Qolaj Filipino producer Qolaj approaches club music differently to most. While many artists treat genre as a fixed identity, his latest EP ‘Re-Adoption’ feels more interested in mutation, reconstruction and emotional movement than staying inside neat stylistic lines. Built around hardgroove, techno, breakbeat experimentation and flashes of Jersey club energy, the release uses existing tracks as raw material, reshaping them into something entirely new rather than delivering straightforward remixes. Released via Angry Dog Records, the EP arrives following Qolaj’s win in Beatport’s 2024 Global Remix Challenge, a breakthrough moment that led to an official release with Warner Music Group and reinforced his instinct to push beyond traditional club frameworks. Across ‘Re-Adoption’, that mindset becomes the entire concept. “I’ve always been fascinated by transformation,” he explains. “A lot of remix culture focuses on enhancing or updating a track, but with ‘Re-Adoption’, I was more interested in asking what happens when a song is given an entirely new life.” That idea sits at the centre of the project. Rather than preserving the originals, Qolaj treats them almost like relocated identities, shaped by new environments, emotional contexts and physical energy. “The original DNA is still there,” he says, “but the context, energy and perspective have changed so much that they become something else entirely.” The title itself also reflects the way he views artistic growth more broadly. “I don’t see identity as something fixed,” he explains. “We’re constantly evolving through our experiences, communities and influences. ‘Re-Adoption’ reflects that process of revisiting something familiar and choosing to redefine it rather than simply preserve it.” That mentality runs through the entire EP, particularly in the way genres collide and overlap. Hardgroove sits alongside breakbeats, techno and rhythmic club mutations without ever feeling forced or disconnected. “When I’m producing, I’m usually asking myself what the track needs rather than what scene it belongs to,” he says. “Sometimes it needs urgency and bounce. Sometimes it needs unpredictability or momentum.” For Qolaj, genre blending is less about collecting influences and more about creating dialogue between cultures, communities and different musical languages. “I think identity comes less from the genres you’re using and more from your perspective,” he says. “I’m consistently drawn to music that feels kinetic, emotionally charged and physically engaging. That’s the thread connecting everything.” That emotional element is crucial to how he approaches dance music. Despite the aggression and warehouse energy running through the EP, there is also a clear sense of tension, vulnerability and atmosphere underneath the percussion. “A lot of that comes from my roots in grunge and alternative music,” he explains. “What always resonated with me was the balance between aggression and emotion. The music could be intense and raw while still carrying vulnerability and depth.” That balance becomes particularly noticeable on the VIP version of ‘Incite Revolution’, rebuilt here into a more spacious and groove-focused version of the original. “With the VIP version, I wanted to simplify the arrangement and create more space for the groove and energy to breathe,” he says. “At the same time, I wanted to inject a greater sense of joy into the track.” While the original leaned heavily into urgency and intensity, the new version carries a more celebratory emotional tone. “The message is still there,” he explains, “but it’s being expressed through a different emotional lens. Instead of pushing forward through tension alone, this version embraces the idea that joy can be a form of revolution too.” That willingness to trust instinct and push outside expected frameworks has only accelerated following his Beatport Remix Challenge success. More than simply opening doors professionally, the experience validated a deeper creative shift already happening internally. “The remix was one of the first times I fully leaned into breaks, syncopation and rhythmic structures beyond traditional four-on-the-floor,” he says. “It showed me that taking creative risks and following my own curiosity could resonate with people.” Interestingly, Qolaj only discovered hardgroove relatively recently, despite now operating comfortably within its growing global resurgence. “Even a year ago, I wasn’t really listening to hardgroove or some of the faster styles,” he says. “My taste has expanded a lot over the past year.” What attracts him most is the genre’s physicality and directness. “It’s unapologetically about movement and