Name: Get Real (Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke)
Start: 2022-06-12T16:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2022-06-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

As evening sunset drenches the LA Coliseum in a bath of warm magic hour light, Dirtybird Records artist and Mi Domina founder Nala strides amiably under the Olympic cauldron and across the concrete stadium pavilion. As she nears the guardrails overlooking the cavernous inner stadium, she pauses at a wooden picnic table to sit for an interview with Gray Area. From there, she soaks in the colorfully psychedelic sights, sounds, and splendor of Desert Hearts Los Angeles while talking shop.





As a central producer and artistic driver in the ever-evolving North American tech house scene, Nala’s resume overflows with accolades and accomplishments. She’s an oft-featured Dirtybird player, collaborated with label head Claude VonStroke, and enjoys a close advisory relationship with both Barclay and Aundy Crenshaw after being officially managed by the dynamic Dirtybird founding duo throughout her initial professional years. She also works closely with major artists like Walker & Royce, the trio dropped “Not About You” on Chris Lake’s Black Book Records last September to widespread acclaim.

“My entire goal is to emphasize that my contribution to dance music is coming from a rock perspective, an indie-dance punk perspective,” she tells Gray Area. That focus on marrying punk and indie-rock with dance music is a genuine, deliberate choice to pursue her unique tastes. “I get annoyed when something is too common — I rebel instantly,” she says.




Even the recent wardrobe choices for her DJ performances mirror that rebellious predilection. “I was wearing a lot of black. A lot of my friends are wearing black. The techno community wears all black,” she notes. “And I was like, I can't do this anymore. Imma wear all white [when performing] so I could separate myself, my own identity. I just feel better that way. But now I call it my work uniform. It's getting ready for the job, twisting knobs and stuff. [My] suit of armor.”




Nala’s ongoing dedication to sculpting a unique artistic identity is undeniable. Coupled with ever-sharper production skills and an uncanny ability to cleverly tap into the cultural zeitgeist with her lyrics, it’s not surprising that DJ Mag North America nominated her for breakthrough producer of the year.




“Part of me is an Aries, so I'm a little competitive,” she ponders as she considers her nomination for the coveted award. “But I'm just grateful to be considered for my work. I've fought a really long time to be acknowledged in this way.”




NEW IDENTITY

“I still work with [Barclay and Aundy Crenshaw], [but] I am trying to branch out,” Nala says of her working relationship with Dirtybird. “It took me a couple of months to figure out where my footing was as an artist outside of Dirtybird, even though I'm still touring and releasing with Dirtybird.




“I was talking about this with Walker & Royce — [Barclay] has the best taste. He knows how to hear things and make them the best they can possibly be. It was through his vision that I was able to really level up. Now, I'm like, 'how do I take that and go even further?'”

Nala’s upcoming releases may hold the answer to that question. She's again turning her gaze inward and critiquing broader cultural and social norms. “A lot of the music I’m releasing this year is growth-oriented. I have a song that’s on Club Sweat in Australia [called 'Growth']. The whole lyrical theme is growth and being a better person — acknowledging that you have wrongs and being an adult about it.




“On the opposite side, I have a song called ‘Me Me Me’ with Catz ‘n Dogz. That song is just about sex, wanting and desiring someone. I try not to dabble too deeply into that — I don’t want to only ever write about sex. But once in awhile is fine,” she says with a laugh.




“Then I have a song called ‘I Don’t Mind’, which is more interpersonal relationship stuff. This year I’m doing a lot more relational writing based on the most pressing issues in my life," she explains. “Friendships that I’ve outgrown. [Experiences] that you just have to write about when you’re going through it.”




CONFESSIONAL ARTISTS




Nala's energetic, adroitly cutting social commentary vocals are a hallmark of her music. And she's more recently begun to incorporate them live into her DJ sets.




“[Vocally], I do a lot more punk, spoken-word, indie stuff. I consider my vocals and the way that I sing like an indie boy band — like I’m the boy band lead singer," she says with a bright laugh. "I’m not Ariana Grande — I’m not doing some crazy vocal runs. I’m like some cute little indie boy.”

“With my label [Mi Domina] I'm trying to curate a very specific niche, which is really palatable, fun acid house or punk,” she says. “Punk rock is real. It’s relevant to how we experience our lives. Unless you're living in a bubble of perfection — then congratulations!” she says with an incredulous chuckle.

In this way, Nala is reframing late 90s/early 2000s pop-punk and indie-rock conventions through her current perspectives. Forward-thinking artists have utilized a similar tact across various emerging subgenres in recent years — most apparently by pioneering hyperpop artists such as 100 gecs, Dorian Elektra, and glaive. The central difference between such artists and the rest is that many songs get created in a cultural vacuum, resulting in inauthentic, caricaturesque lyrics. It’s not that Nala thinks generic dance music featuring empty-calorie lyrics shouldn’t exist. That’s just not the type of experience she hopes to provide with her music.




“I’m not here to be escapist [with lyrics],” she says bluntly. “The instrumental itself is the force of escapism.” Accordingly, she pursues a definitively different approach to writing electronic music — one that’s decidedly personal and smartly subversive.




“Confessional artists,” Nala tells Gray Area. “It's something I learned based on how Gwen Stefani writes. It’s also part of my philosophy — part of our job as artists is to dissect the human experience and make it palatable for everyone else. So the driving force behind my lyricism is: ‘How can I say what everyone is avoiding and make it so it's not offensive, [but] we can still dance to it?’ However you digest them, it could apply to your life [in] a number of ways.”

As for the bottom line of her ongoing work in electronic music? “My main thing is trying to touch on the human experience,” she says. “Why else would I make art?”




As for the “main message for the next few years” that she seeks to convey to her rapidly growing legion of dancers and punks?




“Just pay attention to the fact that I’m bringing rock into dance music again.”









Pay Attention, Nala’s Bringing Rock Back into Dance Music.

Chicago DJ and producer Gene Farris has been a staple of the house music scene for almost 30 years. He got his start in 1994 with the Journey EP on Green Velvet's (real name Curtis Jones) Relief Records. Farris and Jones have remained close friends and collaborators ever since. Jones even convinced Farris to continue his work in music when he thought his career was over in 2008 after moving back to The States from Amsterdam.


Their firm friendship has also been the anchor for over ten years of collaboration. Starting in 2010 with "The Music Box," Farris has worked it out on raw and funky tech house releases with both of Jones's aliases, Green Velvet and Cajmere. A certain kind of magic happens when two veterans and celebrated artists can find synergy in the studio on so many occasions.




We pulled together five of our favorite Gene Farris and Curtis Jones collabs. Read on and rave on.













1. Gene Farris, Green Velvet - LOL

In 2017 the pair ventured into the darker side of tech with this hypnotic bomb of a track. Green Velvet has long been a master of blending shadowy, almost maniacal vocals with the steady thump of a warehouse-tinged bassline. "LOL" is no different, with a warped voice commanding you to dance and laughing like a lunatic over a bed of stuttering arps, misty foghorns, and a grinding techno beat.




2. Gene Farris, Green Velvet - Galaxie

In 2019 Gene and Curtis took us on a ride into the cosmos with a disco-tinged treat. Proving that less is more, the methodical bassline thumps along with little more than some sprinkles of ear candy and sparse reverbed vocals atop. After decades of production, these two know how to create stark yet danceable beats.




3. Cajmere, Gene Farris - The Inside

Flipping things over to Green Velvet's alter ego, Cajmere, "The Inside" is a decidedly funkier and housier affair. Trading the hypnotics for a funky bounce and even more disco-tinged flair. This is the classic Chicago house sound at its finest.




4. Gene Farris, Cajmere - O' Darlin

Masterfully sampling The O'Jays 1976 hit "Darlin' Darlin' Baby," the boys craft a sunny funky house record. The looped vocal and bright strings leave you longing for the long summer days or the twirl of a disco ball.




5. Gene Farris, Cajmere - Swing Set (feat. Karen Incognito)

Yet another masterful sample pull from two Chicago legends. "Swing Set" puts the jack on "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" by Louis Prima. There are few swing-era drum lines and horn riffs with as much power as this one. Curtis and Gene slap a powerful kick beneath the bed of jazzy trumpets, turning a 30's favorite into a club heater.






5 House Heaters From Chicago Legends Gene Farris and Green Velvet

Gene Farris doesn’t subscribe to the idea that you should never meet your heroes. On the contrary, throughout his decades-long career, the Chicago house stalwart has made a positive practice out of not just meeting his but working alongside them and, in turn, becoming a house hero in his own right.




His first residency, as a young up-and-comer in the early 90’s warehouse days, was with Godfather of House, Frankie Knuckles, at his legendary club, the Power House. Cutting his teeth on such a storied dancefloor, he laid the groundwork for thirty years of party rockin and evangelizing the good word of house music to the world.




Chicago house legend Green Velvet (aka Cajmere) put out some of Farris’ first records in 1995 on Relief Records, “Journey” and “Farris Wheel.” The duo formed a deep bond in those early days that has persisted. Over the years, they’ve collaborated several times. They fabulously captured the spirit of Chicago’s classic sound in 2010 on “The Music Box.” And as recently as 2019, their hit, “Galaxie,” rocketed to the top of the Beatport charts, and was a staple in Dj mixes.




As someone who started releasing music in the mid-1990s in the Windy City, Farris was surrounded by the artists who are now rightfully considered the originators of the craft.

“Lil Louis was my hero. Ron Hardy was my hero,” Farris said in a conversation with Will Clarke on The Will Clarke Podcast.




Lil Louis and Ron Hardy are, of course, two of Chicago’s earliest innovators of house music. Chicago has always been thick with talent. And during the fabled second wave, Farris brushed shoulders with Mark Farina, DJ Heather, DJ Sneak, DJ Rush, and the late Paul Johnson. These groundbreaking artists gave him hope for his future.




“‘Everyone doesn’t have something to be hopeful for,” Farris says.




Growing up in the south side of Chicago, an area he describes as “the hood,” Farris saw many of his friends grow up without hope. Some even passed away at a young age.




For Farris, music gave him hope. And so meeting his heroes and working with them paired that sense of hope with a vision. A vision of living a life just like theirs, and here is living that life today.









Gene Farris's House Music Heroes

When you read the word “Dirtybird,” what comes to mind? Funky, idiosyncratic house music? Sure. Highly curated events with a crowd of eager weirdos ready to express themselves? Probably. But there are probably also some specific names that come to mind, like Claude VonStroke, Ardalan, Walker & Royce, and Justin Martin.



While in recent years, Martin has staked his claim in dance music as a solo artist via his own label and event series, What To Do, for over a decade, he was a core member of the Dirtybird crew.



That kind of loyalty has always been one of the hallmarks of Dirtybird, the record label, event series, clothing brand, and cultural force founded by Claude VonStroke. Artists and fans stick with Claude, real name Barclay Crenshaw, through the thickest beats and the thinnest rave outfits because he’s created a space where everyone can express themselves through music, dancing, or whatever else.

Martin was one of the crew’s earliest members because he met Crenshaw before Dirtybird existed. In the early 2000s, Martin was already very much into DJing and just starting to produce. Justin’s brother Christian (a celebrated DJ and producer in his own right) mentioned that Justin should meet his friend who was making a documentary about the big DJs of the time, like trance legend Paul Van Dyk and Chicago house stalwart Derrick Carter. According to Christian, because of the documentary, this friend of his knew all the production secrets of the day.



Justin agreed to meet him, and Christian’s friend made Justin this offer:

“I’ll trade you some tricks of the trade if you give me some music for the documentary,” Justin repeated to Grammy Pro in 2016.



Christian’s friend turned out to be Barclay Crenshaw.



Going further back, the connection began when Christian’s co-worker’s mother met Crenshaw’s mom at the grocery store. They became friends. Their kids became friends. Christian meets Crenshaw, Crenshaw meets Justin, and the rest is history.



How Justin Martin Became a Dirtybird Player

Beyond the mainstage, Ultra Music Festival has a history of curating forward-thinking house and techno lineups that rival any of the downtown and South Beach antics during Miami Music Week. Returning to Bayfront Park Friday, March 24 - Sunday, March 26, Ultra's Resistance will host two stages of heart-stopping techno and groove-inducing house.




Most are fully aware of the iconic Megastructure with its hulking framework, astounding LED bars that rise and fall from the ceiling, and next-generation artistic design. However, Resistance Cove is where you want to be for outdoor intimacy, perfectly positioned for Miami's beautiful tropical weather. Isolated to the side of Bayfront Park Resistance Cove was designed to bring a tiny slice of the memorable Resistance Island concept to Bayfront Park. Set amidst a grove of palm trees, it offers storytelling views of Miami's skyline and Biscayne Bay.




The weekend features three full-day stage takeovers from some of the most respected brands in underground dance.




