Can you give us some insight into the creative process behind crafting an album versus releasing a single or a short EP? 

The inspiration for my music always comes from the same essence. I like it to sound futuristic, passionate, and intense. Sometimes more cheerful and other times more melancholy. EPs tend to be more dancefloor-oriented, and in a way, they are like the tip of the iceberg. My albums are the longer story—a way to express my personal and professional turning points translated into music. 

Do you have any favorite pieces of hardware in the studio or software plugins that you find yourself going to often when producing music? 

I do everything on my Mac. My setup is quite simple. It stimulates my creativity and makes my workflow much easier on the road. My main tools are Ableton, Native Instruments, UAD, Spire, and Omnisphere. Although the [tools] I trust the most are my ears, experience, and enough humility to continue learning.


After releasing City Cuts in 2014, Beatport named you one of their top five techno artists. As mentioned previously, you started releasing music in 2006. What does it feel like to grind for eight years and finally get such high-profile recognition? How did things change for you after this point? 

What makes me most excited after all these years is having connected thru music with so many people around the world, from such different cultures and countries. Being able to travel and meet them in person has given me a more global perspective. I feel grateful and humbled every time I think about it.

You had a massive Boiler Room show in 2017. What was that experience like? It’s become such a sign of making it and carries a unique atmosphere because of the locations and crowd. 

Yes, the atmosphere was truly special. Playing for the Boiler Room in my hometown was magical. The location and the entire production were amazing. We all had a great time.

You had your first  Anjunadeep release, "Not a Coincidence," in 2018. The label has since become a home for you, hosting many of your releases since 2018 and your full-length album in 2020, Dream Decoder. How did you first connect with the Anjuna family? 

They were in contact with my manager, and the idea of releasing an EP came up, so I decided to send them both tracks. They were signed instantly, and since then, my involvement with the label has only grown.

Anjunadeep is the premier melodic house and techno label and a high-level event promoter. What does it mean to you to be a part of this collective, and how do you feel it’s impacted your career? 

They are an amazing team, extremely professional, and passionate in everything they do. The community behind it is wonderful, a musical family where everyone feels welcomed. The label has undoubtedly become one of the most important pillars in my career. I love working with them. ​​

Your sound is distinct, yet you produce a variety of music, firmly planting yourself in both techno and melodic house. Are you finding that there is one sound you’re aiming to explore going forward, or is it simply about what inspires you week to week? 

Yes, a crossover between techno and melodic house is probably a good definition of my musical approach. Although, in the studio, I don’t overthink it too much. I just make the music that I'd like to dance to in a club.

Recently, you’ve been on a tear with the Digital Futures EP receiving critical acclaim and your upcoming EP with Black Circle and Simon Doty. Tell us about connecting and working with those guys and what we can expect from the EP?

Simon Doty and his manager, Drew, told us about their new project, Recess, and proposed to do a remix for his first label release. Simon and Black Circle are two amazing producers. I'm very happy with the result of this EP.

Music and athletics. One, an expression of sound. The other, an expression of movement. Many people see these two pursuits as opposite ends of the spectrum, but to Adrian Rodriguez, better known in dance music as, Arodes, they are two loves born in the same vein of passionate pursuit.

Arodes is currently one of the fastest-growing artists in dance music. In two short years, he’s gone from completely unknown to an internationally touring performer. His deeply powerful, organic melodies move and unite listeners across continents. From Tulum to London, Miami to Ibiza, the Arodes rhythm flows. This notable rise is the fruit of a tireless commitment to self, indomitable work ethic, and unwavering passion for the pursuits that set the heart ablaze. However, these traits were learned long before the birth of “Arodes” and far from any club or music venue. Instead, Adrian’s path to the man he is today started on the soccer pitch as an exciting up-and-comer in his home country of Spain.

“Soccer was my dream and my passion for my childhood until I was 19 or 20 years old. The only thing I was putting all my energy and focus into was soccer. I really thought I was going to be a professional soccer player, that was my dream.”

The soccer field may have been the singular focus of Rodriguez’s adolescence, but music was always present in the background. 

“I really liked music back then, but mostly just to enjoy it and listen to it, but not that much as to be dedicated to it as a profession, just as a listener,” he clarifies.

