New York producer Exstra unveils a scintillating single, ‘Frozen’, via the Enormous Chills imprint. The track was mastered by Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Christian Hirt, who has worked with Nora En Pure, EDX, and many more. Exstra boasts 1.4 million streams across platforms, making waves with releases on renowned record labels like Colorize, Enormous Tunes, and Zerothree. He has received radio support from KISS FM and SiriusXM, and publication support from EDM Identity. Collaborated with vocalist Britt Lari on the track ‘Let Go’, with more vocal collaborations slated for the coming months. He performed for the We Belong Here music festival in Miami in February 2023 (alongside headliners Kaskade and Lane 8) and as DJ support for Martin Roth the following month. He graced the stage at We Belong Here music festival in NYC on May 24th, 2024.

Exstra blends dark analogue sounds together with beautiful organic tones to create music that keeps you hypnotised on the dance floor. ‘Frozen’ is a beautiful track that is filled with a captivating sense of tension and hope. A potent homage to his beloved feline companion overcoming illness, it features pulsating rhythms, a driving beat, cinematic atmospherics and an inspiring lead. Hypnotically progressive, it is a work of melodic house that is sure to ensnare listeners from the first second.

Listen to the track…

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Your friendly neighbourhood Synthwave producer is back, but this time he has shared a House track. The Toxic Avenger has aimed his skillset at a production titled ‘Mine’. The track is signed with Enchanté Records and is one of the tracks added to the extended version of his 2022 album Yes Future. 

Stream / Download: The Toxic Avenger – ‘Mine’

“I wanted to do more club music like I did in the past when I was touring with Skrillex in 2008-2010, coming back to house music,” he said. Based on the Chicago house style, the track has a certain funk-like quality to it, Maybe it’s the backbeat; maybe it’s the overall flavour. We can’t be sure, but there is certainly a deep groove here.

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Unlock a world of wonder and greener pastures after listening to electronica band Stavroz’s single ‘Wintergreen’ which premiered via When We Dip, and is set for official release on the 18th of March. This track starts off on an inviting and peaceful note as jazz strokes open the first few seconds of the track, definitely making one think of sunny and divinely quiet afternoons spent around greenery. 

Pre-save: ‘Wintergreen’

This Moodfamily release does a complete shift mood and production-wise a minute after the breezy jazzified intro. Packed with a delightfully subtle attitude, percussion and electronics collide to form one spirited beat. The band introduce the jazz elements back into this vibrant track with finesse and undeniably fiery confidence.

Upcoming Tour Dates & Tickets here

Stavroz have seen much acclaim since their inception, performing at world-renowned music festivals like Coachella (US), Fusion Festival (DE) and Wonderfruit (THA). We definitely feel like our ears are receiving a world class audio experience with this infectiously minimal and upbeat electronic track.

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Seamlessly blending digital and organic elements has always been characteristic of the Japanese producer, but what makes this track most impressive is Lycoriscoris’s ability to amplify different sides of his music within one single track. While ‘Utsurou‘ encompasses aspects of minimalism, the track is still energetic and emotive.

He explains the origins of the track: “’Utsurou‘ means things are “changing” in Japanese. It is sad and beautiful at the same time because all things are in flux and no two moments are the same. All life is short, but I think that’s why people live it so hard. The song is like a hymn to humanity.”

Stream / Download Chiyu LP

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     Image credit: Miki Takahira

After the successful release of a slew of singles, deep house duo Jaffna have released a video for ‘Roots’ alongside the release of their album Odyssey.

Stream / Download Odyssey LP 

The Parisian duo is Bravin (a classically trained pianist from Sri Lanka) and Stan (a French chef) who have been creating music together since 2014.

The release is accompanied by an animated video for ‘Roots’, directed and created by Pauline Bricout. The video is minimalistic in nature, featuring beautiful illustrations that pulse and change along with the soundtrack, perhaps subliminally speaking of the collective human condition.

Director Pauline Bricout tells us about the creation of the ‘Roots’ video: “The meeting with Jaffna began with the animation of the track ‘Oslo’. The request can be summed up in one sentence: “Draw me a man”. It was then that two characters were born, like Bravin and Stan. “Roots” story follows on from this first collab. Two complementary characters begin their dreamlike parallel journeys, during which they contaminate the world with poetry. In a dazzling finale, these two entities merge to form a whole: Jaffna. My credo: generate emotion. Always narrative, surreal and aesthetic, the clips I make have a recurring central theme: Destiny. Systematically living between confinement and freedom, the protagonists are irremediably drawn to their bittersweet spells.”