momentum,” he says. “I think people are really responding to that again.” At the same time, he believes the future of hardgroove lies in continued hybridisation. “People are less attached to strict genre boundaries now,” he explains. “So hardgroove will probably keep merging with other fast-moving styles and evolving into something even more global.” As a Filipino producer building space within international electronic music, that sense of cultural movement and openness also shapes how he views the wider scene. “There aren’t always clear pathways or representation in some of the spaces I move through,” he says. “You end up having to carve out space rather than step into it.” At the same time, that lack of fixed expectations has also become a strength. “It pushes you to develop a more individual perspective,” he explains. “You don’t rely on existing templates of what an artist in this space is supposed to look or sound like.” That sense of community and participation sits at the heart of how he views rave culture too. Rather than treating dancefloors purely as escapism, he sees them as collective environments built around connection, learning and shared energy. “My first major moment was Coachella 2017,” he says. “That was when I was properly introduced to electronic music and the wider scene.” More recently, his involvement with Dance Music Initiative has reinforced that philosophy further. “It reminds me that this culture is not just about performance,” he says. “It’s about sharing knowledge, building access and creating spaces where people feel included.” Even while optimistic about the openness of modern dance music, he remains cautious about how quickly underground sounds can become commercialised once they gain traction. “There’s a subtle gentrification happening in certain scenes,” he explains. “Sometimes the aesthetic gets prioritised over the roots and communities that created the culture.” Rather than allowing that to make him cynical, though, it has simply sharpened his focus on experimentation, authenticity and cultural awareness within his own work. When listeners finally reach the closing moments of ‘Re-Adoption’, there is one feeling he hopes remains after the intensity fades away. “The EP starts with urgency and momentum and gradually moves toward something more grounded,” he says. “By the end, there’s a sense of contentment or peace that emerges.” Ultimately, that emotional arc feels like the real core of the project. Beneath the warehouse energy, rhythmic aggression and genre mutation, ‘Re-Adoption’ is less about destruction and more about rebuilding. “I hope people leave the experience feeling a bit more settled than when they entered it,” he says. Qolaj https://www.instagram.com/qolaj https://open.spotify.com/artist/2OPKwijeJpTOUtAQMq7ozn https://soundcloud.com/qolaj

Various 4TheFans Fan Parks Will Host World Cup 2026 Games Nightclubs, music venues and nightlife spaces across the UK are embracing World Cup 2026 fever by turning match screenings into late-night club events, festival takeovers and rave-inspired fan zones. With this year’s tournament taking place across the US, Mexico and Canada, many fixtures are kicking off late into the night for UK audiences, creating an unusual crossover between football culture and club culture. As a result, venues traditionally associated with electronic music are now hosting screenings alongside DJs, afterparties and all-night events. Venues including XOYO, Ministry of Sound, Village Underground, Colour Factory and MOT are all hosting World Cup screenings combined with DJ programming and club-focused experiences. Elsewhere, festivals and large-scale nightlife spaces are also getting involved. StadiumMK’s SMK Live Festival plans to show England vs Panama on giant stadium screens, while Manchester venues linked to The Warehouse Project and Freight Island are hosting large fan-zone style events with DJs before and after matches. The growing overlap between football and nightlife was already being encouraged by the Night Time Industries Association last year, which argued that late-licensed clubs were perfectly positioned to host World Cup fan zones due to existing infrastructure, security and late operating hours. Many London venues are also expanding the concept beyond traditional sports bars. Spaces including Between The Bridges, KERB Social Club and TOCA Social are combining large-scale screenings with food traders, DJs, terraces and immersive event production. As the tournament continues, the blending of football fandom and electronic nightlife culture is quickly becoming one of the defining social trends surrounding World Cup 2026 across the UK.