On Friday, Nicole Moudaber takes on an unexpected yet exciting new location bringing her Mood label family to the intimate side of Resistance. She'll light up the night with a jaw-dropping B2B with techno legend and CLR boss Chris Liebing. UK-born Maya Jane Coles and Swedish star Ida Engberg will bring their powerful female techno-magic to the stage. Luigi Madonna will perform alongside fellow Italian techno don Roberto Capuano reviving the intensity of their 2020 Drumcode collaboration Mad World. And rounding out the intense opening day is Aussie-born, London-based Juliet Fox, who will keep the energy high and fire off some tasteful tracks.

On Saturday, Joris Voorn will unleash his Spectrum project. Started to encompass his divergent duo of record labels in 2005, Spectrum has grown into a force of its own, encompassing a record label, events series, and radio show.




Voorn tells Gray Area, "This is an exciting moment for Spectrum. Hosting the Cove stage at Ultra in Miami with such an all-star lineup - it's going to be an amazing day." And we agree. Joris will continue a weekend of massive talent at The Cove. Heading things up with him are Iranian maestro Dubfire doing a b2b with Danish native Kölsch. Afterlife regulars Mind Against will bring their emotionally drenched melodic sounds to the stage. Fideles, known for their transcendental dreamscapes, will craft a caringly curated musical journey. And Franky Wah, who recently launched his new label SHÈN, is a must-see act as he always delivers and serves his crowd with an unworldly blend of euphoric breakbeat, techno, and house.

On Sunday, Dirtybird heads tap in! The dad West Coast house and leader of Dirtybird Records, Claude VonStroke, is pulling up with his wonky and fresh, out-of-the-box tech-house tunes. VonStroke tells Gray Area that the Dirtybird crew is "kicking off a new year of Dirtybird Players shows and festival appearances. This is our full-label tour in about four years, so everyone is excited about it."




Claude is bringing the finest members of the birdhouse to close out the festival: Rules Don't Apply founders and owners Walker & Royce, modular synth demon Lubelski, everyone's favorite sour and sweet tech house titan VNSSA, Basement Leak founder and producer of one of Dirtybird's most defining hits "OKAY" Shiba San, rising twin duo RaeCola, and Kyle Kinch who has recently begun to dominate the international circuit.

Everyone leaves Ultra with the sense that the Megastructure is one of the festival's crowning achievements. However, with a lineup like this, you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't spend a good amount of time at Resistance's small but mighty little sister. The Cove may be a smaller stage, but the acts are massive, and the music will be next-level.



























Resistance Cove is The Move for Underground House and Techno at Ultra Miami

Claude Von Stroke’s trailblazing label, Dirtybird, has become synonymous with innovative music punctuated by left-field elements. Some tracks got groove, some have power, but all are guaranteed to be delightfully weird. “Ice Cream Cone,” by Claude Von Stroke, Lubelski, and Life On Planets is a certified bop with a shuffle-ready beat and enticing production, but the tune recently received a mind-numbing remix that pushes it to the highest echelons of avant-garde.





Exploring the bounds of dance music isn’t for everyone. It takes a strange mind to concoct something fit for the Dirtybird library. But no artist is better suited for the challenge than legendary producer, Skream. Not only did he undeniably impact the development of the dubstep genre in the early 2000s, he is also one of few artists to successfully pivot from dubstep to house. Recently, we’ve seen the multi-label head stoke the old flames of his first love while playing a prominent role in the greater dance music landscape. This mastery of the light and the low end comes to a head in Skream’s four-minute Modular Remix of “Ice Cream Cone.”



Push play and listen to what might be the most alluring industrial glitch around. A steady bounce into sense-tingling hypnosis seems unavoidable as a minimal percussion kit sets a hollow but steadfast tether to reality. Distorted vocals cast a peculiarly tempting spell while mechanical ticks ring out into space, shamelessly suspending listeners in a state of guarded seduction.




Saying this track is off-the-wall would be an understatement, and that’s exactly why we love it. If true art sparks feeling and conversation, consider us set ablaze.

Skream Gives Lubelski’s ‘Ice Cream Cone’ a Hectic Modular Remix

ULTRA Worldwide’s esteemed underground concept, RESISTANCE is coming home in 2023. This spring, the global events brand debuts its inaugural U.S. residency at M2, the newest nightlife hotspot in Miami Beach. With an impressive first wave of Season 1 headliners and epic showcases scheduled for Miami Music Week, RESISTANCE Miami might become the hottest residency in the States.




For the last eight years, RESISTANCE has transformed into a global powerhouse in underground curation. Their stunning programming and formidable lineups have graced stages across 35 countries. Always known to swing big, RESISTANCE debuted its first-ever residency in Ibiza at the world’s largest nightclub, Privilege, in 2017. The following year, only in its sophomore season, RESISTANCE Ibiza was awarded the coveted title of ‘Best Ibiza Night 2018’ by DJ Awards.




Following three award-winning years in Ibiza, ULTRA will now launch its inaugural U.S. club residency. From Ultra Festival’s beloved hometown of Miami Beach, RESISTANCE Miami will transport the fully-immersive Ibiza clubbing experience to America for the first time. The new home base will be M2, the newly-minted nightclub in the heart of the Art Deco District.




“The RESISTANCE Ibiza club residency at Privilege is legendary on the island, and now we’re bringing the magic of that immersive underground clubbing experience home to showcase in Miami,” Ultra Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO Russell Faibisch says.




RESISTANCE Miami will kick off during the illustrious Miami Music Week in March 2023. To start the weekend, Adam Beyer and his highly-regarded imprint Drumcode will do an official label takeover on Thursday, March 23. On Friday, RESISTANCE hosts British underground legends Sasha & John Digweed for the duo’s exclusive Miami Music Week performance. ULTRA rounds out its MMW debut with another underground event on Saturday and the Official MMW Closing Party on Sunday, March 26, with headliners yet to be announced. 




After another pop-up of various events during Race Week in early May, RESISTANCE will begin its weekly Saturday programming on Halloween weekend and run through to the closing party on May 11, 2024.




Their first round of Season 1 headliners include a bevy of underground titans. Performers include fast-rising Italian talent Anfisa Letyago, illustrious Ultra veteran Carl Cox, DJ Mag 2022 Alternative #1 DJ Charlotte De Witte, Italian producer Enrico Sangiuliano, Claude VonStroke b2b Green Velvet as Get Real, Oliver Heldens’ darker moniker HI-LO b2b contemporary techno-wizard Layton Giordani, and many more.




In true ULTRA fashion, The debut season of RESISTANCE Miami promises to curate an elevated nightlife experience for both VIP guests and dance floor denizens, soundtracked by the world’s most celebrated house and techno maestros.



Ultra’s RESISTANCE Debuts Inaugural U.S. Club Residency at M2 in Miami

Iran

Ardalan

The Piratebay, the world's most resilient torrent site, is actually a real place.




Ardalan's been there.




Many years ago, somewhere in Tehran, Iran, there was a mall. In this mall, there was a room. In this room, there was a man with a computer filled with compilations of music, and for a nominal fee, he would burn that music onto a disc for you.




It's where Ardalan Noghre-Kar, a premier house and techno artist, would buy music growing up. Covert missions to buy music engrained the gritty, clandestine, and illicit nature of the underground into his musical DNA. He continues to honor that upbringing with his eclectic DJ sets and productions today.




"It's all about that raw feeling you get the first time you make music or you look for music. I've never wanted to forget that feeling,'" Noghre-Kar says from a studio in a barn somewhere in Los Angeles. "For me, it's always that feeling. It's always going to go back to that feeling. It's that excitement that keeps me wanting to do what I'm doing."




The real-life Piratebay wasn't Noghre-Kar's only source of music in his early days. In Iran, where Western music was banned and there were no legitimate record stores, he had to rely on two primary sources.




The first was his family. His father was an avid saxophonist. And his brother sparked his interest in house music when he gifted Ardy a cassette tape that featured Daft Punk's "Around The World" on one side and Tupac on the, which explains the significant hip-hop influence in Ardalan's music.






The second was new technology. As an architect, his father was one of the first people in Iran to work with CAD programming giving Noghre-Kar early access to computers and the internet. Ardalan's interest in technology drove his interest in music.




"I was really into computers since I was 6-7; downloading games and music. It was a really interesting time because I grew up on the internet. I would find so much music [by] downloading illegally because you didn't have anything else in Iran," says Noghre-Kar.




He perused now-ancient platforms like Winamp, which included a section called SHOUTcast with different web-streaming radio stations playing genres like drum & bass, house, and techno.




Noghre-Kar also spent a great deal of his younger years in the Bay Area (which he would eventually call home as an adult), and through those travels, his love of music and technology evolved.






The Bay Area was always an affluent hub for tech. And when he first arrived, he fit right into that culture. He attended De Anza College (the same school Steve Jobs attended with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak) and took an intro electronic music course.




"They taught some really cool tricks with programs that I use like Reason and Ableton," he remembers. "That class made such a profound effect on the rest of my life."






As he was engaging with music production from a more academic perspective, he also attended notable electronic music parties in the area. He attended Sunset parties thrown by the mythic Wicked crew. He went to Drum & Bass shows thrown by Haight-Ashbury outfit Compound Records. But most influential on his life trajectory was the regular Dirtybird BBQ in Golden Gate Park. These parties birthed the globalized record label, clothing line, and event brand that Dirtybird is today.






Noghre-Kar attended his first BBQ when he was 17. It was also his first real music event in the US. Founding members Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, and Christian Martin were all there playing great music as the late Grillson served up great food.




"Doesn't get any better than this. This is the direction I want to go," Noghre-Kar says of the first BBQ. "They all took me in and got me really excited to make music."






He skipped his shift at Cold Stone Creamery to go, got fired the next day, and the following year he debuted the unmistakable "Mr. Spock" on Dirtybird with Justin Martin,






"It was a really interesting and fun way for the universe to tell me you're doing what you're doing. You're doing something for yourself," Noghre-Kar says.




That track would launch a close relationship with Dirtybird that persists. He's had numerous releases and compilation offerings on the label, including his debut album Mr. Good. Ardalan (or Tiesto of Modesto as Dirtybird's most passionate members lovingly call him) is still an expected and very welcome name on the lineup for the summer-camp-themed festival, Dirtybird Campout.






"It's always fun. It feels like you're back in high school in some ways when you go. All your friends are there and you can interact with the fans. Very homie vibes," Noghre-Kar says.




That sense of fun and community is something Noghre-Kar carries into numerous activities, including his nascent party brand, Ardy Pardy. In a relatively short life span, Ardy Pardy has expanded all over the US, popping up in San Francisco, Chicago, and Art Basel in Miami.




"I just always wanted to throw a party. Curate the sound and have that simple element of wanting to throw a fun party where I can have a good time and not necessarily DJ the whole time. Have my friends who I really love play my parties and be able to enjoy it with other people," Noghre-Kar says. "It's a very fun experiment where I can be creative visually or I can make the party super fun in a simple way. Being silly but also having really good music. Now it's become something where I need to take it to the next level."


Ardy Pardy isn't his first mission in community building. With the help of other friends and musicians with Dirtybird associations like Walker & Royce, Justin Martin, and VNSSA, Noghre-Kar helped to start a Twitch channel over the pandemic called GoodTV.




The pandemic was jarring for Noghre-Kar, but it also afforded him the opportunity to revisit his love of tech by learning all about streaming.




"I went back to feeling like I was 10 years old learning something," Noghre-Kar says.






Like taking that electronic music course in community college, learning streaming presented new opportunities for him to express his creativity and connect with his roots. The first stream he did was with Deep House Tehran, a collective of artists living in Iran.




"There were all these Iranian fans and that was the most beautiful thing ever because I hadn't played for people from Iran ever," Noghre-Kar says. "I started curating nights where I would showcase artists specifically from Iran and it was really amazing to be able to open that door for people around the world—creating new fan bases for them because there are so many talented artists in Iran. For me, it was an experience of learning about people from my homeland and seeing their art and having a platform for them."






Noghre-Kar is determined to continue supporting artists from Iran either through more streams in the future or a record label he intends to start.




He acknowledges that he is blessed to be in a position where he can travel the world playing music or shack up in a barn making a new album like he was doing just before the interview (expect Tarzalan sometime in 2023).




But he knows now more than ever there are so many artists in Iran who have the potential to do the same, and many of them are probably still hitting The Piratebay to get their new music the same way he did.


















House and techno would be nothing without Curtis Jones, a.k.a. Green Velvet (a.k.a. Cajmere). Coming up in Chicago when house music first took its name from parties at the now mythical establishment, The Warehouse, Jones has shaped house music from the beginning.



Today his unmistakable green mohawk continues to bounce above DJ gear at clubs and festivals everywhere in the world, and his record labels—Cajual Records and Relief Records—are still sharing the best music from both established artists and rising talents sure to be the next big thing.