Records constantly rang out in his childhood home, and his music-teaching mother did her best to put her then resistant son in piano lessons. The impact of this home environment may have seemed insignificant at the time, but it planted the seeds of music appreciation that would later give Adrian’s life a new direction.

“I was a ‘promising star’ when I was very young and I always thought I was going to make it,” Rodriguez shares. 

“Then I had a bad year… and I didn’t do it. It happens every day, there are so many soccer players that look like they’re going to be bigger stars and then for [some] reason it doesn’t happen later.”

Adrian found himself in a unique position now separate from competitive soccer. What does an individual who spent over a decade fiercely pursuing a career in the world’s most popular sport do when that sport steps down as your life path? As if the universe was telling Rodriguez to reconnect to his roots, the seeds of music planted so long ago slowly began to sprout. 

Adrian recounts rekindling his relationship with music, saying, “I was about 19 or 20 when I started going to Ibiza with my friends. Going to the big clubs like Pacha and Space. Then I started going to my first festivals and around that time is when I really fell in love with the music. It was this period of time when I started understanding more, digging a little bit deeper into it, and I started falling in love with electronic music.”
	

It only takes a single moment to change your life completely. For Adrian, that moment came in the crowd of Solomun’s 2017 Coachella set.

“I remember the first time I listened to the remix of ‘Clap Your Hands’ by Solomun, it was in Coachella actually, I couldn’t get that track out of my head for months,” he laughs. 

“I would listen to it again and again. That was a very particular moment where I felt like, ‘Wow. I want to be able to do this with music.’ Because back then I wasn’t playing actually, but I felt something like ‘How powerful is this,’ you know? And I imagined how cool and how amazing it would be to do this.”

Having spent many formative years pursuing his passion for soccer, Adrian recognized the unmistakable spark of passion that now grew for music. That spark quickly overrode any trepidation towards starting a musical journey later than others, and he soon purchased production and mixing equipment giving his budding fire the ability to grow. Adrian committed everything he had to become a musician with a zeal his soul long missed. 

“When I started dedicating my life to the music and everything related to it, for me it recovered this passion, real passion. Doing something that you really love, that makes my heart beat go, I have this adrenaline before I have a show. These kinds of feelings I had before when I was a little kid and had to play a game the next day. It makes me feel alive. I don’t do it as something for the money or financial interest. I love doing it. For me, the energy I put into it is similar to what I put into soccer.”

The pre-show adrenaline. The laser-focused preparation and practice. The endless potential for improvement. The space for creative adaptation and improvisation. Observing sports and music through the lens of these traits suddenly makes these two seemingly opposite pursuits remarkably interconnected. And in Adrian’s case, these parallels have been essential. Years spent learning to love the grind and developing his resolve toward one goal has led to fast notoriety in another.

Arodes only began touring in 2020 and releasing music in 2021. Despite already performing all over the globe and releasing on labels like RADIANT, Sudam Records, and MoBlack Records. And despite his quick rise, he maintains a perspective of driven humility. Again, his previous experience as a goal-setter and dream-chaser proves invaluable as he reflects on the acknowledgment by industry peers and fans and his current position.

“I don’t even want to think it about it that much [when people say] ‘We haven’t seen someone grow as fast as you,’ or whatever, because for me I don’t want to feel that way. For me my mentality and my mindset is to think I’m at point zero, the starting point. Because the moment you start thinking, ‘[Oh I made it],’ even if you don’t want to, you kind of relax a little bit… My goals, ambitions, and objectives are super high, and for me I prefer to think that we haven’t done anything yet.”

This mentality stems not only from a finely-tuned work ethic but from an appreciation for the artists that paved the way for rising talents like Adrian.

“I really think we haven’t done anything yet. There’s a lot of huge artists who gave a lot to the industry and to the music. So while I’m thankful for everything that is happening to me, at the same time humble from the inside and knowing that ‘Hey, we didn’t do nothing yet. So we’re going to work even harder every single day if we want to be in this very difficult industry.’”
	
If there’s one thing that becomes clear when observing the journey of Arodes, it is the power of passion. It is not uncommon for someone to go through life without identifying what truly exhilarates their soul. Many people recognize the select dreams that make their heart race to simply imagine, but few feed the fire to brave uncertainty and attempt to make those dreams a reality. 

Adrian Rodriguez has lived life with passion as his guiding light. His path embodies the phrase, “The reward is in the journey,” the lessons learned from one passion have laid an unshakeable foundation for success in music and life. 