The LP itself bears testament to the duo’s love of travel, and traverses the metaphorical musical landscape capturing snapshots as it goes. Odyssey is a lush electronic offering with enough variety to please listeners both on and off the dance floor.

Bravin gives us some insight into the LP: “For ‘Roots’, we created a fast-paced energetic track with hints of tribal percussion in the background. We were motivated to try something different and were inspired by the idea of moving forward. The rest of our album is comprised of several deeply personal elements including a voyage of sounds influenced by an Indian classical chant in ‘Byzance’, while the main “icy” synth ostinato in ‘Oslo’ was inspired by the typical snowy winter’s day of Norway during a visit to Stan’s brother. We’ve also enjoyed sampling voices, including an interview with Idris Elba in ‘Hackney Boy’ as well as an interview with Dizzie Rascal and others in ‘Headlines’.”

‘Roots’ features on the Spotify playlist HOUSE_GROUND.fm

Odyssey LP Tracklist

1. Hollow Fields

2. Oslo

3. You Got Together

4. Roots

5. Manifest

6. Hackney Boy

7. Follies

8. Headlines

9. Byzance

10. Rival

11. Bhairavi

12. Sturm Und Drang

13. Outro

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Releasing their transcending track ‘Vivi’ via Monstercat, the duo Elevven rise from the ashes of a turbulent two years for live gigs. ‘Vivi’ takes light and levitating electronic textures, leaving us feeling relaxed and somewhat at ease about whatever is rattling the brainwaves. The duo consists of pals and music producers Shahin and Swapneel who produced this track as a tribute to their family and community who have constantly been supporting their musical endeavors, now more than ever. Now that festivals are picking up again, the duo has also lit up the stage once again, performing at the TranceFamilySF Festival earlier this month. 

We chatted with Elevven, who shared their future plans. 

Tell us about your earliest musical memory?

Earliest all-time musical memory…buying The Lion King soundtrack on CD! (No, really).

The very first electronic music memory I have is hearing two particular songs: Andain’s ‘Beautiful Things’ and Motorcycle’s ‘As The Rush Comes’, both featured on Tiesto’s Nyana compilation. These two records served as the gateway into dance music for me and I became obsessed.

At what point in your life did you have that moment where you said to yourself “This is it. This is the type of music I want to create?”

It must have been around the time that I began diving deeper into the old trance compilations. I grew up as a rock/metalhead, and early vocal trance became my gateway. Soon after discovering the genre, I was introduced to the early Anjunabeats compilations, and I was blown away by the musicality and the parallels shared in that music with progressive rock.

Please list some of the most influential albums on your creative outlook and output:

Above & Beyond – Tri-State

Tiesto – Nyana

Anjunabeats 100 – From Goa to Rio

Thrice – The Artist in the Ambulance

Dream Theater – Images & Words

What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?

As a duo, we tend to use all different kinds of gear, and we make life difficult for ourselves. Neel uses Ableton, and I (Shahin) use Cubase. That being said, we’re pretty familiar with all DAWs and all software.

I also have a Dave Smith Prophet Rev 2 that I use for certain sounds, and when I can bust it out, my Moog Sub 37!

What inspires you outside of music? What do you turn to when the creative well runs a little low?

I try to take an extended break from working on a song and come back with fresh ears. This is really hard to force myself to do at times because I keep telling myself that I “must keep going”. Sadly, that’s rarely true and sometimes you need to pull yourself away and come back with some fresh perspective (and maybe coffee).

What is your opinion on the ever spreading sub-genre vine? Are there too many? Do you think there’ s perhaps a sub-genre that doesn’t get the attention it deserves?

I actually think it’s fantastic seeing more and more ‘sub genres’ spring up, because these vines are beginning to get intermingled. We’re starting to see more techno influences come back into the trance world – and vice versa! Much of the melodic and deep house music that is resonating with folks also brings over those trance-inspired elements. I think it’s fantastic.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?

This is a toughie. I think they both scratch very different itches for me, but if I absolutely had to pick one, it would be music production (or at least, those ‘fun’ moments of production!) There’s nothing more satisfying than wrapping up a song and being immensely proud of how it sounds.

Sometimes it takes a while, but the payoff is worth it.

As a music artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

I feel it has become increasingly difficult (in some ways) for artists to make a living off of their music. There’s a continued reliance on live gigs to bring in any sort of income, and the fees offered in those gigs seem to be ever creeping lower.