In his 30 years representing the roots of the scene, Jones has likely crossed paths with every prominent member of the global house and techno community, and he first made contact with Eskuche in the summer of 2018 on the island of Ibiza.



The meeting was simple enough. They were both at the party, and Eskuche made sure to introduce himself to Jones.



Just a couple of months later, Eskuche was mulling over a track that had been sitting on his computer for over three months. No label seemed like the right fit. At that point, it was destined to remain a weapon for his own sets and his peers with whom he shared it.







That track was named “Concentrate,” and on a whim, Eskuche decided to send it to Jones. What did he have to lose?



Within 30 minutes, Jones was telling Eskuche how much he loved the track and proposed to release it the following week. Usually, tracks take months from signing to release, but Curtis Jones doesn’t waste any time.



He shared “Concentrate” via Relief Records in November of 2018, and by the beginning of 2019, Eskuche was playing La La Land parties alongside Jones.



With his kind of experience in the scene, Curtis Jones knows what’s going to work and what isn’t. He knew Eskuche would work, and four years into their creative relationship, it’s clear he was right beyond a reasonable doubt.



How Green Velvet Helped Push Eskuche's Career Forward

Jay Lumen produced and played tech house for several years, but once the scene became oversaturated he moved on to techno. Right before he did, however, Green Velvet tapped him for a collab, and he couldn’t say no to a personal hero.



Lumen is something of a stylistic magpie. His early releases came from labels like the progressive powerhouse Global Underground, the trance imprint Anjunjabeats, and Baroque Records, which released both. But he has shown an eagerness to continually evolve.



“I'm always happy to change and switch my sound a little bit,” Lumen told Gray Area during his Spotlight interview. “If a sound is not inspiring me anymore, I don't want to do that again. So after a few years, I was thinking, ‘Progressive house music and progressive trance music are not really my sound.’" 

"So I switched to tech house around 2007," Lumen continued. "I was very happy and really into it. After a point, when everybody just started to jump into the scene, around 2011, I said, ‘I gotta do something different.’ I switched my sound around 2011 to techno, fully. I'm so happy with the choice.”



But in 2014, Lumen made one last envoi to the tech-house sound, when he teamed up with Green Velvet on “It's All About Me.”





“Of course, if you get a request from Green Velvet, you always say yes. Especially if the guy is your hero,” Lumen told Gray Area. “I was always a big fan of Green Velvet; he's a really good guy, as a person and as an artist as well. I really loved his old school stuff: ‘Destination Unknown’ and ‘Flash.’ Everybody knows his tracks. I was really happy when we [got] this chance to collaborate with him. I was really happy with it and played [it] everywhere.”



With its stomping groove, heavy on the toms, and Velvet’s languid voiceover, “It’s All About Me” marked a bridge between old-school Chicago house and the tech house that marked a later era. It also acted as a bridge as Lumen moved from one musical area to another. “I made a techno remix for that collaboration track, as well, because I was already in the techno scene,” he said.

The Green Velvet Collab that Closed Out Jay Lumen’s Tech House Era

EDC Orlando 2022 has officially come and gone. This year over 200,000 festival-goers reunited “Under the Electric Sky” for Insomniac’s flagship East Coast event. The threat of Hurricane Nicole, which passed through the Orlando area the day before the festival, left many with flight cancellations. However, the festival grounds remained unscathed, and those who could arrange other travel plans experienced an unforgettable weekend.






Each EDC Orlando stage encompassed a unique vibe and genre. With more than five to choose from, there was a little something for every dance music fanatic. But for the house heads and techno tourists, all feet were glued to the dancefloor at the neonGARDEN with acts like Charlotte de Witte and CamelPhat throwing down.




On Friday, in-house underground house and techno brand, Factory 93 partnered with Patrick Topping to bring his legendary Trick brand to the United States for the first time. And on Saturday Green Velvet presented his La La Land party brand and stage takeover where attendees were lucky enough to witness a rare triple b2b as Green Velvet, Dom Dolla, and John Summit closed out the stage.

As we predicted, Insomniac repurposed the neonGARDEN stage from this year’s EDC Las Vegas. Out with the old hangar-style tent and in with the new open-air warehouse setting. Shipping containers splattered with graffiti surrounded the stage in a one-of-a-kind 360-degree fashion, offering an exclusive urban jungle experience.









The success of neonGARDEN wouldn’t have been possible without the help of stage-curators Factory 93. In fact, it was one of their most memorable stages yet. Each year they explore the depths of creativity and innovation while preserving the authenticity of the underground. Since they began curating the neonGARDEN stage in 2018, their love and appreciation for house music has ignited a country-wide movement and mass admiration for its distinctive culture. Outside of EDC Orlando, they have hosted stages at other Insomniac festivals like EDC Mexico and one-off events at their warehouse in Los Angeles.



Factory 93 has risen to be one of the reigning brands for all things house music. Last year, Insomniac announced another addition to their evolving catalog of record labels, Factory 93 Records. Honing in on the worldly sounds of underground house, techno, tech house, and even disco, listeners can discover established and rising artists from across the globe. Factory 93 Records is the next big step in achieving its goal to grow its platform and the culture within it. Insomniac founder, Pasquale Rotella, released the following statement in a press release:




“Factory 93 represents the beginning of Insomniac. Underground dance music will always be the roots of everything we do. Factory 93 is a very passionate part of the Insomniac portfolio worldwide, which makes this new record label even more exciting for us. With the addition of Factory 93 Records, our team will be able to carry over its vision from the live events side into a carefully curated catalog we can’t wait for you to hear.”




Factory 93’s involvement with Insomniac doesn’t stop there. Last May, they teamed up to premiere a brand new two-day festival dedicated to underground house music called Skyline. Taking place at Lot 54 at The Vanguard, festival-goers experienced a mesmerizing display of digital & street art exhibits, graffiti murals, and of course, non-stop heart-pumping house and techno beats.

Inspired by EDC’s neonGARDEN concept for its second edition this year, Skyline did not feature a single LED wall. Instead, they enclosed the main stage with their graffiti-laden shipping containers. By focusing on the basics and providing an intimate environment for attendees, they cultivated the ultimate underground experience. Skyline even expanded to the West Coast in Los Angeles, so no matter where you’re from, Insomniac and Factory 93 have got you covered.




Since Factory 93 was founded, they have shown no signs of slowing down. As our underground community continues to grow increasingly popular across the country, we are excited to see what the future holds for Factory 93’s impact on the neonGARDEN stage and the festival community.



Factory 93 Continues to Bring House & Techno Heat to EDC Orlando

How a lifelong passion for electronic music and community building for Dirtybird Records head honcho Claude VonStroke helped establish Dirtybird as one of the preeminent brands in American electronic music.






In the early 2000s, long before he was Claude VonStroke, Barclay Crenshaw independently produced and directed the documentary Intellect: Techno House Progressive. Some regard Intellect as one of the most comprehensive films ever made about DJs and underground electronic music culture.



Intellect features a staggering amount of interviews from pioneering DJs and electronic music producers—Juan Atkins, Miguel Migs, Orbital, Paul Van Dyk, Deep Dish, Sandra Collins, Steve Lawler — the list goes on. Justin Martin, the first cornerstone producer on Dirtybird Records, also made much of the original music for Intellect rendering the catalyst for the foundation of Dirtybird Records.




“Derrick Carter and I were in New York on 9/11. I was completely broke. And I still had to finish my movie,” recalls VonStroke. Despite the tragic events, the desperate director did what had to save his fledgling documentary.




“I went and begged [Carter] to do his interview. He didn’t want to do it. No one wanted to do anything [after 9/11]!” said VonStroke, speaking to Gray Area at Dirtybird Campout. “But he came down out of his room at the W Hotel and did the best interview of the whole [documentary]. Last night, we were chatting about [Carter’s Intellect interview] for the first time since it happened,” reminisces VonStroke.




“Full circle. That’s 21 years later,” VonStroke says, a look of awe quickly spreading across his face.




Roots run deep at Dirtybird Campout.




CHICAGO HOUSE

“It’s so good!” barks DJ Sneak in response to a query from fellow DJ Mark Farina as two Chicago house legends join ringleader Derrick Carter in the Thursday night Bass Lodge booth.




Being onstage like that at Campout “is like cooking with your best friends in somebody’s kitchen that we know,” says Sneak.




“The funny part is that we don’t even speak about what we’re gonna play. We just show up and play. That’s always been our formula, we just freestyle. We’re so seasoned, we each have a style. When we come together — it’s magic.”




Deron Delgado, Dirtybird Records label manager, explains Campout’s booking of the three living Chicago house legends to open the festival.




“Sneak and Carter and Farina — we literally grew up listening to [them] before any of us were DJs,” says Delgado. “Personally, they’re three of my biggest influences growing up as a wee raver.”




Sneak says that “Derrick has always been our lead — I’m from Chicago too, Mark’s from Chicago. But Derrick has always been that lead and that light. He’s like the libra mama, you know? We follow his lead. His best is fucking incredible.”




“I’ve been in the business for 30 years. The last 15 years for me was really strange because the whole EDM thing switched demographics,” Sneak continues. “It wasn’t real talented DJs. It was talented performers, entertainers of some sort. But not DJs,” says Sneak.

Sneak might be right. The musical vapidity of EDM is likely not culturally sustainable. But it’s still a giant slice of the worldwide electronic music pie. But according to Sneak, a generational sea change might be at play.




“What’s happening now is there was two generations after EDM and now there’s this,” says Sneak. “They’re starting to be like, ‘we want authentic, we want underground. We want the real stuff — we want to know what it is that Derrick Carter and DJ Sneak and Mark Farina are known for.’”




As for his relationship with Dirtybird, Sneak says that “Claude’s around my age, we’re in the same circles. It’s great that there’s a new way, a new platform to expose these kids to real underground music.”







THE GANJA GARDEN

“I stopped smoking a couple of months ago and ironically booked the Ganja Garden,” Delgado, the label manager for Dirtybird Records, says before his Friday morning set at the Ganja Garden — the newest stage presented by Dirtybird in partnership with the People’s Remedy dispensary.




Explaining the thought process behind booking artists for Campout, Delgado says, “There’s the Birdhouse and the Bass Lodge. The Birdhouse is obviously the fun house, tech house stuff like that and then Bass Lodge where we can get totally weird and do whatever we want with it. We put out a lot of house and techno records but we’re all big fans of bass and drum and bass.”




The actual process behind the booking strategy?




“It’s a constant jigsaw puzzle,” concedes Delgado.




There’s also the ever-present question of how the label and events have created Dirtybird’s ongoing sound.




“We have our own sound, and I think that sound has a very big dynamic range,” analyzes Delgado. “Maybe when we first started 17 years ago it was more narrow but now the Dirtybird sound both at the label and at our events, is much wider.”




For VonStroke, the record label was created at lead partly as a rejection of the house music status quo.




“The record label was started because we didn’t really like what was going on in house [music] that much. It was cool, but… it’s actually the same stuff that’s getting popular right now,” says VonStroke. “This really glossy, vocal house that’s way too well produced. It doesn’t sound organic anymore. Like a pop producer is making it.”




VonStroke says he seeks something more from the electronic music he purveys to wide audiences.




“I wanted to add elements of hip hop and drum and bass and more gritty sounds into house. I mean, it totally worked [for Dirtybird]. But now, everyone’s cloned it five times over. So we’re always pushing the next thing.”




Pushed to articulate Dirtybird’s constantly evolving central sound, VonStroke responds with a chuckle. “We’re just doing everything that’s not bro house! Anything where you drink beer out of a shoe, we’re not releasing. And it’s kind of our fault that even happened. So — we’re sorry!”




What happens when everything is self-referential all the time? What has meaning then? Will Dirtybird swallow its tail feathers until it eventually blinks out of existence? Or does Dirtybird rise above the cultural fray to become an inter-generational dance music powerhouse? Only time will tell.




The future sound of Dirtybird for VonStroke?




“I don’t have any idea,” VonStroke says earnestly.







AN AUSTRIAN HOUSEHEAD IN AMERICA

Back on the scorching blacktop path near the entrance to the festival grounds, Regina walks sluggishly in the afternoon sun, her face obscured under a full-head tan-colored camping visor.




Originally from Austria but now located near Wilmington, North Carolina, she says there isn’t anything similar to Dirtybird Campout on the east coast where she lives.




“A different mindset,” she croaks in a heavy Viennese accent, voice already obliterated by 3:00 pm on day two.




Regina has strong feelings about house music and her conception of bass music.




“House music takes you on a journey to a new world. I dance with my eyes closed,” she reminiscences, her voice barely a whisper. “You want the people around you to create the energy.”




When asked about her thoughts about the different styles of bass music at Dirtybird Campout, she smirks in a quickly spiteful turn.