Words by: Austin Miller

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)

DJing came first for UK-born artist Doorly. He made his name as an uber-talented open format DJ, playing techno, electro, garage, D&B, and dubstep. His activity behind the decks is relentless. His technical skill is often described by peers as an old-school block party DJ using new school technology. The block-rocking style helped Doorly rise quickly. Much faster than he dreamed possible. In a genre, he was not terribly passionate about. 

Doorly started promoting parties in his hometown of Huddersfield in the early 2000s. He built a thriving local fan base and used the events as an opportunity to book himself to DJ. At the time, UK dubstep was quite popular, and Doorly began making edits to play out live. He posted some of the tracks on Hype Machine (the 00s blog crawler that made the careers of countless blog era musicians), and before he knew it, he was at the top of the charts and was an in-demand dubstep DJ. 

After many years of touring, Doorly knew that his heart remained in the world of house music. And to be taken seriously in the underground, he knew he had to leave dubstep behind. In 2008, he caught the eye of Pete Tong, who booked him as part of the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix Tour. Being featured on the iconic radio show was a huge break leading to
festival slots and an eventual move to the USA in 2012, where he could tour and pursue DJing full time. 

Doorly has worked relentlessly to cement himself as a world-class DJ, event promoter, and Pioneer ambassador. Gray Area caught up with him to trace his journey in dance music.

You got your start promoting shows in the UK for Fatboy Slim and Annie Mac, to name a few. Can you tell us about that time in your life? 

I look back at those formative years, and it puts a massive smile on my face. It was just raw good times. Social media was still pretty low-key back then, and we just wanted to make a party in my hometown of Huddersfield, where there wasn’t anything else going on. We created something really special there, a real community, and it’s something that I’m really proud of. I met some of the best people in my life through those parties. 

At the time, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do with my life. Those events and the magic moments that came from them showed me my path and that I could maybe do this music thing as a career. It all just started to snowball from there. 

When did you first get into house music, and what pushed you to start putting on events? 

Around 1998, There was a really healthy club scene in the north of the UK in our local cities of Leeds and Manchester, with brands like Hard Times bringing over all the legendary house DJs from Chicago and New York. So, me and friends would constantly travel to things in the cities. Then being a bit depressed that there was nothing in our hometown, we decided to put on an after-hours event one night, and the rest is history!

Over the years, your musical output has been tremendous and diverse. You’ve topped the Beatport charts with “Piano Weapon,” a more classic house track, while also putting out a dubstep remix of Kanye West. So why do you experiment with different genres? 

The Dubstep thing happened by accident. I was always into house music and golden-era hip hop. I got really into turntables as soon as I started DJing. That way of Djing led me to play in front of more mixed genre crowds, sometimes at student nights and stuff. So when the whole dubstep thing started happening, I wanted to make some edits and tracks of my own that fit that style. I made a few and put them on a blog called the Hype Machine, which was huge at the time, and they went to number one. My career just blew up, and I was an international dubstep artist just like that. 

It was terrifying as it wasn’t really where my heart was musically, to be honest. But I was young and enjoying the ride and places where the music took me. I went with it for a couple of years, trying to also do house music, but nobody took my house music seriously because of the dubstep. So, I just had to make the decision to stop doing the dubstep thing and focus back on house 100%, and it all started clicking back into place. I became much happier in my comfort zone. I don’t regret it, as I had some mad adventures in that world. But I’m so much more fulfilled now that I’ve learned to make music that I truly love. 

In 2012 you moved to LA and continued where you left off in the UK, throwing big parties and building up your career. What prompted this move? 

The music took me there. I was playing in LA a lot, and I just had the best group of friends and loved the city so much and still do. I think my heart is still in LA, and I would like to move back one day. I do miss it a lot. 




How was the transition from the UK scene to the US scene? 

The transition was easy. My music benefited from it massively. I was happy moving from living in London at the time. I wanted to enjoy the sunshine, and the California lifestyle blew my mind. 




The electronic music scene in the states has grown tremendously over the last 10-15 years. Do you feel that the scene is in a positive place? 