Shlømo A criminal complaint has been filed against French techno artist Shlømo before the Paris Judicial Court in relation to alleged acts of rape, psychological violence and death threats. According to statements shared by advocacy collective METOODJS and lawyer Maître Inès Davau, the complaint was formally submitted on Friday 5th June on behalf of an anonymous complainant. At this stage, the filing of a criminal complaint does not represent a formal charge or finding of wrongdoing, nor has it been confirmed whether a formal investigation has been opened. ICYMI: Electronic Music Industry Pays Tribute Following Death Of Artist Manager Leticia van Riel UK Nightlife Venues Turn World Cup 2026 Into Late-Night Club Culture Experience Carl Cox Awarded OBE In King’s Birthday Honours List The case marks another significant development in the wider scrutiny currently surrounding parts of the hard techno scene following months of allegations and industry discussion around misconduct, abuse of power and artist accountability. Earlier this year, several promoters and festivals removed performances involving multiple artists after allegations circulated online across social media and industry platforms. In its statement, METOODJS said the complainant was seeking for “her voice to be heard” and for the allegations to be examined through a formal legal framework. The collective also reiterated the importance of allowing victims to report abuse without intimidation or retaliation. Shlømo, real name Shaun Baron-Carvais, has become one of the defining figures within modern hard techno through releases, live performances and his involvement with the Taapion collective. In recent months, several events and organisations had already distanced themselves from artists connected to wider allegations circulating within the scene. The legal proceedings remain ongoing.

Deezer Deezer has launched a free AI music detection tool allowing users to scan playlists across 20 major streaming platforms for AI-generated music. The new feature works across services including Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and YouTube Music, giving listeners the ability to identify potentially synthetic tracks within their existing playlists regardless of where they stream music. Users simply connect their streaming accounts through Deezer’s online AI detector platform, which then scans imported playlists for AI-generated content. The tool can also generate shareable results once analysis is complete. The move further positions Deezer as one of the most proactive streaming platforms currently addressing the rapid growth of AI-generated music online. The company was previously the first major streaming service to begin explicitly tagging AI-created tracks on its own platform. According to Deezer’s latest figures, AI-generated music now accounts for roughly 44% of all daily uploads to the platform, equating to nearly 75,000 tracks every day. Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier said the decision to make the detector publicly available came after limited uptake from competing streaming platforms despite previously offering the technology commercially. The wider rollout also arrives amid growing industry concern around copyright, royalty dilution and streaming fraud linked to synthetic music uploads. Deezer previously stated that up to 85% of streams on AI-generated tracks detected on its platform were considered fraudulent. Alongside consumer access, Deezer continues licensing its AI detection technology to parts of the wider music industry, including partnerships such as its agreement with French royalty agency Sacem earlier this year. The launch reflects increasing pressure on streaming services to improve transparency around AI-generated music as synthetic uploads continue accelerating across the global music ecosystem. You can check it out here.

Model Man Model Man returns with ‘When You Smile’, a deeply reflective electronic release balancing warm house textures, emotional songwriting and understated late-night energy. Released via Headroom Records, the single marks another important step following the producer’s recent return after nearly two years away from releasing music. Built around warm piano chords, airy vocal fragments and rolling percussion, the track drifts between emotional introspection and subtle dancefloor movement without fully settling into either space. There are traces of Chicago house and classic soul woven throughout the arrangement, though the production never feels nostalgic for its own sake. Instead, ‘When You Smile’ carries a feeling of emotional distance and quiet tension, balancing movement with reflection in a way that has increasingly become central to Model Man’s sound. The Essex-born producer, originally trained on piano by his mother, has long explored the space between classical structure and UK garage energy. On ‘When You Smile’, though, the production feels looser and more emotionally exposed than previous material, allowing atmosphere and vulnerability to breathe naturally within the track’s framework. That emotional openness reportedly emerged during a recent period of introspection and personal reflection, where conversations with his father helped uncover a sense of inherited emotional distance that had shaped much of his life and creative process. The result is a release that feels both personal and universally relatable. Functional enough for late-night sets and open-air dancefloors, yet emotionally detailed enough to reward quieter and more reflective listening moments. Support from Pete Tong alongside stations including BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and KEXP further reinforces the growing impact of the release. With ‘When You Smile’, Model Man delivers one of his most emotionally resonant tracks to date, continuing to refine a sound built around atmosphere, movement and unresolved feeling. Model Man https://www.instagram.com/modelmangrams https://www.youtube.com/@ModelMan https://www.tiktok.com/@modelmanmusic