“I hate bass music!” she sputters.




It’s not a surprising opinion coming from a European house head like her. She’s immovable from her position that bass music cannot inspire the same feelings as house music.




Her perspective makes sense, though, when referring to Plump Record founder Kevin Knapp’s unique perspective on the physical and cultural divides between bass music in general and house and techno — a gap that spans both musical genres and the Atlantic Ocean.




“I’ve just spent nine years in Berlin. My partner and I just moved back [to America] in January,” says Knapp. “The scene in America and the scene in Europe are a bit more distant now than I think they were in the past. So I don’t know what Europe often considers ‘bass music’ is that influential for them right now from a cultural perspective.”




Perhaps this is where Dirtybird might be able to make its biggest cultural impact — by connecting artists, sounds, and aesthetics across genres and physical space itself.




PINK FUZZY GOLF CART

Back-back stage at the Birdhouse, Mary Droppinz winces in pain as she climbs into the passenger seat of the pink fuzzy upholstered luxury golf cart.




She’d just sprained her ankle in a personal training session before Campout began. Try to see if you can notice even a hint of that injury during her bouncy stage performance and other appearances in the various booths at Dirtybird Campout over the weekend.




Concerning the often disparate sounds that play at Campout, she says, “they totally coexist. I love house myself. I have a house side to me and I play that, but there’s also the bass side,” observes Droppinz.




“Dirtybird is a place where people that have really great tastes can come and just enjoy and frolic. That’s what’s cool — if you like bass and house the you just know there’s seasoned electronic listeners, and I like that”, says Droppinz.




“That’s what’s special about it here.”







A PERCOMANIAC AMONG DIRTYBIRDS

“I think my sound is pretty eclectic, a bit psychedelic, and probably a little disorienting at times,” says Dirtybird resident Lubelski. “My good friend [and Percomanics label mate] Wyatt Marshall loves to say that my sets are like getting beaten down by drums and synths.”




That’s a fair way to describe Lubelski’s unique, dynamically searching sound.




Regarding Dirtybird’s unique crowd, Lubelski says, “I think the Dirtybird crowd really loves their booty-shaking beats, but they are also very receptive to new sounds given the lineup that Claude has curated.”




And on the mixture of subgenres for the fan base at Campout and the friction between fans of different subgenres, Lubelski says at Campout, “there isn’t any sense of elitism or snobbery. All good vibes. It shows how Dirtybird places their priorities on fun, music, and community.”




Those who may wonder where Dirtybird’s future sound lies would be wise to pay attention to forward-thinking artists currently in Dirtybird’s orbit — artists like Lubelski, Droppinz, Nala, Ardalan, and Walker & Royce. These artists, who actively explore across genres and aren’t beholden to any hard and fast rule about electronic music, are those to pay attention to moving forward. They’ll set the future Dirtybird sound through their creative decisions in their upcoming releases — likely in unexpected ways.




Maybe that’s why VonStroke sounds so honest when he claims he has “no idea” where the sound of Dirtybird is going next.
























Dirtybird Residents on What Makes Campout Unique







Miami-born, LA-based DJ, Producer, and vocalist Nala emerged from the pandemic as one of Dirtybird's most powerful and poised voices. She struck a chord with an aesthetic that fuses indie rock and underground dance with an electric stage presence. Her brilliantly poetic lyrics are a breath of fresh air in a world flush with banal party tech. And her upfront delivery conjures the spirit of Blondie in the heyday of CBGB.




As she fights the sound of a lawnmower outside her LA home she tells me : "I make this joke all the time that I like when women yell and I like gentle, kind men in music. Soft, delicate, men like The Cure. And I like Blondie. I just want both worlds in dance music right now."




The indie dance meets punk rock image she cultivates has made her a standout in house music since the release of her Dirtybird debut, "Red," with Steve Darko in 2021. Her follow-up solo EP, Psychic Attack, further cemented her unique voice as one of the few in dance music that has something to say with her music. And now she's struck out on her own with Mi Domina, a record label and femme-dominated platform. Its first release sees Nala teaming up with Miami techno and electro mainstay E.R.N.E.S.T.O. for the three-track Get Familiar EP.

Being closely aligned with a venerated, respected label like Dirtybird may lead one to wonder why Nala would want to go her own way. Surprisingly she says, "it was Barclay— Claude VonStroke's idea. He thought it would be a good idea for me to have an outlet that's simply my own. And, and he's not wrong."




VonStroke and his wife Aundy were the core of Nala's team over the last year, And after working so closely with her, they recognize the fierce strength and independence foundational to her personality. Her unbridled creativity has led her to occupy a unique space in dance music that both personifies the spirit of feminism and communicates a deft understanding of how one can infuse social justice with modern dance floor heaters.




"That allows me to have the creative freedom to build out this whole space of my imagination," she says about Mi Domina. "In addition to that, I now get to work and highlight artists that I find [that are] femme, or they're non-binary, or they're just like really nice men. I get to exclude the assholes. I don't have to work with anyone I don't want to work with, and I get to really highlight guys in the industry that are actually good people, that are like super kind, but also super talented. [I get] to create this world where nice people come together."

Nala has been vocal about a scene overrun with unkind, self-important people. The lyrics for "God Complex," while open to interpretation, she explains, speak directly to this.




"When I first started writing it, I was really talking about Twitter and DJs. People that think they're so much smarter and better than everyone else. And they're making these critiques as if they're above everyone. That song is really like kind of a mockery."


All of Nala's lyrics are dual-layered, working on a macro and micro level.

It's not just the Dj community she's exposing. She's revealing the hypocrisy of an even wider net of shitty people.




"In a heavier sense, people that are putting out these abortion laws are people that have had abortions or have paid for other people's abortions. So, it's very 'above the law below your standards. We're untouched, but we're also very demanding,' right?" She says, quoting the lyrics to the song. "Like, we have everything we need already. But we're going to go ahead and be more demanding than we need to be. There's always two sides to lyrics that I write, there's the personal side. And then there's the bigger picture side."




It's a strong but expected statement for Nala and her label. Perfectly indicative of an imprint that will see femme-fronted punk bands sit alongside and collaborate with electronic producers. Bridging two worlds with more in common than most would admit and taking on a sound that she lovingly calls "grungy punk acid rave."




Starting the label comes at an opportune time for Nala, a year and change into her journey as a touring act, she's more comfortable and focused than ever. She explains that life on the road at times revealed a dark mental health aspect exacerbated by constant travel, inconsistent diet, and lack of a regular sleep schedule, leaving her to question if her choice to be a full-time DJ and producer was sustainable. She often found herself down when performing in smaller markets with smaller crowds.




However, a shift in perspective (And a chat with DJ Justin Jay) reminded her that this was meant to be fun no matter what. A new agent revealed the power of reworking her support network. And small things like later flights, noise-canceling AirPods, regular yoga and meditation, and bringing her vitamins and favorite personal care items with her on every trip have helped transform her outlook.

She's also discovered a new performance style that has made her eclectic sets even more vitalic.




"I'm really excited that I have this new style of performing. That is really working for me. And I never saw it coming. I started introducing my vocals into my live shows, where I start like yelling at people," she explains in a call back to her earlier reference to Blondie. "It just is working really well for me. The fans are noticing and booker's are noticing. So, that, to me is the most exciting part. Because it just means that I'm onto something good. And I can expand on that. And it definitely is setting me apart. So, I'm excited to see where that can take me."




As our conversation draws to a close, I comment that it seems that the theme has been growth. She agrees and mentions she just wrote a song with the same title, which is a natural segue into my final question for Nala: "what excites you about the future of dance music?"




"What excites me is the fact that there doesn't seem to be something that has caught wildfire yet. [There's] nothing that's just blown people's minds in recent memory. And I'm just excited to see what that becomes. And if I can get a foothold on it."





Nala on Punk Rock, Mi Domina, and the Duality of her Lyrics

Techno producer, DJ, and vocalist Juliet Fox is behind cutting-edge sounds in dance music, bringing together her pulsating production and entrancing vocals to garner the attention of other tastemakers in the industry, like Adam Beyer and Green Velvet. The latter played an important role in developing Juliet Fox’s sound, helping her quite literally find her voice in her music.




Juliet Fox recalls meeting Green Velvet—now known to her just as Curtis—at an afterparty several years ago. Fox discussed her discontent with the sample vocals she found, sharing that none of them fit the aesthetic of her musical vision.




A multi-hyphenate artist, Green Velvet is a producer, vocalist, record label head, and cultural touchstone in dance music. Under his Cajmere project, the Chicago house legend broke out on the scene with his sultry, otherworldly spoken-word vocals over bouncing techno rhythms.




Green Velvet encouraged Fox to try recording her own vocals, starting with a practice loop on her phone, which he transformed into the landmark collaboration “On The Inside,” also featuring Boooox. After the success of “On The Inside” on Green Velvet’s Relief Records, Juliet Fox felt inspired to continue utilizing her voice in her music to give it a new kind of driving, hypnotic feeling.




Juliet Fox took Green Velvet’s words to heart. She began recording vocal loops frequently while alone in her hotel room after gigs. Eventually, she found that she was most comfortable recording in her home. Being in a relaxed environment made it easier for her to perform and craft lyrics. In a way, Juliet Fox uses her vocals to tell the song’s story, leading those who listen on a deeper journey. She approaches it the way one might hear it, asking, “what would I want to hear on a dancefloor?”






How Green Velvet Inspired Juliet Fox to Become a Vocalist

VNSSA continuously keeps the momentum going. After years of rising through the American DJ circuit, she has checked off another career box with an official remix of "These Notes In This Order" for Dirtybird boss Claude VonStroke. The remix comes with the massive remix package for Von Strokes Covid era album Freaks & Beaks alongside remixes from Nikki Nair, Shiba San, and Steve Darko.




VNSSA burst onto the scene in 2019 with club favorites "Word" and "Rave Grave" with Walker & Royce. While she was a new name to some, she'd spent years honing her skills in the LA scene and had already scored underground cred with releases on Box Of Cats, Psycho Disco, Dim Mak, and Country Club Disco.




VNSSA has since become a festival favorite. Her onstage presence matches her wonderfully eclectic catalog, often breezing from bottom-heavy tech house to joyous disco in one set.




We caught up with VNSSA to chat about her latest Dirtybird release, her upcoming performance at Dirtybird Campout, and more.









You've been a regular on Dirtybird over the years, with multiple appearances on compilations and your first single coming last year. However, this is the first time Barclay tapped you for a remix. How do you approach a remix for someone like him? Do you feel pressure to try and make it in the "Dirtybird style," or is it simply about expressing your take on the track?



I still cannot believe I got to do a remix for Claude VonStroke. He's been one of my favorite artists for so long. I was definitely feeling the pressure because I wanted to stay true to myself while also making something that he would like and that we would both play out at shows.



You're playing the upcoming Dirtybird Campout Festival. Given your association with the label, this festival is probably somewhat of a homecoming filled with friends and family. What does it mean to you to play this event, and how is it different performing at an artist/label-driven event versus other festivals?



Dirtybird Campout is my home away from home. In a way, it's just like summer camp. Every year you see the same friends (and meet a ton of new ones), catch up, hang out, and enjoy all the music and activities together again. It brings together some amazing people and music, and I'm so happy I got asked back to play again. It really is the most unique festival I've been to.



Can you tell us about coming up in Newport Beach? It doesn't seem like a place that one would necessarily associate with electronic music, yet we've spoken to a handful of DJs over the years from the area. What was your time like there, and how did you discover electronic music?



Growing up by the beach, I did a lot of surfing and riding my bike around at the beach. I went to a lot of surf, punk, and rock shows until eventually starting my own band with some friends, although we were more indie rock than anything. After a while, I started going to clubs and DJ shows at the local live music venue (Detroit Bar at the time) and just fell in love. I decided that I didn't want to be in a band anymore. I wanted to be the band. So I started DJing.



You DJed the local circuit for five years before scoring your first release on a label in 2018. This period in any artist's life often gets overlooked. It's easy to think your career starts with that first release, but the reality is you were grinding for years. Do you have fond memories of this time? Is there anything you miss from those early days? How do you feel the electronic scene on the west coast has changed since you first got your start out there?



I had a great time early on before releasing music. I was hanging out with all the other local DJs and learning new stuff constantly. I stopped getting booked in my local scene for a while, so I decided to start throwing my own parties. Every party had a theme. They were kind of like janky elrow parties, except confetti would eventually get banned.



You've managed to avoid being put into a box throughout your career. You've released music with an eclectic group of labels, from Dirtybird to Higher Ground. It seems that tech house is becoming increasingly popular every day. What's the biggest challenge in staying fresh with your music and consistently finding new ways to approach producing/DJing?



My music taste is always evolving, and I listen to just about everything. I think it's important to draw inspiration from other types of music, not just dance music. As the music I listen to transforms, so does the music I make. I hope to continue to keep changing and growing and stay out of a box.