Yeah, the scene is incredibly healthy now, one of the best in the world. It’s been amazing to watch it flourish. When I first came over, the dance music scene was very underground and not really for the masses like it is now. Then the big EDM explosion happened alongside the dubstep and bass stuff. It opened things up to much bigger events and much more of them in smaller markets where it wouldn’t have been possible before. 

It’s been so great to see the kids who were into EDM trickling down into house music. Our scene has flourished as a result of that. 




What are the main differences you notice now from when you first came over? 

The scene In the USA is very positive. Artists are supported a lot more than in some parts of Europe, where things can occasionally be a bit pretentious and bitter at times. The crowds at festivals—at least the ones that I play at—are a lot more kind, mindful, and PLUR than most places in the world which is really nice to be a part of.


I mentioned the track ‘Piano Weapon’ before. It was your first Beatport #1 and certainly a signifier that your career as a DJ and producer was heading in the right direction. Did this feel like an event that opened doors for you? Or was it more of an indication of your establishment?

Yeah, that was definitely a big moment, one of so many that I’ve been fortunate enough to have in my career. It’s ironic that Shadow Child and I made that as a B-side. It took about three hours to make, and it just set on fire when we started playing it out. You can never predict which of your tracks will be the most successful. 




As a DJ who’s been throwing parties for years now, you surely have been following the rise of artist-driven event brands and labels. Whether it’s Jamie Jones’s Paradise or Will Clarke’s label, All We Have is Now, it feels like every DJ has some sort of brand behind them. As someone at the forefront of this, what do you think shifted in the industry to allow this? Do you believe that the influx of artist-driven brands is a positive for the scene? 

It’s a great thing, in my opinion, for artists to be able to express themselves without boundaries. I set my label up because when I’m producing in freaky mode, my tracks are too out there to fit on any of the usual labels I would release with. But I love them, and they feel more like me than anything else because I’m writing with my heart, not trying to fit into a box. So I set up my label as a home for them and other young artists that I love that needed a platform too. Of course, this means there’s so much more music to dig through, but the cream always rises to the top, and there’s plenty of room for everyone in this scene of ours. 

You’re an ambassador for Pioneer and have often spoken of the need to be in tune with your technology as a performer. What do you appreciate about how technology has evolved, and do you miss anything about the old days?

I definitely don’t miss the old days. Belt-driven vinyl decks, awful sounding mixers, CD players with a 0.5-second start delay time, carrying four bags of records to a gig! I still carry vinyl with me but usually just that month's purchases that I haven’t had time to rip to .wavs yet. And because I still love the art and feel of playing vinyl. It often goes wrong because of the equipment letting you down or the stage not being stable enough. But I’ll never stop using it. 

I do love all the advancements that Pioneer is making. I’m in love with the DJS1000 sampler. It gives me life when I play. The CDJ3000’s and V10 [mixer] are just insane. The Toraiz Studio range they have is incredible. The Squid is the centerpiece in my studio now, and the AS-1 bass synth is really tasty too. It will make Hybrid DJ / live sets so much easier because you can sync the DJS1000 to the CDJs on a LAN cable, then connect the Squid to that via Idol, which can control up to 16 synths. And it all stays in clock with the DJ setup. I feel like we are at a stage now where performance is absolutely limitless.

Your collaboration with Gene Farris and Rowetta, "Acid Hearts," is out on Desert Hearts Records. Can you talk about how that came to be?

I made both tracks in lockdown as I was in a bit of an acid house mood, and I wanted to make a few club bangers. I had some vocal samples in there as placeholders, and I played the tracks to Mikey Lion as I wanted to do something with Desert Hearts Records. I love the ethos of the brand and the output of the label. 

He played them out and loved them, but there was something missing. I’m [also] trying not to use samples right now. So, I knew exactly what voices needed to be on each and hit up the two legends (and very good friends), Gene and Rowetta. They both turned in amazing contributions to the tracks, and I’m super happy with how they came out. They’ve been the biggest records in my sets on this last tour for crowd reaction.




Can you talk about the Desert Hearts community and what it means to California?

Desert Hearts is a religion in the states, it’s been inspiring as a promoter to watch the brand grow, and it’s got such wonderful energy. I’ve only been to one of the festivals a few years ago when I just wanted to go as a customer. It blew me away, so I’ve wanted to play ever since, so you can imagine how excited I am to be playing this next one. The venue looks absolutely incredible, and the lineup is top drawer! Bring it on! I can’t wait to see you all there! 