Any new or upcoming artists on your radar? Who shouldn’t the world sleep on?

This past year has given us the opportunity to share the music from some up-and-coming artists that we love and really champion their music. Some notable examples that we’re huge fans of include Hausman and Movement Machina.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

We’ve just wrapped up a couple of remixes that were debuted at Above & Beyond’s recent ABGT450 gig, and ‘Vivi’ is our first official release under the Monstercat banner (although our history with Silk Music goes back 10 years!)

Lots of upcoming shows on the horizon as well, including Groove Cruise in early 2022.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

We’re eternally grateful to our fans and community that have helped us get through this past year. It’s been our biggest blessing and we love you guys!

‘Vivi’ features on the Spotify playlist HOUSE_GROUND.fm

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Japanese deep house music producer Lycoriscoris has left us spellbound with his latest album Chiyu released via reputable record label Anjunadeep. Listening to each track on this album, one feels like you are floating between time and space. Inspired by everyday life and its many challenges along with beautiful moments, Lycoriscoris’s album celebrates life. Featuring the song ‘Shizumu’, this track steers toward a more danceable direction, leaving one feeling liberated and invigorated. Known to be quite a gentle and reserved soul, this certainly reflects in Yunosuke Senoo a.k.a. Lycoriscoris’s work. We had a chat with the thoughtful producer and discovered that he is just as charming and sincere as his luminescent sound.

Stream / Download Chiyu LP

Tell us about your earliest musical memory?

I took keyboard lessons when I was a child. I didn’t like music at that time.

At what point in your life did you have that moment where you said to yourself “This is it. This is the type of music I want to create?”

Up until then, I had only listened to J-POP, and old UK rock, but I was looking for something more innovative and unique. When I was about 19, I discovered electronic music. I don’t know if it was a defining moment, but I think it was a very big turning point.

Please list some of the most influential albums on your creative outlook and output:

OK computer – Radiohead

Geogaddi – Boards of Canada

An Imaginary Country – Tim Hecker

Obrigado Saudade – Mice Parade

Eingya – Helios

Felt – Nils Flahm

Ma Fleur – Cinematic Orchestra

What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?

Battery 4 – Native Instruments

PerFourMer MKII – Vermona

What inspires you outside of music? What do you turn to when the creative well runs a little low?

Walking, driving, and snapping a photo.

Your alias Lycoriscoris is named after the Japanese flower that signifies both death and connection. Which song on this album represents the meaning of Lycoriscoris?

“the Japanese flower that signifies both death and connection” is a little different. It’s quite a long story, but let me explain ‘Lycoris’.

Many people don’t have a good image of this flower because it is found in graves and blooms in season, the day when the souls of the dead are supposed to come closer to this world. In addition, the flower is poisonous in small quantities, and people have given it various names with sinister meanings.

And while there are various bad names, there seem to be some good meanings, such as “passion” and “independence”. And the one that appealed to me the most was “until we meet again”. I don’t know why this flower was given this name, but I think it’s a very nice meaning.

These are really difficult to explain, so please refer to the English version on Wikipedia. Look at the section on “Uses and legends”. My English is really limited! I have used translations and dictionaries to write this long explanation, but I am sure I have not covered all the little nuances.

In other words, the most important thought for me in my artist’s name is “looking forward to the day we meet again”. It’s hard to decide which track best expresses this, but I think ‘Chiyu’ (to recover) and ‘Inori’ (to pray) do.

What is your opinion on the ever-spreading sub-genre vine? Are there too many? Do you think there’ s perhaps a sub-genre that doesn’t get the attention it deserves?

I don’t like to be categorized into genres, so I think that it would be rather interesting if there were so many genres that it could not function as it should.  For example, it would be nice to have your own genre.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?

Sometimes it’s good to interact with the audience, but  I prefer to work in the studio.

 Your Chiyu album is about portraying the recovery process during difficult times in life. Tell us about how music has impacted your personal recovery process during these times

With ‘Chiyu’ I wanted to make an album that uses a dance music format but also allows you to confront yourself and sink into a deeper place. 

I think that by facing it, we can find a way to recover. I don’t know if I’ve “recovered” from any of my problems during this period, but I think I’ve been listening to music in a more self-conscious way than ever before.

It is not important whether I have recovered as a result, this album is expressing my “wish” and “attitude”.