2019 was a massive year for you. "Word" and "Rave Grave" with Walker & Royce received an incredible response and put you into the spotlight. Did you have a sense that these tracks were a little different? How did you meet Sam and Gavin?



I met Gavin and Sam in 2016 or 17 at a gig in my hometown. I opened for them a few times, and we remained in contact. I knew those tracks were different just from the amount of hype they were getting before they even came out. Walker & Royce have been a huge inspiration for me over the years and have believed in me from the start. I'm super thankful for their support and always love working with them. We currently have a few tracks in the works, so hopefully, you'll hear more from us soon!





In the last year or two, you've been releasing music at a higher rate, carrying the momentum and growing rapidly. What do you hope to accomplish in the next year or so of your career? Are there any long-term goals you have, such as starting a label or building out some crazy tour production?



I want to keep releasing music and honing my craft. I feel like I'm still learning new stuff, and I don't see an end to that. I hope to continue to tour more outside of the US. I'm touring Australia for the first time in October, and I'm so excited! Eventually, I'd like to take a live set on the road, but for now, I'm going where the wind takes me!



What are your favorite songs to play out right now?



Anything by Hannah Laing or Ben Sterling.




Do you have any pieces of hardware or software plugins you rely on frequently for producing?



My Novation Peak is my favorite synth at the moment, and U-he Diva.



What music do you listen to outside of dance music?



I listen to a lot of dream pop synth wave, indie rock goth punk. That's one genre.



Festival, large venue, or club?



Festival during the day. Large venue at night and club for the afters.



West Coast or East coast show?



Different vibes, but both are amazing. I can't pick



What advice would you give to an upcoming artist in an ever-crowded scene?



Be true to yourself and follow your own path.



VNSSA on Remixing Claude VonStroke and Dirtybird Campout

We love finding a fresh new banger. We especially love discovering a fresh new artist behind that banger. This week’s Track Of The Week, “Boom Beat Heart Box,” is a head-spinning tech house cut from up-and-coming producer, Kidd Mike. The UK-based producer first emerged onto the scene in 2009 under the alias, Stealth Labs, but retired in 2013 to focus on fatherhood. Seven years later, the South African artist began pouring himself back into his passion during the Covid-19 lockdown, and the Kidd Mike project was formed.

While the project is still in its growth stages, Mike undoubtedly demonstrates the power of quality over quantity. “Boom Beat Heart Box” is not only a Dirtybird debut, it’s served as a secret weapon of label head, Claude VonStroke’s, Your Dad Plays Great Music Tour. Press play and it’s easy to see why.



This track is deep. This track is weird. This track is filthy. And we absolutely love it. The thumping kicks set a buoyant tone to match the tight claps and razor-sharp kit. The distorted vocal entrances listeners, otherworldly fills spiraling in the background, while the rolling bass line and unwavering beat serve as our only tethers to this reality. You may feel inspired to dance. You may feel inspired to chant. We encourage you to do both.



Follow Kidd Mike on Instagram | Soundcloud.

Follow Dirtybird on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Kidd Mike Makes a Dizzying Dirtybird Debut with 'Boom Beat Heart Box'

On Saturday, July 16, Claude Von Stroke—aka Barclay Crenshaw—brought his Your Dad Plays Great Music Tour to an unassuming secret warehouse in Oakland.




It seemed perfectly appropriate for the tour to stop where his journey in dance music coalesced. "I came to the Bay from Detroit in 1999, and it opened up my mind to new levels of creativity, community, and fun that I was not able to find in Detroit at that time," Crenshaw remembers about his 15 years in San Francisco.




After a decade and a half of running the stalwart label and releasing groundbreaking music, the head of the Dirtybird flock has ascended to legendary status in dance music. And while he's grown to be a staple on the massive stages of the festival circuit, he seemed perfectly in his element in a tiny DJ booth at the center of a dark and dingy warehouse just a few miles from where he first lived when he moved to the Bay Area 23 years ago.




The limited engagement tour sees him playing open to close sets and trading larger-than-life production for the simplicity of the old-school rave aesthetic. It's just a DJ and his records all night long with plenty of time to build the vibe.




We arrived early to the nostalgic thump of the bass through the walls of the warehouse. Crenshaw stood in a simple DJ booth at the center of the room, beaming from ear to ear, lit only by a cadre of electric votive candles, the cool LED glow of the CDJs and a few strands of white Christmas lights.







From the moment the doors opened for the night, he was establishing a relationship. When the DJ booth is that close, it feels like you're dancing with the DJ. It solidifies the connection and democratizes the dancefloor. The DJ is our guide for a night of musical exploration. However, he's also one of us.




"This is the best tour I've ever done simply because the pressure is off to play all my bangers in 90 minutes," Crenshaw tells Gray Area. "I can really explore all my favorite music from deep cuts to breaks to bangers to tech house and techno. I get into the funk, the jungle, all kinds of stuff… I can create a mood of camaraderie with the audience all night long when we are on a mission together. We are all there as a community having fun without all the pressure of busting it all out in an hour."




While a frenzied hit it and quit it festival set doesn't leave much room for musical worldbuilding, the open-to-close is a true test of the skills of a selector. Crenshaw took the challenge in stride, building from cool and funky deeper cuts as the dancefloor filled up to brutal sub-thumping techno as the feeling of a full-on rave began to take hold. There were moments of transcendent melodic bliss, growling bass-fueled euphoria, and times when the entire crowd felt like we moved as one collective unit.




When he dropped "Jolene," his collaborative hit with Green Velvet, there wasn't a person in the room who wasn't singing along to the quirky lyrics. And when the wonky synth line from an ID he's been playing from Dirtybird up and comer (and San Francisco local) n808 shook the warehouse walls, the dancefloor exploded. As he flawlessly moved from the syncopated Latin rhythm of "Cubism" by Davide Squillace to the pumping groove of "Strike" by Realsortis and the funky minimal shimmy of his debut on Sven Vath's Cocoon, "Moody Fuse," hundreds of us raged around the DJ booth. It was giving Boiler Room, but make it Oakland.









Being at the center of an entire night of memorable moments is a massive responsibility. And while there's a beautiful spontaneity to a well-curated DJ set, there's also a lot of preparation.




"The way I prepare is by creating tons of genre folders of music and then drifting between the folders as I read the room. Sometimes I feel like the room will respond to really latin vibes or really hard techno vibes or really bassy vibes - I'm super prepared for anything."




But beyond the masterful DJing, there was something almost spiritual at work. Without the spectacle of cryo blasts, LED screens, and light shows, we returned to what brought us all into this community in the first place: the love of music and movement. It was beautiful to see so many people dancing.






And when I ask Crenshaw how being so close to the dancers changes the energy of the performance, he says, "You called the people 'the dancers' instead of 'the fans.' That's kind of the key difference. At a festival 'the fans' are there raging for a short burst of time, but at these all-night warehouse shows people are there to dance. It's not all about me. It's about actually dancing and experiencing the music. It's not just fist pumping. Its grinding, stepping, shuffling, spinning, and enjoying life. "



It's not hard to understand how impactful a night like this is for the Bay Area community (and Crenshaw). Dirtybird hatched in San Francisco. Before there was Campout, there were free Dirtybird parties in Golden Gate Park and quarterlies at Mezzanine. The singular energy in the room rivaled the feeling of camaraderie in the early days, and Poppa Claude was always at the helm.




"I lived in Lower Haight during a real golden era of house and jungle where lots of people were DJing just for fun and starting labels," he says. "We were outcasts at first but then eventually won the city over and I will never ever forget my amazing time living in the Bay for 15 years and starting Dirtybird hand stamping vinyl on the floor of my studio apartment on Belcher Street."











































































[Interview] Claude Von Stroke Reminds Us Why We Dance

Miami native Nala – aka Stefania Aronin – merges deep house, indie dance, electro, and breaks influences into new textures and forms. A resident DJ at the notable after-hours Los Angeles event series, Lights Down Low, Aronin’ has also collaborated with Dirtybird Records’ founder, Claude VonStroke, who also actively manages her career.







A deftly skilled selector, Nala is the perfect choice to curate Set of the Week. Aronin chose a Boiler Room set from Tel Aviv duo, Red Axes, which closed out the 2019 edition of Present Perfect Festival in Saint Petersburg. Sparking up a lively atmosphere within seconds, the set is as multi-faceted as Aronin’s own productions.



Present Perfect Festival: https://www.instagram.com/presentperfectfestival/

 

“This is one of my favorite DJ sets from Tel Aviv artist Red Axes,” Nala told Gray Area. “It's a perfect blend of rock, dance music, and 90s rave. Red Axes' forward-thinking productions are a hit on the dance floor, and they aren't following any sort of formulaic trend. There isn't anyone else like them!”



Catch Nala in the coming weeks at Discopussy in Las Vegas, Beach House in San Diego, and It’ll Do in Dallas.





Follow Nala on Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud







Follow Red Axes on Soundcloud | Facebook | Instagram









































































Nala Selects a Unique Gem from Tel Aviv Duo Red Axes 

Techno titans Alan Fitzpatrick and Rebūke - aka Reuben Keeney - almost cracked the ground in two with an explosive B2B set at Terminal V last month. And thanks to DJMag, you can now experience the wall rattling energy of Scotland's largest electronic music event. Terminal V returned on Easter weekend and featured an array of global talent from Amelie Lens to Reinier Zonneveld, I Hate Models, and beyond.

Fitzpatrick and Keeney have collaborated before, playing a live B2B mix on Drumcode Radio in February, and releasing “Ultimate Distortion” in 2020. Based on Keeney’s Instagram, it looks like another collaborative track is in the works.











Born and raised in Southampton, UK, Alan Fitzpatrick churns out floor filling big-room techno aplenty. He runs a highly influential techno imprint of his own, We Are The Brave, and has maintained a close relationship with Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label for years.

Rebūke emerged from the Irish underground scene. Drawing inspiration from techno, house, and rave records from the early 90’s, he’s a frequent feature of the Beatport Top 10. After being named as one of three Future Fire BBC Radio 1 stars of 2019, he’s received regular rotation from the likes of Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Danny Howard, Mistajam, and Monki.



Fitzpatrick’s touring schedule remains as busy as ever, with appearances at Smolna in Warsaw and SAGA Festival in Bucharest. Keeney has just started his Australia/New Zealand tour. He's also set to play at many festivals and clubs in the coming months, including Life 22 Festival in Westmeath, Ireland, and Brooklyn Mirage in New York.



Early Bird Tickets are on sale for Terminal V 2023.





Follow Alan Fitzpatrick on Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud



Follow Rebūke on Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud





Alan Fitzpatrick B2B Rebūke Live From Terminal V:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zwd7Nx6KmQ































































Alan Fitzpatrick and Rebūke’s Seismic Set from Terminal V

When it comes to powerhouse women of dance music, Aundy Crenshaw is an absolute force behind the scenes. Six years ago, she stepped into the role of COO, CMO, and CFO for the beloved dance music label, Dirtybird, and has played a prominent role in its indisputable ascension to the highest echelons of both industry and scene.


Dirtybird has a well-earned reputation for left-field sounds, and while we should know better than to assume, those themes typically fall in the broad realms of house and techno. But this week’s track of the week finds Crenshaw and Dirtybird doing what they do best—keeping us on our toes—with a wavy, buoyant breakbeat from Nala and Nikki Nair, “The World Is Always Ending.”




“‘The World Is Always Ending’ is a track that you wouldn’t think of coming from Dirtybird,” Crenshaw shares.


“The track’s melody and vocals, created by Nala, is easy to sing along with which I love to do, and Nikki Nair’s production reminds me of 90’s music. The topic is harsh, but I feel like we’re all living in this state of mind everyday‑trying to save water because of the drought, living with wildfires in California yet still loving our lives. It’s a weird dichotomy.”






Tackling troubling times with immersive, upbeat sounds—dance music in a nutshell. And if anyone knows how to maximize the offerings of dance music, it’s Aundy Crenshaw.

Aundy Crenshaw Queue’s Nala and Nikki Nair’s 90’s-esque Breakbeat Banger 'The World Is Always Ending”

United States

Victoria Rawlins

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.









From Frankie Knuckles’ first live iterations of house music in Chicago’s warehouses, to the crafting of techno by Detroit’s Belleville Three, the origins of dance music are undeniably Black. Yet, of the current top 5 performing Beatport tracks, not one is released on a
Black-owned label. 

The white appropriation of Black genres, from jazz to hip-hop and beyond, on an institutional level, is no new issue. The erasure of Black people specifically from house, techno, and everything in between is however a largely ignored and ever-increasing phenomenon, driven by an, often willful, generational ignorance of the history of dance music. 