Words by: Jonah Flint

Darin Epsilon has been an essential figure in the dance music community for over a decade. Seeing Sasha and John Digweed in 2002 inspired Darin to pursue electronic music as a career. He DJed for many years before launching his label, Perspectives, in 2010. Since he has gained acclaim as a tastemaker, a must watch DJ, and a true pioneer of the melodic house and techno genres so popular today. 

How would you describe the type of music you create?

I produce whatever inspires me at the moment, whether it be melodic house and techno, indie dance, progressive house, or organic house. I strive to make music with emotion, soul, substance, and depth.


What do you remember about your first local gig / international gig?


My first gig was in my friend’s basement when we were attending high school, and I was absolutely terrified being behind the decks! This was back in the days of vinyl and turntables, and many of your readers are probably aware that beat-matching vinyl records is ten times harder than beat-matching on CDJ’s.


My first international gig came several years later, in 2007, after graduating college. I flew to the small town of Omsk in Siberia, and I’ll never forget this day. The promoters transformed a car repair shop into a giant rave for 1500 Russian clubbers!

When producing, where do you start from?


Different styles of music require different approaches. Since my music is more melody-based, I’ll usually play around with chord progressions and arpeggios first. Once I have a solid foundation, then I start stacking the other elements and layers like a house. 


Usually for me the process goes a bit like this: Main idea / melody -> kick & snare -> harmony / bass -> other percussion -> FX and final touches


For techno or drum & bass producers, they’ll probably want to start with building a percussion loop. House or tech house producers might come up with the bass or groove first. It really depends on which element is the most important for the style of music that you’re making.


What would the lineup look like at your dream club performance?


I’m really into the productions of Innellea, Joris Voorn, Damon Jee, Booka Shade, Einmusik, Solee, Fur Coat, Stephan Bodzin, AFFKT, and Olivier Giacomotto at the moment. These guys consistently blow me away with their tracks.


I want to ask you about the early days of your career. The first release that I could find was in 2007, “Entropy,” released about a year after you started your radio show Perspectives. What prompted you to start the radio show/podcast? 


I started my radio show to share music and connect with audiences around the world. I called it Perspectives because every DJ approaches their mixes differently. No two sets can ever be exactly the same. Your environment, education, upbringing, and cultural background all factor into your selections and decision-making.


What do you remember about the mid-2000s? How different was the house scene, and is there anything you miss from that time in your life?


This, for me, was and still is the golden era of electronic dance music. I remember the parties were underground and done with so much care and passion by like-minded promoters and organizers. There really wasn’t any of the greed you see today with corporate brands and mega-festivals.

Not only that, but the music back then was so much more fresh and exciting. Nowadays, it’s like producers are just trying to catch the trendy sound of the moment to become more popular!


You started your label in 2010, followed by massive recognition by John Digweed, naming you a winner of his DJ competition. Did these years feel like a turning point in your career?


Being selected as one of the winners in John Digweed’s DJ competition was a proud moment for me, and I got a significant amount of attention following the announcement. Many people don’t realize that up until that moment, I had already been DJing for 11 plus years. A few people in the scene were already aware of me from the tracks I was releasing, but I personally saw it as a huge step and a new beginning for my music career.


What challenges have you faced over the years maintaining a record label?


The biggest challenge has been staying consistent and keeping the bar high in terms of quality. Not just to be consistently releasing new music but to be consistently good!


When I started the label in 2010, there wasn’t a lot of competition since progressive house was not a popular genre at the time. I would say it was around 2005 or 2006 when clubbers and DJs turned against “prog,” and minimal techno took over the scene.


More recently, the interest in progressive house these last few years has increased again. Together with the explosion of its offspring melodic house & techno, the amount of competition now is really intense. Before, I might have been competing against 5-10 reputable labels, but now there are easily more than 50 solid imprints all fighting for attention. 

You're considered one of the pioneers of melodic house,  which blew up in the last few years. How did you get drawn into this style of music, and how have you observed it grow and develop over the years?


My introduction to progressive house was through the Global Underground DJ mix series and key players such as Sasha & Digweed, Deep Dish, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, etc. It was a very distinct period with a majority of the music being exported from Europe, particularly the UK.