Miss Monique Miss Monique has announced three major new dates for her ambitious live concept ‘Miss Monique presents Biorhythm’, including its world premiere at Tomorrowland on 17th July. The Ukrainian DJ and producer will debut the show on Tomorrowland’s Freedom Stage before bringing the concept to Pacha NYC on 13th November and Phantom Paris on 27th November. The newly announced dates join an already strong response for her upcoming Buenos Aires performance at Mandarine Park on 3rd October. Tickets - Mandarine Park, Buenos Aires / Pacha NYC / Phantom, Paris Described as a year-long labour of love, ‘Biorhythm’ explores the relationship between nature and electronic music through a fusion of immersive visual design and melodic club culture. The project combines real-time generative industrial graphics with organic visual elements, creating a live environment intended to blur the line between machine-driven production and natural emotional connection. “I hope that Biorhythm shows that despite our industrial world, nature never disappears,” Miss Monique explained. “Nature gives us hope for our future, and for generations to come.” “To launch the concept at Tomorrowland on the Freedom Stage is a dream come true for me.” The announcement continues what is already shaping up to be the biggest year of Miss Monique’s career to date. Alongside a second season residency at Hï Ibiza, the producer is also set to perform at festivals including Kappa FuturFestival, Ultra Europe, Awakenings and Brunch Electronik, alongside multiple appearances at UNVRS Ibiza with David Guetta, Anyma and Carl Cox. Fresh from winning Best Progressive / Melodic House DJ at the Ibiza DJ Awards 2025, Miss Monique continues cementing her position as one of the defining names in modern melodic electronic music. Miss Monique Instagram / TikTok / FB / Spotify / YouTube

Hot Since 82 Hot Since 82 has announced new album ‘Obsessions’, arriving 4th September via his Knee Deep In Sound imprint, alongside lead single ‘Shaded’, released 12th June. Written across a period shaped by constant touring, movement and introspection, the album reportedly reflects the tension between intensity and stillness that has increasingly defined Daley Padley’s life both personally and creatively. Rather than functioning as a straightforward club record, ‘Obsessions’ appears positioned as a more reflective and emotionally layered body of work rooted in experience and instinct. Lead single ‘Shaded’ draws directly from Sound Of Eden, the iconic rave anthem created by pioneering UK trio Shades Of Rhythm during the height of the early 90s underground explosion. Originally written as a theme track for a planned rave called ‘The Garden Of Eden’, the record evolved into one of the defining tracks of the UK rave era following a major rework involving new drum breaks, basslines and vocals from Jo Middleton. The rave itself never happened, though organiser Ziggy Chowdary would later go on to manage The Prodigy. For Hot Since 82, revisiting the record carried personal significance. “Moments like this don't come around often. Taking a record you've loved for years, being invited inside it, and then helping introduce it to a new generation of dancefloors is something I'll never take for granted,” Padley explained. Rather than simply recreating the original, ‘Shaded’ reframes its emotional core through Hot Since 82’s deeper and more refined house-driven lens, bridging classic rave lineage with modern club functionality. As anticipation builds towards ‘Obsessions’, the release signals another evolution from an artist who has consistently balanced underground credibility with global electronic reach while remaining guided more by instinct than formula. Hot Since 82 https://www.instagram.com/hotsince82 https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tRBmMtER4fGrzrt8O9VpS https://soundcloud.com/hotsince-82

See How See How’s music sits in an interesting space. On the surface, records like new single ‘Kick It’ feel immediate and uplifting, built around warm synth work, chopped vocals and the sort of momentum that naturally pulls people towards a dancefloor. Spend a little more time with it though and there is usually something else sitting underneath. That tension runs throughout his forthcoming debut album, ‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’, arriving in September. Across nine tracks, the project explores themes of digital overload, modern belief systems and the ways technology increasingly shapes everyday life, but it does so without becoming heavy-handed or losing sight of the emotional release that dance music can offer. The contrast between new single ‘Kick It’ and previous release ‘My Religion’ illustrates that perfectly. While ‘My