This is not to say that dance music should be halted in its natural evolution, or that dance music should not be produced by people not identifying as Black. Rather the existence and
platforming of non-Black dance music should not come at the cost of detracting these platforms from the marginalized communities that birthed it. Supporting Black-owned labels encourages a positive trickle-down effect, besides directing funds where they are most needed, whereby it directly supports the power of Black artists to platform and shape the future of dance music.   

Cajual Records 

Distributing various forms of beats, this label has been particularly iconic in its ownership of some of the notorious sounds from Chicago, where it is based. The label, which is close to celebrating its 30th anniversary, is owned by Curtis Jones, known also as Green
Velvet or Cajmere. The label stood out amongst other major labels of its time, namely Trax and DJ International, for its fair treatment of artists and community focus. Cajual features tracks by some of dance music’s most influential shapers, including the late Paul Johnson and Glenn Underground.

Apron Records

Julien Steven, the London DJ once known as FunkinEven, wears a multitude of hats
amongst which owner of Apron Records label. Having become somewhat of a ‘cult’
electronic phenomenon, the label features avantgarde sounds, such as Shanti Celeste’s
trippy techno and Space Ghost’s astral house. Apron Record’s latest release showcases a different side of the experimental label, with the mellow funk, soul, and house of Jarren’s album Antera. 

 





Sound Signature

Founded in 90s Detroit, this label is a must-listen for those dedicated to getting back to the origins of house music. Label-owner and DJ/ producer, Theo Parrish, is vocal in his championing of Black sounds and these come to light on his label where Detroit Techno meets jazz, disco, and Chicago house. A particular highlight of the label are Leron
Carson’s tracks released on Sound Signature between 2001 and 2021, these were in fact recorded in the late 80s, while the mysterious, to this day unknown, figure of Leron was still a teenager. 

 





Mahogani Music

Mahogani Music is another longstanding Detroit label. Alongside staying true to its geographical origins with hearty techno, this groundbreaking label also features classic house, disco and experimental R&B. Mahogani Music was founded by the legendary Moodymann, that is Kenny Dixon Jr, who has been one of the greatest advocates of keeping house and techno true to its origins, especially with regards to platforming
Black artists. Artists include Amp Fiddler, Flo Real, and Andrés.





Mother’s Finest

A discussion of dance music labels cannot forgo a mention of Berlin. Once a party held in the city’s infamous Griessmuehle, Mother’s Finest was launched by the party’s founder, Franklin de Costa, as a label in 2020. The label inaugurated its launch with a 15-track compilation, bringing breaks, dubstep, and ambient to a very Berlin techno backdrop. A later release focuses on the frantic energy and vocals that Nasty King Curl has to offer.





Deep Root Records

Based in New York city, this label was founded by Haitian-born Francis Mercier
and Ajamu Kambon. Releasing an eclectic mix of deep house and afro house, Deep Root has garnered support from some of the dance music industry’s most influential names, including Pete Tong, Black Coffee, and Blond:ish. Besides hosting the tracks of house music legends like Roland Clark and Rowetta, the label platforms the releases of up-and-coming talent from around the world, such as Brazil’s REFEL and Kenya’s Idd Aziz.





Founders of Filth

Prominent member of the second wave of Chicago house, Felix da Housecat, founded this label in 2017, in Montreal. He announced the launch of the label as “an imprint where no rules apply” and has stayed true to the depiction, releasing a steady stream of experimental house and electroclash. The label has released many of Felix da Housecat’s own masterpieces, often alongside equally adventurous artists such as Röyksopp and Chris Trucher. 

 





Boukan Records

Cergy-based Boukan Records is run by Bamao Yendé, resident at France’s Rinse and central figure to France’s modern dance floors. The label merges UK garage, breakbeat, kuduro, batida, and house, bringing signature warmth to the dancefloor. Don’t miss the label’s popular “Tumba Tic Tac” track, from Amor Satyr, a Brazilian-French collective combining Afro Beats and UK Jackin’. 

 





Purveyor Underground

This Toronto based label is headed up by Demuir, an internationally touring DJ at the forefront of jackin’ house sounds and committed to re-politicising house music. Purveyor Underground is at the heart of this mission: its dotted logo is a direct nod to the underground railroad, where quilts were hung from windows to aid slaves to freedom. With tracks featuring Gettoblaster, Missy, Darren Marshall, Phil Weeks, and more, the label offers a riveting education in house.






 


Kiwi Rekords

Conducta, real name Collins Nemi, has a distinct focus on moving sound forward, rather
than reminiscing the past or falling into electronic purism. This was his motivation founding UK-based garage label, Kiwi Rekords. Founded in 2019, the label has already proved immensely successful, tapping into a modern British sound with feel-good, high-energy releases from the likes of Sammy Virji, Oppidan, Germi, and many more.









10 Black Owned Dance Music Labels You Should Know

Each passing year represents a shift in the music industry. The evolution of sound, how listeners consume music, rehashing old tropes. In 2021 we learned that there could be new ways to consume music even in a crowded streaming market. Twitch and Audius blossomed as two new platforms for dance music fans to get that house music fix. We also witnessed 90s nostalgia in full swing, whether we liked it or not.

2021 had a bit of everything. As we enter 2022, we can reflect on one thing 2021 has taught us: nothing is promised. The pandemic put a halt to live music and concert tours, and artists had to get creative in how they continued to reach their fans and put out new music. 

The slowdown of the music business in 2021 has forever changed the shape of the industry. Yet it produced some groundbreaking trends that we hope are here to stay. 




Social Media Livestreams


Livestreams became popular, with venues in flux in 2020 and 2021. Social media platforms with video streaming and sharing capabilities such as Twitch and Facebook Live have provided musicians and their fans the opportunity to connect through streams. They gave us a forum to enjoy our favorite artists and explore new tunes in real-time while interacting with fellow house heads.   

Whether the streaming media included short, raw performances hinting at future music or full-fledged online music festival. These performances allowed giants like Paxhau, Dirtybird, and Desert Hearts to move forward with doing what they do best, entertaining the masses.   

And for emerging artists, they provided limitless opportunities to advance their careers. By the time live shows returned, artists like Mary Droppinz and Nala had established new and growing fan bases that helped make them enticing to festival promoters. While artists like LP Giobbi and Sofi Tukker, while already fan favorites, streamed their way into superstar status because of their daily presence on Twitch.





Festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Awakenings, Ultra, and Tomorrowland continue to maintain live streams, making festivals more attainable to the masses—further propelling house music artists to household names.  




Music Video Comeback

The days of MTV being an actual music network that played actual music video are long gone. Music videos used to be a must for any hit song. However, social media sites and YouTube have reintroduced them as a necessary promotional tool. And yet another way for artists to creatively express their vision.   

Music videos add a sheen to a song. They eliminate the uncertainty of understanding what an artist is trying to covey. They elevate the artist's vision and often add an additional layer of nuance to the message. There is power in creating curated and compelling visual narratives for the music. Artists like Will Clarke have mastered the medium, creating solid, visually stunning music videos.

Cross-Genre Collaboration

Collaborations allow artists to tiptoe the line between genres and maybe do something that lies slightly outside of their comfort zone. While they aren't new to dance music, cross-genre collaborations exploded in 2021 due to the pandemic. Artists were in discovery mode. They had time to experiment with music and the ability to collaborate across vast distances via Zoom, Dropbox, Splice, and any number of collaborative platforms.

The door was wide open in 2021 for performers to pair up with their favorite artists of any genre. And the collaborations were nothing short of magical. With critically acclaimed partnerships in-house music with pop, rock, and hip-hop artists alike, we've seen dance music explode into the mainstream in unprecedented ways. The underground is becoming truly massive.



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DJs Ditching the Decks

When a DJ drops the decks and plays live, it's a thrilling way to experience their work in a new way. Watching them actively create or remix their music is a kind of magic generally reserved for production studios. 







Over the past couple of years, we have started seeing a spike in Live Sets. Groups like Bob Moses, Wajatta, Rufus Du Sol, and WhoMadeWho are no strangers to the festival circuit. But seeing artists like this on more lineups only proves the value of "playing live." 

The immense creativity and emotional weight that artists like Georgia Anjuli, Hannes Bieger, KiNK, and Motez, have created in performing their music live are indisputable—and seeing someone working multiple machines to create soundscapes before our eyes create an immensely meaningful dance floor experience that is difficult to match. 

Here are some other producers taking the house music to new heights as live acts: Jacques Green, Rodriguez Jr, Rybo, and Jamie Jones with Kate Simko as Opus 1.




Rise of the Indie Artists 


The internet and its many devices have allowed independent artists to find inventive ways to get in front of broader audiences in 2021. With touring out of the question for almost half the year, younger artists stepped out front as they took control of platforms like Tik Tok, Twitch, and Instagram and created new opportunities for growth outside of live shows.

They've allowed people the advantage of keeping their music constantly at their fingertips with personally curated playlists, creative content, unique livestreams, and insider videos. They were masters at manipulating the algorithms. As a result, the ever-growing ability to find underground artists across a changing digital landscape is more powerful than ever.

2021 was a treasure chest of indie artists starting to shine. Niles Shepard, Sammy Legs, Arnold & Lane, Nick Siarom, and Lubelski harnessed their powers and are fast becoming names to watch. The future continues to be bright for the underground.   

5 Trends in House Music we Loved in 2021

2021 was yet another tumultuous year. A year that constantly highlighted the fragility of the everyday. As lock-downs eased, a late-stage festival season emerged like nothing we've seen before. And as new variants surged, our plans with family and friends were once again thrown into the blender. We learned to understand that the only constant is change. 

We experienced euphoric dance floor reunions and the hope of a reunited house and techno community. The clubs, festivals, and playlists exploded new talent, the dancefloor bustled with new fans, and veterans observed a rediscovered spirit that reflects the storied days of the 90s.


And as artists shared their quarantine anthems, we learned that dance music could be many things. It's always fun, always danceable, but it can also be deeply personal, emotionally transcendent, and a revelation and reflection of our deepest desires. 


It was an unprecedented year of growth for house and techno worldwide. And the Gray Area team took the time to dig through the crates and pull out the songs that exemplified the year best. So here are our best house and techno tracks of 2021.

WEISS, Sharlene Hector - Lift Me Up

Now that house music has wriggled its way into the mainstream, we’ve seen a surplus of house bangers filling up the charts. An old-school house-styled cut like "Lift Me Up" stands out among the rest not only for its nostalgic sounds and production but because  Sharlene’s fervent vocals captivate and inspire. Her resounding, soulful vocals combined with Weiss’ masterful house production form one of this year’s most compelling piano house tracks—one that could easily be heard in a set by Marshall Jefferson or Paul Johnson back in the day. -Melissa Yuriar

KREAM, Dan Caplen - Roads (feat. Dan Caplen)[VIP Remix]

Norwegian electronic dance music duo KREAM has a penchant for producing deep house cuts with emphatically heartfelt lyrics. "Roads," released earlier this year, is a saccharine dance track driven by poignant vocals from classically trained musician Dan Caplen. He cites Bill Withers and John Legend as vocal inspirations. Though Caplen’s heart-rending vocals remain at the forefront of the reworked deep-house tune, they appear to have a more pronounced sultry finish. The VIP remix is a bouncy, enthralling remix of the original that feels timeless.  -Melissa Yuriar


Gorgon City, DRAMA - You've Done Enough

Gorgon City’s distinct bass-driven house music is immediately recognizable, having amassed over 1.5 billion streams to date on all their records combined. Their latest album Olympia, released in June, features incredible collaborations with Sofi Tukker, Hayley May, and Jem Cooke. The self-deprecating love ballad “You’ve Done Enough,” features vocals from Rosa of the Chicago-based duo DRAMA. Powered by an infectious, oscillating bassline and sweetly sung lyrics that form a compelling story many resonate with. 

“It’s been said that if you become the best version of yourself that it’s easier to find someone to love you for who you truly are, as opposed to someone who loves you for who they think you are or will become,” said Rosa about the song’s meaning to Genius. “Know that you deserve nice things, like people loving you.”  -Melisa Yuriar

Shaolin Cowboy, manon - Réveiller (feat. manon)

Rising London producer Shaolin Cowboy is one to watch. Last year he released several singles on Bandcamp and his acclaimed debut EP, Catch Feels Get High. While his production features plenty of lofi-grooves, textures, and breaks, he’s demonstrated his fearlessness in experimenting with various tempos and elements from multiple genres. His latest EP, 21 Hours, amalgamates several elements plucked from sound system genres–UK garage, breakbeat, acid, and house–and contains the stunning breakout single, "Réveiller." The tune is an upbeat lofi-house club track that features alluring vocals by upcoming French songstress, manon. Shaolin Cowboy’s production on the tune is one of the most interesting we’ve heard this year. Don’t sleep on this unbelievably underrated house tune.  -Melisa Yuriar

Sofia Kourtesis - Nicolas

Peruvian tastemaker-producer Sofia Kourtesis' brand of house music is distinct. Much of it centers around distorted or looped vocals and splintered film samples that she expertly weaves into emotive and buoyant beats. "Nicolas," off her latest EP, Fresia Magdalena delivers house-realness with its driving bassline, lofi textures, and shimmery fills—the enchanting song is a potent cut with infectious energy. Sofia’s adeptness in sound design and mixing is nothing short of sensational. - Melisa Yuriar








Dom Dolla, Mansionair - Strangers

Australian house producer Dom Dolla collaborated with electronic-indie artists Mansionair on one of the most stirring house tracks of the year. Mansionair’s Jack Froggatt lent his impassioned vocals while Dom showed off his production prowess with driving basslines and atmospheric melodies that ebb and flow throughout. 