I was 17 years old when I heard Sasha & Digweed for the first time during the Chicago stop of their Delta Heavy tour! I wasn’t old enough to enter the clubs yet, so it was one of the earliest experiences I had hearing this style of music being played live in front of a massive audience. I will never forget that show because it was one of the happiest days of my life.

In recent years, Melodic House & Techno has been dominating the Beatport charts and receiving all of the attention from media outlets. I like to joke that MH&T is progressive house v3.0 because I consider it more or less the same genre but rebranded under a different name. They both have the same big breakdowns & buildups and comparisons to trance music. Nevertheless, it’s great to see how much MH&T is being embraced by the younger generation.


You’ve had a tremendous output over the years. Do you find yourself constantly in the studio in your free time, or is it more about finding inspiration from other music that pushes you to create?


I would say it’s a combination of both. Of course, it’s more fun to produce when you’re feeling creative and inspired, but there’s also the huge pressure and reality that you won’t get any bookings if you’re not actively releasing music all the time. The job can be incredibly stressful most of the time, but when you play your track in front of hundreds of people, and they’re going completely nuts over it, that’s when I would say it’s worth all the pain and effort.


Do you have a typical creative process in the studio?


Inspiration tends to hit me at really odd times. Believe it or not, I’ve had some of my best song ideas doing totally normal things like taking a shower, going for a walk, doing chores, laying in bed, etc.


Are there any pieces of hardware or software plugins that you find yourself going to regularly?


A few of my favorite software plugins include Arturia Pigments, V Collection, NI Massive X, Predator 2, Omnisphere, Sylenth, Serum, and Diva.


You’re back on Desert Hearts Black this year after debuting on the label in 2021. How has the Desert Hearts crew influenced your musical journey, and what does it mean to you to be on this prestigious label? 


I wanted to release on a strong American label and was really glad when Desert Hearts picked up my Commodora EP that I produced alongside my friend Marc DePulse. They’re a well-known collective and have been instrumental in pushing underground dance music and culture in the US.

Fast forward seven months later, and we’ve just released my RESET EP with Galestian. The label and I wanted to go even bigger this time, so we added remixes by the legendary Venezuelan producer Fur Coat and DH Black label heads Marbs & Evan Casey.

What prompted your move to Berlin, and what do you like/dislike about the electronic music scene versus the American scene? 


This topic could be a whole interview in itself! My move to Berlin was probably the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I’m fortunate to have started a new residency at one of the city’s leading clubs, Ritter Butzke. Plus, I’ve connected with so many talented producers and interesting people in the industry.


What I love about Berlin is the huge number of options available for parties every weekend. Before the pandemic, there were over 400 nightclubs and venues, with around 2,700 parties and events taking place every month. Several of them are 24-hour clubs like Sisyphos that run all weekend long with the music playing non-stop!


One thing that confuses a lot of tourists who are unfamiliar with Berlin culture is that people primarily come to these clubs to hear good music. Often they might not even know is playing because the lineup is never announced.


This is a rather big problem that I often see in the US, where there’s too much importance on hype and paying to see a “big name” artist. Berliners are very supportive of their local scene and often have entire festivals featuring only local artists. This is a concept that the US is slow to catch on to because promoters consider it too much of a financial risk not to have several A-list headliners included in their lineups.


What are some of your goals for the next few years?


I would love to be as busy as I was in 2019. I performed 50 shows that year, and I consider it the peak of my DJ career so far. Slowly the world is opening up again, so let’s see what happens in 2022.


I’d also be thrilled to visit new places I haven’t been to before, like Africa, the Middle East, or central Asia. Lastly, I hope to be able to do more PD label showcases with my favorite artists around the world.


Are there any rising/upcoming artists you’d like to highlight? 


I’m really impressed by so many of the producers that I’ve signed to Perspectives Digital. In particular, I would watch out for Clay Smith, Rauschhaus, Far Distance, Mode Apart, No Distance, and many more.

A highly dexterous DJ known for his four-deck mixes, Swiss-born Mendo - aka David Ortega Bueno - cranks up the gas in clubs and festivals worldwide with torrents of tech house tunes. Bueno's library of material is ever-expanding with releases on Elrow Music, Knee Deep In Sound, Crosstown Rebels, Defected Records, Get Physical Music, Ultra, and many more staple electronic imprints. 

Based in Malaga, Spain, famous for its golden beaches and fascinating history, he asserts that Malaga has an electronic music scene as strong as Ibiza. 