Religion’ leaned into more introspective territory, ‘Kick It’ feels brighter and more direct, something See How says was important when thinking about the wider shape of the album. “Yeah that was super important,” he explains. “‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’ is full of light and shade, joy and despair, and when planning out the singles I wanted to take listeners on a journey that reflected that. Some tracks are more immediate, others are more introspective, but all of it comes from the same place.” The album itself is rooted in observations around distraction, technology and the increasingly blurred line between escape and dependency. For See How, those ideas were impossible to ignore. “There’s a lot going wrong in the world right now,” he says. “Electronic music has long been a tool for escapism, but when the world is on fire, dance music can take on this weird nihilistic edge.” Rather than creating music that simply ignores what happens outside club walls, he wanted to confront those feelings directly. “The thing that gets me is the way we’re encouraged to zone out and self-regulate by using apps literally designed for addiction,” he explains. “Of course everyone needs an escape, but when that escape becomes monetised, addictive and divisive, then I think that’s a problem.” What stops the project becoming weighed down by those themes is the way he approaches them sonically. ‘Kick It’ in particular carries a strong emotional warmth through its vocal textures and nostalgic details. “I’ve always loved those kinds of innocent, childish textures and voices in my productions,” he says. “When it’s paired with the themes of the album, it gives it a real counterpoint and poignancy.” There is an interesting contradiction at work throughout the project too. While comparisons to artists such as Jamie xx, Joy Anonymous and Barry Can't Swim make sense sonically, there is a more reflective quality beneath the movement and groove. “To be honest, I’m not sure I’m able to do anything else,” he laughs. “My productions always lean commercial, but I can’t help pouring some deeper anxieties and meaning into them.” Rather than fighting against that, he has started embracing it. “If people hear ‘Kick It’ and like it because it sounds summery, perfect. If they dig a little deeper and start thinking about screen addiction, algorithms or the way technology shapes our lives, then great.” That idea of “interrupting the loop” sits at the centre of how he describes the single. Even if music cannot fix the wider systems surrounding technology and distraction, he still believes it can create small moments of interruption. “On the surface of it, no,” he says when asked if dance music can genuinely pull people away from modern routines. “The music industry, big tech and media are all set up to monetise distraction.” But there is still value in asking questions. “I don’t want my creativity to be in service of the status quo,” he says. “So I make accessible-sounding music that questions things and interrupts the loop, however briefly.” Interestingly, ‘Kick It’ itself clocks in at under three minutes, which feels unusual for electronic music built around club energy. But for See How, shorter structures have always felt natural. “I can’t help but make short pop structured tracks. It’s just in my DNA,” he says. “The album itself was made more for headphones, for listening at home or going about your day. The longer mix I’d leave for a live show.” There is also an awareness that technology itself is not the enemy. Throughout the album, many of the same tools being questioned also became part of the creative process. “I used AI to separate sample stems and I used Instagram to sample vocals,” he explains. “The whole album is infused with technology in order to critique that same technology.” That contradiction feels central to the project itself. Rather than offering answers, ‘Amusing Ourselves To Death’ seems more interested in opening conversations. “It’s not as simple as saying it’s all bad,” he says. “It’s more about posing the question, what kind of world do we want to build?” And when listeners eventually reach the final moments of the album later this year, there is one feeling he hopes stays with them after everything fades out. “Warmth,” he says. “The themes might be heavy, but the music is mostly euphoric, and I think there’s a cathartic release to that.” See How https://seehow.link/instagram https://seehow.link/spotify https://seehow.link/applemusic https://seehow.link/bandcamp https://seehow.link/soundcloud

MELTX MELTX does not approach electronic music like a typical club artist. Every set, release and visual feels tied to something larger, shaped as much by film, emotion and narrative as it is by BPM or genre. Long before becoming one of Ireland’s fastest rising names within hard techno and hardcore, Melanie was already immersed in performance, storytelling and visual art through musical theatre and award-winning filmmaking. That background still sits at the centre of everything she creates now. “Musical theatre taught me that performance is about making people feel something, not just entertaining them for an hour,” she explains. “I grew up obsessed with storytelling, emotion, tension and drama, and all of those things naturally carried over into my music.” Even when building DJ sets today, she still thinks less like a traditional