As a music artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

I think there is a format that says that art, including the style of business, is what it is. I don’t think my music is art. And It’s not for business. So I haven’t really paid much attention to the content of this question.

Any new or upcoming artists on your radar? Who shouldn’t the world sleep on?

TWO LANES. 

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

So far I have released albums, but in the future, I would like to make EPs, singles, and remixes. Making an album takes a lot of energy.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

Thanks for always listening!

‘Shizumu’ features on the Spotify playlist ​​HOUSE_GROUND.fm

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Australian Trio ‘The Nights’ Return with ‘Kill For Me’Out August 27th via Ultra Records. The Nights are quickly becoming one of Australia’s most sought-after musical exports. Joining the ranks of their contemporaries like Willaris K., Rufus Du Sol, Motez, Cassian and more, this fast-rising trio has become a name to watch in the Australian dance scene and beyond. On August 27th, they return with their second single, Kill for Me, off their forthcoming EP later this year. Firmly established as leaders of the Australian underground, The Nights’ reputation as trendsetters who held the worlds of house and techno seamlessly in their productions and DJ sets precedes them. Kill for Me continues their hot streak of releases this year. Bass-driven and full of energy, Kill for Me, is a dance floor heater wrought with intensity. Leaning towards the darker side of house music, the record waxes and wanes between loaded synths backed by heavy drums and angelic strings and luscious vocal chops. Perfect for peak hours at the club. Their previous release, ‘Worlds Collide’, released July 9th to much fanfare, garnering support from international tastemakers at Triple J, Radio Metro, Massive Dance Radio, and more as well as key playlist support from Spotify’s New Dance Beats and Apple Music’s Breaking Dance. Having already made a name for themselves down under as “Three guys doing it better than the rest”(Triple J Unearthed), there are only big things ahead for this eclectic trio. 

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Unpretentious and renowned music producer Joris Delacroix has gathered our attention in a different way with his single ‘Early Hours feat. Run Rivers’ via SmallFishBigSea. The French producer is known for his heavily instrumental arrangements, but this time around he delights us with vocals from DJ Shadow collaborator and emerging vocalist Run Rivers. Listening to ‘Early Hours’ one can only think of a divine quiet morning where you have the room to breathe and kickback. We are not sure what Joris Delacroix will deliver next in terms of genre specifics, but we sure like this new vocal direction.

We had the pleasure of chatting with ambitious and grounded DJ Joris Delacroix below.

Stream/Download ‘Early Hours feat. Run Rivers’

Tell us about your earliest musical memory?

I don’t remember exactly how old I was, I was in my parents’ attic with their old vinyl collection of french songs and disco. It was more of a child’s game than anything else until I had my very first blast on a track! It was an instrumental remix of ‘Gloria’ by Laura Branigan

At what point in your life did you have that moment where you said to yourself “This is it. This is the type of music I want to create?”

I had it the first time I made a full track by myself when I was 19. I had a pretty chaotic adolescence where it was very difficult for me to find out who I am and what I wanted to do with my life. The first time I produced something the track honestly sounded shitty, but I had a lot of fun and satisfaction making it. The few people who listened to it really encouraged me to keep going. That can seem dumb, but this was one of the only times in my life when people seemed to appreciate something I did with pleasure and I could be myself. So it was very clear to me that it was going to be my life now, no matter what it takes.

Describe the process of collaborating with vocalist Run Rivers. What made his vocals stand out for you?

Last year I made a remix of a Tinlicker’s track which Run Rivers performed on, that’s how we got in touch. From his previous collaborations on Anjuna Deep, he already has the experience of performing on deep melodic tracks. This made this collaboration very efficient, even if we did it remotely. I first made an instrumental version that I sent to him to put some ideas on, and then we added vocals parts little by little. We also modified the instrumental when it was needed. This was really interesting because we had a lot of interactions and we tested a lot of different things on the vocals and instrumental before arriving at the final result. He was really involved in the project so it was a great pleasure to work with him. I’m sure we’ll collaborate again in the future.

Please list some of the most influential albums on your creative outlook and output:

Daft Punk – Discovery, Paul Kalkbrenner – Berlin Calling, Muse – Origin Of Symmetry, Kendrick Lamar – Damn …

What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?

If I have to pick only one it would be the Moog Sub37, and one Software would be the U-he Diva. They are very common synths but very efficient.  I use them to make strong melodic leads and arps that make the gimmicks of my tracks.

What inspires you outside of music? What do you turn to when the creative well runs a little low?