"There are parties almost every weekend in clubs, and festivals with the biggest international DJs." As a result, he doesn't envy the clubbing culture of other European cities. 

Mendo has always approached music with a curious eye and an open-minded outlook. Growing up in the '80s, he would vibe to the music of pop sensations like George Michael, Madonna, and Michael Jackson, while exploring other genres like hard rock, rap, and hip-hop. 

"The first three 7" vinyls that my parents bought me and that I listened to in a loop on my portable record player… were Barbara Streisand - "Woman in Love," Plastic Bertrand - "Ça plane pour moi," [and] Marcel Zanini - "Tu veux ou tu veux pas." 

His other early favorites included: AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, and Metallica; Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash, and Salt-N-Pepa; and disco bands like Boney M, Bee Gees, and Earth Wind & Fire.

By the end of the '80s, Bueno gravitated towards dance music thanks to the German electronic duo SNAP! and British electronic band, The KLF, who played a pivotal role in developing stadium and ambient house. 

"I would say that MTV [also] triggered my interest in electronic music [through featuring] acid house and new beat." 

At the time, living in his hometown of Geneva, none of Bueno's friends or family shared his new-found obsession with electronic music. "All of my friends were more into hard rock, rap, and hip-hop." 

Nevertheless, 1989 was a big year for Bueno. After realizing his love of dance music, Mendo's mum bought him his first ever 12" vinyl, "Pump Up The Jam" by Technotronic. "[My mum] worked right in front of one of the first electronic music vinyl shops in Geneva, called Back To Mono."

But the track that was most influential in Bueno's journey in dance music is "That Feeling" by DJ Chus. "It's one of the tracks that particularly influenced my career, and a track that I had the privilege of remixing 20 years later."

Mendo began DJing on vinyl in 1992. However, it proved difficult for him when the industry transitioned to CDs over a decade later.

"I always had a bad memory; it was difficult for me to remember the titles of the tracks without the cover. So, when Traktor offered the ability to add covers to each track, I immediately embraced this new technology." It took a few weeks, but Bueno mastered the intricacies of Traktor elevating his DJing.

When Mendo was 23, he dropped his first release through a Swiss label called Club Beat Records. "My style of music hasn't changed [since then], because I've always done house, or sub-genres like tech house or deep house."

By the time he was 33, he was approaching a turning point. "I told myself that it was now or never if I wanted to make a living from my music."

He quit his day job, sublet his apartment, moved in with his parents, and spent the next year dedicated entirely to music. Yet, after a year, he felt he needed just a bit more time. Then, one week before the end of his second year at home, a breakthrough moment arrived. 

"I received a call from Luciano on my mobile to tell me that he loved my demos." The Swiss-Chilean party-starter received the demos from his manager, who Bueno had gone to school with. "He asked me to meet me in person and from there, everything changed for me." 

Mendo signed the biggest hits of his career through Cadenza, Luciano's record label. He also joined Luciano's booking agency and became part of his vibrant party series, Vagabundos. 

Long periods of tireless work paid off for Mendo in 2009. Soon after releasing his first EP with Cadenza, Luciano unleashed one of Bueno's tunes at Time Warp Festival in front of thousands of ravers. 

"What an amazing sensation! After two years of non-stop work in the studio, I was finally able to see the culmination of my work." 

Bueno's DJing skills evolved rapidly, with observers quick to label him as a 'four-deck specialist .'"[The idea of using] four decks had been given to me by my best friend, Chab, who mixed with Ableton Live." 

Playing on four decks enables a DJ to build tension over time and create entirely new music on the spot. Layering tracks with scant rhythmic elements over loops, beats, and basslines opens up new worlds of creative control and peak dancefloor moments.

"I wouldn't say it's more difficult to play with four decks… just that playing with four decks requires a lot more preparation." Mendo prepares his sets to ensure that all of the loops, acapellas, and harmonies mesh. He treats his sets like live performances to prevent his four-deck mixes from becoming overcomplicated. 

His intricate live performances aren't just a way to show off his impressive skills behind the decks. They are a way for him to test track from his label, Clarisse, still going strong after nearly two decades. 

"Unlike many other labels, we take care to listen to all the demos and reply to them. We also try to give unknown or lesser-known artists a chance if the music is good." 