The song’s narrative deals with themes of longing and impulsivity with sweeping strings and a heart-rending delivery from Froggatt. Catch this and many more house hitters from Dom this year as he tours across the United States and the United Kingdom, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Australia next year. Mansionair recently announced the forthcoming release of their sophomore album; they'll be touring the US early next year.   -Melisa Yuriar


TSHA - Power

Awarded BBC Radio 1’s “Future Artist” title, UK-producer TSHA is having an incredible year. Her latest EP OnlyL, which contains the stand-out single “Power,” received broad support from Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Bonobo, and publications like Fader, Resident Advisor, Mixmag, XLR8R, This Song is Sick, and Dancing Astronaut. 

"Power," released on Ninja Tune, is one of her best releases this year. The song features oscillating instrumentals, uplifting vocal samples, and a delicate piano loop that exudes warm, jubilant energy. Her hip-shaking club bangers and production style are inimitable. We can't wait to hear what this rising talent has in store for us next year.  -Melisa Yuriar










J Worra feat. Little Boots - Wasteland 

This tune is a straight banger with signature bass heavy-hitting beats by J. Worra. The vocals by Little Boots add the right element to the track to make this tune straight up sassy and sexy.  -Alicia Baron

Alinka- Glimmer 

This full-throttle-house track has no shortage of texture and soundscapes that keep you energized. With a fun nod to 90's Eurodance in the hook. The pumping bass mixed with euphoric glimmering synth packs so much multidimensional punch.  -Alicia Baron

Nala- Psychic Attack

This track has taken dancefloors by storm. An ecstatic blend of indie electro and house, wonky beats, and a fat groovy bassline. Nala's voice adds an element of ethereal with her signature lyrics as she dives into the topic of mass media manipulation of the mind.   -Alicia Baron







Disclosure- Observer Effect 

Disclosure mixes their signature house shuffle adds heavier synths than we're used to from the boys. It's gritty analog sounds are fundamentaly face-melting.  -Alicia Baron

Joshwa, Lee Foss - My Humps

"My Humps" combines a blissfully nostalgic throwback with the thumping speaker-freaker sound. It easily viral even before its release combining rampant energy and a new take on Fergie's 2005 smash hit of the same name.   -Alicia Baron

Maceo Plex, Liberty City - You Know What I Got

Maceo Plex's swirling melodies and Liberty City’s infectious vocal are a match made in heaven. This track is a fresh take on the 1995 classic featuring soaring leads, fluctuating synths, and warped vocals, which is nothing short of epic.   -Alicia Baron

Kevin Knapp - Dancing with the Devil 

This track kicks off in Kevin Knapp's usual fashion - with big fat beats, heavy drums, and powerful synths. This track has a hard edge with echoing vocal samples to deliver a fast-paced drive throughout.   -Alicia Baron

Sacha Robotti - Fuck the Pain Away

A remake of Peaches’ iconic track Robotti delivers punching bass throughout. The infectious percussion arrangement offers a fierce dance floor groove under the infamous vocals redone by BabyGirl. This is a true Robotti classic.     -Alicia Baron

Jayda G - All I Need 

GRAMMY-nominated Jayda G has beautifully emerged from the underground onto the stages of Boiler Room, Dekmantel Festival, and Aluna’s upcoming all-Black Noir Fever New Orleans. Her track “All I Need” premiered on the coveted DJ-Kicks series and garnered rave reviews by the likes of Rolling Stone, NYLON, as well as being placed on Pitchfork’s electronic and regular top songs of 2021. Jayda G brings back vintage house feels in this ultra groovy tune, even including clips of an old rave in the accompanying music video.  -Arielle Lana LeJarde


TOKiMONSTA - Say Yes (feat. VanJess)

Los Angeles producer, DJ, and record label owner TOKiMONSTA first received a GRAMMY nod in 2019 after her personal Lune Rouge album. "Say Yes” is a rework of Floetry’s 2002 track by the same name. R&B duo VanJess and TOKiMONSTA reimagined it into a sexy, soulful house tune that you can’t help but groove to. When venues started opening up again, it was rare to find a house set this wasn’t rinsed in. -Arielle Lana LeJarde

Gemi - Talk

Gemi is one of London’s hidden gems who describe their music as “nukg shithousery.” And precisely as advertised, “Talk” is a UK garage track that showcases playful percussion, dreamy vocals, and shimmering synths that make you feel like you’re floating. 
-Arielle Lana LeJarde

Rome In Silver - Fill Up My Soul 

Multi-faced Rome In Silver never sticks to one genre, and that’s why he can be found on esteemed labels ranging from Monstercat to bitbird to Quality Goods Records, as well as supporting a wide range of names from CloZee to Dabin. In a turn of events, Zeds Dead's label Deadbeats released Rome In Silver’s latest track of the year, “Fill Up My Soul.” The song is a funky disco tune that seamlessly blends in bass elements and stays true to the label's sound. The soulful adlibs and vocal chops throughout the track truly take you back in time.  -Arielle Lana LeJarde


Make Me Feel - John Summit

John Summit announced himself on a global scale with 2020’s song of the year, "Deep End." Although many artists would be satisfied with that accomplishment, John did not take a day off. "Make Me Feel" is just one of many hit songs John Summit dropped in 2021 to continue his ascension. The track majors in John Summit’s signature low-end bassline, with a satisfying female vocal loop to keep feet moving on the dancefloor. It maintains hype without sounding too radio-friendly, a lane that John seems to manage regularly. -Jonah Flint

Do It - Sohmi

A classically trained pianist, and vocalist, Sohmi refuses to be defined. One of the breakout stars of 2021, the Korean-American has turned heads with her unique blend of dark minimal house, techno, left field, breaks, and funk. "Do It" encapsulates her work, a stunning release on Yotto’s label Odd One Out. Utilizing her sultry vocals, the track takes listeners on a journey through her unique take on techno with a monster synth line and punchy bass. -Jonah Flint



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Alter Ego - Duke Dumont

Duke Dumont is no stranger to big hits. He has been a headliner for years now, although the last few have regularly seen him raise the bar. Returning to his club sound, "Alter Ego" is infectious. Calling upon the budding star Channel Tres for his iconic vocals, the track is a club-ready banger that can put a groove in your step walking down the street or at 4 am in a dark room during a night out on the town. -Jonah Flint


Ahora Todo Va - Josh Butler & Dennis Cruz

When two veterans get together, you can expect brilliant results. "Ahora Todo Va" is a track that Josh Butler was sitting on for months until he enlisted the assistance of Dennis Cruz. Together, the two crafted a Latin-influenced tech house track that is relentless. Spanish vocals, lively drum patterns, and a lengthy build-up give this track the energy to fit any size of the room. Coupled with a monster remix by Gorgon City, ‘Ahora Todo Va’ is one of the year’s best tracks.  - Jonah Flint

The Best House and Techno Tracks of 2021

Ultra’s return to historic Bayfront Park in Miami gets a touch sweeter today with the announcement of the Resistance lineup. The underground house and techno off-shoot of Ultra has a well-documented reputation for curating forward-thinking lineups. And next March 25-27 they’ve upped the ante with an impressive array of world-class talent that spans the expansive diversity of the underground community.


The Resistance lineup gives some context to some of the incredible artists already announced on the Phase 1 lineup.  Melodic techno duo and Afterlife Records head honchos Tale Of Us join progressive titans CamelPhat, veteran and legend Dubfire, and Resistance champion Carl Cox who debuts his all-new three hours hybrid performance exclusively for Ultra Miami 2022.

What’s truly striking is the diversity in the rest of the lineup. The representation of fantastic women in house and techno can’t be undersold. And this year’s lineup includes venerated acts alongside exciting rising stars. Amelie Lens, ANNA, Anfisa Letyago, Nina Kraviz, Sama’ Abdulhadi, Ann Clue, Georgia Anjuli, and Nala will all take the stage.



The lineup is also diverse in sound with a broad sonic footprint, from the grooving bassline of Dom Dolla and John Summit to the sweeping melodics of Hannes Beiger’s live performance. The pounding beats of Adam Beyer to the sun-soaked Beatport topping tech house of Solardo and the legendary progressive sonics of Sasha | John Digweed. The Resistance lineup overflows with talent. There’s so much there that you’ll never have to leave the revamped Resistance area of Ultra Miami.



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Resistance will take residence in a new section of Ultra’s fabled home on the park's northern perimeter. The new location allows house and techno fans to spread amongst multiple areas, including the Carl Cox megastructure and an all-new concept called The Cove. Beneath the palm trees overlooking Biscane Bay, Resistance fans will feel a hint of nostalgia for 2019’s Resistance Island.

Tickets on sale now at https://ultramusicfestival.com/tickets/miami/

Ultra Miami Unveils the Resistance Lineup for 2022

One of the most fascinating aspects of music is the relationship between artists and their chosen apparatus of creation. Jimi Hendrix didn’t simply play his guitars; he had a relationship with them. Every time he stepped into the studio or onto the stage, he further explored that relationship, and listeners continue to marvel at that exploration to this day.

Lubelski, the ascending LA-based producer, DJ, and label boss of Percomaniacs, has a studio full of different apparatuses of creation. And his latest LP, Happy Accidents, out now on Dirtybird Records, explores his relationship with modular synthesizers.

Where traditional, non-modular synthesizers retain a particular sound pallet, some of which have become unmistakable throughout decades of electronic music (the low-end womp of the Roland TR-808, for example), modular synthesizers allow the artist to create sounds that have never existed before. 

Every different knob and cable on a modular rig alters the sound in its own way. There are infinite configurations and settings, and that level of creative control opens the door to pure improvisation. 

Lubelski, real name Jake Lubell, crafted Happy Accidents through improvisation, and the title of the album refers to the basis of all 12 tracks.

“A happy accident is a found sound,” says Lubell over a recent Zoom call. “I’m letting the music itself be found in my modular jams. It’s not anything that’s pre-conceived. It’s finding the music as opposed to sculpting it.”

During Summer 2021, Lubell broadcast a series of modular jams on his own Twitch channel, under the same name: Happy Accidents. Every track on the album resulted from these jams in some way or another.

“I was able to go back into those individual recordings and nitpick what I wanted to use,” Lubell says. “Maybe I liked the drum idea and I would use that, or maybe I just like one little lead and I would start a new song based on it.”

Every time Lubell started a new stream, he searched for something he didn’t know that he wanted to find, a relationship with his modular rig that he likens to a conversation.

“It’s a conversation between me and the synthesizer,” Lubell says. “I might say for it to do something, and then it tells me something back that I didn’t expect.”

This relationship with modular persisted long before Lubell even started the Lubelski project. While attending UC Santa Cruz, he took an electronic sound synthesis course, and the school housed an extensive modular rig that students used for assignments.





One key aspect of modular synthesizers is they can grow to immense sizes. A single modular synthesizer holds a series of different modules. There is no limit to the total number of modules a synth can include, and each provides a unique quality to the music. 

Lubell used roughly 20 different modules in his setup for a Happy Accidents jam. Artists like deadmau5 and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails have synthesizers composed of hundreds of individual modules.

Each module furthers its relationship with the hardware, refining its ability to make music that sounds unequivocally singular.

“It’s like the LEGOs for adults,” says Lubell with a laugh.

Lubell applies jargon comparable in its esotericism to constitutional law or nuclear physics in discussing modular synthesis. Using terms like “ring modulation attenuation” as casually as most people use words like “the,” which expands further as he describes techniques he applied during the Happy Accidents jams.

“One thing I really love doing is throwing a pitch sequence on a filter cutoff with a high resonance on a filter. You can get these really interesting tones that you can’t get just by sequencing the pitch of an oscillator,” Lubell says. “The pitch comes from the resonance of the frequency as opposed to the actual pitch of the thing making the sound. If that makes sense.”

Most people would have lost him at pitch sequence. However, Lubell has been fostering his relationship with modular for years. It also makes sense to someone like DJ, producer, and head of Dirtybird, Claude VonStroke, who has his own decades-long relationship with synthesizers and electronic production.

