Folkness On Groove, ‘Tong’ And Why House Music Still Starts With Feeling

Folkness

For Folkness, house music has never been about chasing trends or boxing themselves into one sound. Across releases on Toolroom, Jackies and now Junior Jack’s Adesso Music, the Polish duo have steadily carved out a groove-led identity that pulls equally from deep house, garage, disco and rolling tech influences without ever sounding forced or overdesigned.

Their latest release ‘Tong’ feels like another natural extension of that approach. Built around lively percussion, hypnotic synth work and warm peak-time energy, the track lands as their debut on Adesso Music and arrives at a point where the duo’s sound feels increasingly refined without losing its rawness or flexibility.

“It’s difficult to define our sound with a single word,” they explain. “We love groove and driving drops, and we’re passionate about drawing inspiration from minimal, deep-tech house, garage house and disco house.”

That relationship with older house music runs deep throughout the Folkness project. While modern club trends inevitably shape parts of their sound, much of their musical DNA still traces back to the turn of the century and the records they grew up obsessing over.

“Our musical identity comes from the golden era of house music at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries,” they say. “That period is still a huge source of inspiration for us today.”

You can hear those references clearly across their productions. The loose swing. The rolling grooves. The warmth that often feels missing from more overprocessed modern club records. Artists like Junior Jack, Armand Van Helden and Kid Creme remain hugely influential for the pair, not just musically but structurally too.

“We still study their methods and incorporate elements of their approach into our own productions,” they explain.

At the same time, the duo are far from trapped in nostalgia. Labels like Hot Creations alongside artists including Nic Fanciulli, Butch, Us Two and Franky Rizardo now sit heavily within their current listening habits and club sensibilities.

What makes Folkness particularly interesting though is the way they speak about growth. Despite earning support from BBC Radio 1, Kiss FM and major DJs worldwide, there is still very little sense of entitlement or overnight mentality surrounding the project.

“We strongly believe in consistency and building things step by step,” they say. “We’re focused on the process rather than expecting everything to change overnight.”

That perspective becomes even more striking when discussing one of their biggest career moments so far, their official remix of Groove Armada’s ‘Superstylin’’ released alongside Mochakk’s version on BMG.

“The release of this remix has a very interesting story behind it,” they explain. “We had been thinking about remixing this classic for a long time.”

Amazingly, the remix itself came together almost immediately.

“Most of the project was actually completed within 24 hours,” they say. “We immediately saw the potential in the track and decided to send it to Groove Armada.”

The response that followed still feels surreal for the duo now.

“To our surprise, we quickly received a response saying that the remix had also impressed the original artists.”

For Folkness, that release became more than just another remix credit.

“Having the remix officially released alongside Mochakk’s version was a huge honour and a significant milestone for us. It’s a moment we’ll remember for a very long time.”

Long before releases like that arrived though, the project itself was built around friendship first. Norbert and Matt had already known each other for years before Folkness became something serious, and that connection still shapes the way they work creatively today.

“Definitely a shared vision and common goals,” they explain. “We want to keep developing musically on many levels, from DJing to music production.”

Like most creative partnerships, the process itself is rarely perfect.

“Of course, we don’t always agree on every aspect of a track and we often argue about creative decisions,” they laugh. “But that’s probably completely normal.”

Sometimes tracks are built together during long studio sessions. Other times they are developed separately before being refined later. That flexibility has become central to how the duo operate.

It also played directly into the creation of ‘Tong’, a track that actually existed in a much earlier unfinished form before eventually becoming the final release heard today.

“The first version of the track was created in 2025, but we weren’t completely satisfied with it,” they explain.

Everything shifted once one additional synth line entered the arrangement.

“We later added a synth line that significantly enhanced the groove and overall energy of the record. Once that element was in place, we finally felt the track was complete.”

That final version immediately felt suited to Adesso Music’s direction too.

“We knew that ‘Tong’ could be a good fit for Adesso Music,” they say. “The track has energy, driving percussion and strong dancefloor potential.”

Landing on Junior Jack’s label carries obvious significance given how influential both the artist and imprint have been within house music culture over the years.

“Joining Adesso Music has been one of our goals for a very long time,” they explain. “Adesso is one of the leading labels in the house music scene and carries the name of a true legend of the genre.”

Looking ahead, Folkness remain focused less on hype and more on longevity. The ambition around the project is still growing, but the mindset behind it feels grounded in process rather than pressure.

“We’re performing at increasingly bigger festivals, regularly releasing music on some of the world’s most respected labels, and reaching a growing audience,” they say.

The long-term goals themselves remain huge though.

“We want to perform all over the world, release music on even bigger labels, collaborate with the very best artists, and continue challenging ourselves with new opportunities along the way.”

Most importantly, after everything already achieved so far, the enjoyment still sits firmly at the centre of the project.

“We’re constantly gaining experience,” they say. “And most importantly, we’re still having a great time doing what we love.”

Folkness

Instagram - Soundcloud - Spotify