Other factors behind his label's relentless growth include the consistent work that goes into their marketing, PR, social media, and highly-curated material. 

"We always try to release quality music with good mastering and, if necessary, I take care to explain to artists how to improve their mixes or arrangements."


Words by: Luca Rizzello, follow him on Twitter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As a globe-trotting techno maven, there’s no artist quite as passionate about her craft as Fatima Hajji. The Spanish producer, DJ, and label owner is a trailblazer and a triple-threat with two decades of work under her belt. With a penchant for fast, threatening techno beats, it’s no wonder Fatima began her music career from a place of nostalgia and intense discipline.

Fatima says she clearly remembers her father always listening to music. “He was a truck driver and so often was out but when he was at home, and even sometimes when I traveled with him in the truck, he was playing Arabic music that reminded him of his childhood in Morocco,” she says.

When it comes to her drive to make music, Fatima insists the motivation source is the motivation itself. “It may sound weird but it’s the truth,” she says. “I felt from a very young age that music was my thing. Of course I had several regular jobs during some years until I was able to buy a computer and take lessons about how to use production software — it wasn’t easy at all.”

Once she received an offer from an agency to move to Madrid for production lessons, Fatima committed to juggling day jobs before taking classes. “I used to arrive tired after a long journey to the place where I took the lessons,” she says. “The motivation to be able to express what I felt with music was what kept me learning. It took many years until I was confident with my sound, and the most important thing for me is to improve myself knowing that there is no end to learning.”

Through and through, Fatima loves techno. “I was hooked early and fast to the sound,” she says. Fatima’s older brothers attended techno parties and told her she was too young to partake. However, they recorded tapes of the parties that she used to swipe and listen to at home: “It was something instantaneous and magical.”

Digging deeper into her adoration for techno, Fatima calls its culture somewhat of a “tribal thing,” citing the history of how humans used music to get in community and trance together. “It’s something powerfully spiritual,” she says. “We are social animals and to be feeling and dancing to a techno set can produce a great connection between the people.”

She’s aware that techno isn’t for everyone. “People who never get engaged with a techno set must try to feel it,” she suggests. “Of course, it is not the easiest kind of sound for some people the first time they listen to it, but not everyone is in the appropriate frequency, I’m guessing. But I’m sure most people can get in by avoiding any prejudices and letting their body feel it and expressing that through dance.”

Fatima says a typical day in the studio lasts from the afternoon until late-night. “It depends on the day, sometimes I’m looking for new music for my set but most of the time, I’m working with Logic, starting ideas, or developing new sounds.” 

When you dive into Fatima’s storied catalog, you’ll find a plethora of releases and tracks named after special figures in her life, including her Kua EP she named after one of her dogs. She says there are more titles with deeper meanings. 2013’s “Liam Como Las Lias” is named after her nephew while tracks “Nuska,” “Tanketa,” and “Aslam King” are named after her dogs and cats. She even says 2021’s “Donde Vas” was named after an inside joke between some friends — her discography is a reflection of her life.

In 2016, Fatima established herself as a curator and host by launching her record label and events imprint, Silver M. The symbolism behind the name and mission is profound. “The moon provokes an irresistible attraction along with the color silver,” she says. “The Silver Moon is a full moon, and at this time, the effects caused on Earth are the biggest — it affects nature but also us as we are part of it.” She adds that the icing on the cake is that it’s also a symbol of feminism, tying her identities together into one entity.

Coming up on Silver M, Fatima says she’s currently in the process of releasing her first full-length album with a handful of new singles on the way. Currently, Fatima says her favorite song to play out is her remix of the timeless “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics, while some of her favorite DJs and artists include Klangkuenstler and T78, flexing her hard techno taste. 

Fatima recognizes techno’s evolution towards harder and faster styles and shares her thoughts about music acting as a circle. “I think there are cycles, all goes faster and harder until it reaches a point when a new, slower trend starts to emerge,” she explains. “It happened with minimal, then with tech house, and it will happen again — then after, all will start to go faster and harder again.”

Now 20 years into her career, Fatima would give this advice to her younger self, “I think that all of the experiences accumulated in life are what make us efficient or wiser, so these experiences need to be lived.” You’ll never learn the lesson if you don’t take the ride.

Words by: Jordan Mafi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Artist Spotlights