Lubell and VonStroke, real name Barclay Crenshaw, had been in close proximity long before Lubell began producing Happy Accidents. 

Lubell put out his debut EP on Dirtybird, Impulse Response, in November of 2019, with a second EP, Lost My Senses, landing in September of 2020, as well as several offerings on different Dirtybird compilations.

As a seasoned Dirtybird Player, Crenshaw asked Lubell to contribute to Dirtybird Live, Dirtybird’s Twitch channel, over quarantine. Most of the programming centered around DJ sets, but Lubell had something different in mind.

“I didn’t want to be another DJ doing a DJ thing on Twitch. Everyone was doing that,” Lubell says. “I felt like I could really take the opportunity to dive into the live modular stuff.”

And so Lubell started Patchwork Sessions, a weekly live modular session very similar to Happy Accidents. The primary difference between the two shows is Patchwork Sessions wasn’t building towards a specific outcome. 

Crenshaw was aware of Lubell’s relationship with modular. Yet, after witnessing Lubell captivate audiences during Patchwork Sessions, Crenshaw asked Lubell for an LP’s worth of material based on modular sessions, a humbling and contemplative moment for Lubell.

“I’ll be totally honest I was a bit reluctant at first,” Lubell says of releasing an album on Dirtybird. “I have a very big vision for what my music should be, and I didn’t want to relinquish creative control of an album to somebody else, but luckily Barclay trusted me. He said ‘This album is about you. I want you to do your thing.’ So it felt really great to have someone I’ve looked up to for years ask me to do something like that.”

Following Lubell’s agreement, he migrated to his own Twitch and launched Happy Accidents. Crenshaw gave a strict deadline for the album, so Lubell spent six weeks streaming jams and then another three weeks dissecting and reworking the recordings into the final versions for the record.

The album took nine weeks from conception to completion. The result of the expedited process is 12 heavily technical tracks balanced by a sense of raggedy humanity. 

The improvisation in the jams provided an authentic quality to the foundation of each track while the quick turnaround left limited time to scrutinize the minor tweaks. These tweaks exist as little reminders of how despite house music’s metronomic underpinnings, there is room for some soul, some mortality, an idea advanced by Lubell’s relationship with production.

“I know myself, and if I keep working on something it will be a totally different song,” Lubell says. “I would rather call it, be done with it, and move on to the next project.”

Perhaps the only track on the album that received meticulous attention to detail was “Ice Cream Cone,” the co-production between Crenshaw and Lubell with Life On Planets contributing vocals. 

“[Crenshaw] is way more of a perfectionist than I am,” Lubell says. “He really knows his production and how he wants things to sound. He’s like ‘If it’s not perfect, I’m not putting it out.’ He’s sort of like the Gordon Ramsey of dance music. If it doesn’t taste good it’s not going on the plate.”

Lubell finalized the bulk of Happy Accidents in three weeks. Crenshaw spent over two weeks on “Ice Cream Cone,” by itself. Yet despite their completely inverse relationships with their creative apparatuses, they explored those relationships together. It’s truly fascinating, and the listeners get to marvel at the results.






Lubelski's 'Happy Accidents' LP Explores Improvisation and Modular Synthesis

Nala

It's not enough to call LA-based musician Nala, aka Stefania Aronin, a producer or DJ. She radiates artistry in everything she does. Informed by a slant towards the experimental, her off-kilter psychedelic house is a refreshing disruptor for a scene she says, “got wedged into this idea of what dance music was.” She shatters the formulaic chad-house aesthetic with her strikingly authentic lyrics. It’s proof that house music can slap the subs and captivate the mind. 

In 2020 she signed a management deal with purveyors of west coast weird, Dirtybird, a perfect match for someone who created her own lane so early in her career. COO Aundy Crenshaw and Claude Von Stroke encouraged her to embrace her unique style.

They were both excited that she brought a sound that broke from traditional tech-house. Her open format DJ sets and indie inspired beats are a vessel to help push the label forward. She says during one of their first conversations, Von Stroke expressed how tired he was of paint-by-numbers tech house.

Writing that way is simply at odds with who she is. “I just can't talk about things that are superficial. It's just not part of my character. It feels wrong. It feels like nails on a chalkboard internally.”

As she recites the words for “Sun Is Hot,” the second track from her Dirtybird debut EP Psychic Attack, she explains how she disguised a meditation on the health of Mother Earth beneath what sounds like something steamy and sultry.

“That’s a song is about global warming, first and foremost,” she says. “But then its open for interpretation. It could also be about sex. It's funny 'cause NPR was like, 'Oh, this is a dirty song.' And I was like, 'It's about global warming.” She tells the story with a perfect deadpan.

“I don’t know how to be a closed book,” she admits. “Most of my writing is confessional. I think a lot of what art is supposed to be on a philosophical level is something that people relate to. It's part of the human experience. And that's why we are obsessed with art to begin with. Because it makes us feel something. It makes us feel less alone. And I just love making people feel less alone.”

In college, Aronin switched from a psychology major to advertising because psychology got too dark. Yet she continues to find ways to dissect human existence. Nala's confessional lyrics seek to connect.

“I wrote Psychic Attack, because I was really overwhelmed with the news last year," she explains about the title song on her Dirtybird debut. "I wrote that song out of a space of anxiety. But I think a lot of people could relate to that, because it was so chaotic. It was psychological warfare.”

She spends several minutes reciting lyrics to new songs during our call. And with each turn of phrase, it’s clear how adept she is with her words. She’s also so clearly excited about every aspect of her work. She radiates positivity and bravery. 

Being bold is natural she says. “I don't have even like an ounce of doubt that it won't work,” she says about her fuck it Im'a go for it attitude. Her mental framework is devoid of the self-doubt that stops most people from trying. “I just don't have that kind of dialogue in my head for whatever reason. I push it out, probably as a self-protective measure.” 

Or maybe it’s a touch of confidence mixed with a dash of creative magnetism. She’s consistently able to draw exactly what she wants directly into her orbit.

Three months before she signed with Dirtybird she decided to break from her indie background and go full-on into dance music. She was already well known on the Dj circuit in Miami and LA. Her music was getting played in H&M stores across the country. But she felt she needed a label ecosystem to pull her off the plateau.

She set her intention and told herself, “I need to shift focus. What is going to be best for me? I need to find a label that I can work with. And out from the sky came Dirtybird!”

The family atmosphere that seeps through all that Dirtybird does was the perfect match for Aronin. "I got really lucky that I managed to find a community of people. Because even the other artists on the label VNSSA, Walker & Royce, Ardalan we're all family now. And it's so nice to be around people that are so positive and supportive, have a good message and [are] inclusive and happy."

She now sits in the perfect position to carry her message to a wider audience. “I want everyone to feel. I want people to relate. I want them to know that their experience is not isolated. And that to me is the most fulfilling. The best I can do is create music with a message that resonates with people.”

Green Velvet

Claude VonStroke

Crystal Waters

Dajae

Kid Enigma

Ireland

Rebūke

Joeski

Who doesn't love a Sunday Funday barbeque soundtracked by stellar house music? The legendary Green Velvet and Claude Von Stroke, aka Get Real, are taking over the newly redesigned Brooklyn Mirage on June 12 for an extraordinary set. It's a party that will combine the controlled chaos of Dirtybird's infamous BBQs with the classic vibes of a Chicago house warehouse party amidst the festival-sized production of one of the most celebrated venues in the US. These two highly sought-after house heroes only bring the most immaculate vibes to the dancefloor.

Their appearances in New York have been the kind of sets that people have talked about for days afterward. When they first started performing together in 2015, they played the Awakenings stage at Electric Zoo the crowd was so thick it surrounded the stage. They have both performed solo sold-out sets at the Mirage, so get your tickets early to catch these two titans of house music.

CLAUDE VONSTROKE b2b GREEN VELVET at Drai's Beachclub

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Known to many as Vegas’ skyhigh outdoor oasis on The Strip, Drai’s Beachclub has locked down a stunning weekend of music between May 17 - 21 and have generously invited Mixmag to join and document the wild festivities.

The rooftop venue - complete with seven pools, two full-service bars, 30 cabanas and an unmistakable party atmosphere - will see sweltering daytime performances from a list of artists that are bound to bring variety and talent to this spirited site.

Taking place over EDC weekend, Drai's Beachclub is the perfect place to escape the festival madness and cool down by the pool while simultaneously taking part in a stellar party vibe that will not disappoint.

--- 

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Claude and GV are no strangers to long sets. The incomparable duo will be taking the dancefloor on an unprecedented five-hour journey of booty-shaking summertime beats. Of course, Green Velvet will be on the mic to perform some of his greatest hits.

They've also assembled a star-studded lineup of vocalists to perform, including Dajae, Duke Dumont collaborator 

, and a rare appearance by Crystal Waters, the enigmatic voice behind the dance music classic "

While a five-hour set from two legends of house should be enough to keep the party pumped, there's even more reason to arrive early and stay late. 

Opening up the day will be New York legend Joeski, whose career dates back to the halcyon days of the Limelight, Tunnel, and the Roxy. And closing things out will be Rebūke, who collaborated with CamelPhat on "The Future" and has several chart-topping techno jams supported by the likes of Claude von Stroke, Diplo, and Jamie Jones.

Rebüke (Live Set) | Green Velvet & Claptone — Day Party

Untitled Group, Thick As Thieves & Pitch Control presented Green Velvet, Claptone, Michael Bibi & Rebüke at a day party event in January 2020. 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Follow us to stay up-to-date with all of our upcoming events — 
・Untitled Group [Website] | https://untitledgroup.com.au/
・Untitled Group [Instagram] | https://www.instagram.com/untitledgroupau/ 
・Untitled Group [Facebook] | https://www.facebook.com/untitledgroupau/ 
・Untitled Group [SoundCloud] | https://soundcloud.com/untitledgroupau/


It's impossible to measure Green Velvet's impact on dance music. Tracks like "La La Land," "Answering Machine," and "Bigger Than Prince" continue to send dancers into a frenzy. And his labels Relief and Cajual have been at least partially responsible for the rise of dance music heavyweights like Will Clarke, Mihalis Safras, Eli Brown, and CamelPhat.


Claude Von Stroke is the leader of the infamous Dirtybird Records, a brand with a meteoric grassroots rise from local San Francisco party starter to global tastemaker. The label pushed wonky tech house long before it became a mainstage staple. And for over a decade, their parties have created a worldwide flock of faithful followers that have made Dirtybird one of house music's most viral brands.

Get Real (Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke) 

Who doesn't love a Sunday Funday barbeque soundtracked by stellar house music? The legendary Green Velvet and Claude Von Stroke, aka Get Real, are taking over the newly redesigned Brooklyn Mirage on June 12 for an extraordinary set. It's a party that will combine the controlled chaos of Dirtybird's infamous BBQs with the classic vibes of a Chicago house warehouse party amidst the festival-sized production of one of the most celebrated venues in the US. These two highly sought-after house heroes only bring the most immaculate vibes to the dancefloor.





Their appearances in New York have been the kind of sets that people have talked about for days afterward. When they first started performing together in 2015, they played the Awakenings stage at Electric Zoo the crowd was so thick it surrounded the stage. They have both performed solo sold-out sets at the Mirage, so get your tickets early to catch these two titans of house music.






Claude and GV are no strangers to long sets. The incomparable duo will be taking the dancefloor on an unprecedented five-hour journey of booty-shaking summertime beats. Of course, Green Velvet will be on the mic to perform some of his greatest hits.




They've also assembled a star-studded lineup of vocalists to perform, including Dajae, Duke Dumont collaborator Kid Enigma, Dirtybird's newest voice Nala, and a rare appearance by Crystal Waters, the enigmatic voice behind the dance music classic "Gypsy Woman."




While a five-hour set from two legends of house should be enough to keep the party pumped, there's even more reason to arrive early and stay late. 





Opening up the day will be New York legend Joeski, whose career dates back to the halcyon days of the Limelight, Tunnel, and the Roxy. And closing things out will be Rebūke, who collaborated with CamelPhat on "The Future" and has several chart-topping techno jams supported by the likes of Claude von Stroke, Diplo, and Jamie Jones.




It's impossible to measure Green Velvet's impact on dance music. Tracks like "La La Land," "Answering Machine," and "Bigger Than Prince" continue to send dancers into a frenzy. And his labels Relief and Cajual have been at least partially responsible for the rise of dance music heavyweights like Will Clarke, Mihalis Safras, Eli Brown, and CamelPhat.






Claude Von Stroke is the leader of the infamous Dirtybird Records, a brand with a meteoric grassroots rise from local San Francisco party starter to global tastemaker. The label pushed wonky tech house long before it became a mainstage staple. And for over a decade, their parties have created a worldwide flock of faithful followers that have made Dirtybird one of house music's most viral brands.