It’s literally everything that can trigger an emotion. It’s mostly about spending time with people I already know or new people; listening to their stories, share our feelings and experience in our lives. It can also be with going outside, being in nature and appreciating the simpler things in life. And also my interest in other forms of art like movies, painting, other music than electronic, and even sometimes video games can be inspiring. I think it’s all about keeping an open mind and letting the emotions flow.

You previously mentioned that you wanted to try “something new’ with this track. How did producing this track differ from the norm?

The main difference from before was concerning the vocals. With the previous vocal tracks I made, I used very simple toplines with only 1 or 2 tracks. With ‘Early Hours’ I wanted to go further with something rich and full of harmonies. And it was quite a challenge because my music is already rich and harmonic in the instrumental, so it’s not always easy to find space in the mix. It has been all about making choices to find the right balance.

What is your opinion on the ever spreading sub-genre vine? Are there too many? Do you think there’ s perhaps a sub-genre that doesn’t get the attention it deserves?

There are too many sub-genres. I feel like today we need to put labels on everything and create little boxes we can store things in. In a way, I can understand it, because we have access to way more music and artists than ever. We need to have some landmarks. But as an artist, I don’t pay attention to sub-genres because if you identify with it too much I think it will lock down your creativity.

Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, what do you prefer?

I just don’t want to choose. I can’t make one without the other.

As a music artist, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

I see myself as a small artist in a big world in which many aspects are beyond me. I don’t have the pretension to say that I would change anything because I just can’t. At some point, I think it’s normal to get into some business with music if you want to live on it. In my case, I just don’t want the business aspect to get more important than the artistic aspect. But a lot of people don’t think the same way, and I don’t want to fight it. I prefer to spend my energy on doing what I believe in.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

I’m working on an album project but instead of releasing 12 tracks at once, I’m releasing tracks one by one right after I finish producing them. So I released one track in May, the next one will be in June, the next in September, and I’ll keep this frequency until I’ll have released an album.

One last thought to leave your fans with?

Thank you for being a fan, and I’m really looking forward to seeing you soon at real gigs :).

Follow Joris Delacroix:

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Rising German electronic DJ / producer Damian Rausch is pleased to announce a brand new release with the arrival of ‘Train’, a six minute dose of cerebrally aligned electronica channelling deep house influences with hints of jazz and soul. Following on from a slew of releases on Apparel Music, Gents and Dandys, Whoyostro and Traumschallplatten, ‘Train’ marks his first foray into the French electronic scene.

Damian says: “I called it ‘Train’, maybe because life goes so fast  – Like a train that makes a few stops on the way to your final destination, but you may end up at a different place to the one you started out on. The possibilities are endless.”

Mineral Records – a new imprint of cult label Roche Musique – releases its debut house compilation ‘IDEAL RULES’, espousing its tenets of creative freedom and progressive expression. In its various forms, house music exudes a blissful, light and free feeling. It is an escapist experience, often taking you away to a better place, offering us the perfect respite we all need right now.

For a Mineral Records debut compilation, IDEAL RULES seemed an apt title. A dizzying, intricate cocktail fusing elements of Jazz, Minimal, Lo-fi, melodic, futuristic and Deep House – Not pigeonholed by one specific genre but harnessing the ability to create your own rules and to look back at the history of the electronic music scene in order to create something entirely fresh and new. 

Ten hotly tipped artists were invited to curate IDEAL RULES, each with their own inimitable style. Alongside German producer Damian Rausch, a clutch of producers appear on the compilation including space cowboy Aerial Boi from Lyon; singer and multi-instrumentalist Corbin Canvas – based in Washington DC – with his futuristic house; Parisian DJ and producer Paul Cut, member of the label D. KO records; Reykjavík-based hip-hop and electronic producer/DJ intr0beatz; multi-talented young Swiss artist IyaKo, who composes a sunny African House track for the compilation. Monolithic, Japanese producer based in New York who excels in lunar lo-fi house; the Frenchman Jehan, with his red carpet house with jazz accents and finally, the artists of the Mineral roster, Slow Valley, a trap and future garage producer based in Lille and Cerfeuil, an electronic duo with breakbeat influences round off the compilation with the track ‘Luster’, a melodic house track with a definite groove.

So, to embody and visualise the free spirit of the project, Mineral Records collaborated with an upcoming illustrator Idriss Surena to create a pleasure seeking feline in love with music, words, and sound, the pillars of the label’s values.

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