selector and more like a director constructing scenes and emotional arcs. “I want people to leave feeling like they experienced something cinematic and intense,” she says. “Almost like they stepped inside another world for a few hours.” Before fully committing to music, MELTX had already established herself creatively through filmmaking. Her short films ‘Catharsis’ and ‘Silent’ gained major recognition, with ‘Silent’ connecting globally through its focus on mental health and emotional isolation. Film initially offered the perfect creative outlet because of how many disciplines it combined at once. “Film was my first love creatively because it combines emotion, visuals, music, psychology and storytelling all at once,” she explains. But eventually, music began offering something cinema could not. “With film, you can spend years creating something before anyone sees it,” she says. “With DJing and producing, you feel the reaction instantly. There’s this raw exchange of energy that’s addictive.” That shift became even clearer once she began playing harder, more emotionally charged sets and seeing how audiences responded in real time. “I realised I could create the same emotional impact I loved in cinema, but with thousands of people experiencing it together.” That cinematic mindset now shapes almost every part of the MELTX universe. Her sets are built intentionally, often structured more like psychological thrillers than straightforward club performances. “There’s an introduction where you establish atmosphere, tension-building moments, emotional peaks, chaos and release,” she explains. The contrasts inside those moments are deliberate too. “I love taking people from something euphoric and nostalgic into something dark and aggressive within seconds,” she says. “It creates this emotional whiplash that keeps people fully locked in.” Visually and sonically, she pulls inspiration from cyberpunk aesthetics, horror sound design, Y2K nostalgia and hyper-feminine imagery, all feeding into a project that feels increasingly immersive beyond just the music itself. “I want my sets to feel immersive,” she explains. “Almost like people are inside a dream, a meltdown or a movie scene rather than just standing in a club.” That emotional intensity also links closely back to the themes explored in ‘Silent’. While hard techno and hardcore naturally lean towards physical release and adrenaline, MELTX still sees emotional honesty as one of the most important foundations underneath everything she makes. “I think people can tell when art comes from a real emotional place,” she says. “Even though techno is high-energy and intense, I’m always chasing emotion underneath it.” That tension between beauty and destruction feels central to her sound. “I’m drawn to tracks that feel nostalgic, euphoric, destructive, beautiful or slightly heartbreaking at the same time.” For MELTX, the appeal of harder electronic music often comes from exactly that emotional release. “I think a lot of people come to harder music because they want somewhere to put all their emotions, anxiety, frustration or energy,” she says. “When you’re in a dark room surrounded by thousands of people all moving together to something intense, it becomes almost cathartic.” As her profile has grown through releases on labels including HEKATE, Taapion, NOW NOW and 999999999, she has become increasingly comfortable leaning fully into her own identity rather than trying to fit cleanly inside one genre lane. “My sound naturally sits between hard techno, hardcore, cinematic sound design and emotional storytelling,” she explains. “I’ve stopped trying to dilute that.” That clarity around identity seems to have accelerated the project internationally too. While the rise itself has felt gradual from her perspective, there were definite moments where the momentum suddenly became impossible to ignore. “One big shift was seeing clips from my sets start spreading online internationally,” she says. “Suddenly promoters from places I’d never even visited were reaching out.” More importantly though, audiences started connecting with the wider world she was building rather than isolated tracks alone. “People weren’t just connecting to individual tracks,” she explains. “They were connecting to the whole MELTX world and energy.” Now preparing for shows across Italy, India, Tenerife and Los Angeles, she approaches each performance differently depending on the environment while still keeping the emotional core of the project intact. “Some crowds want something darker and more hypnotic,” she says. “Others want pure chaos and high energy from the start.” That unpredictability remains one of the biggest things she loves about touring. “I never want performances to feel copy-and-paste,” she explains. “Whether I’m playing in Europe, India or LA, I still want people to feel transported into the MELTX universe for that moment.” As a woman operating within the harder edges of electronic music, MELTX also acknowledges the additional scrutiny female artists can often face in those spaces. “There can still be assumptions made about female artists before people even hear the music,” she says. Rather than responding to that directly though, her focus has remained on building something creatively undeniable. “I never wanted to rely on trends or shock value alone,” she explains. “I wanted people to remember the sets, the atmosphere and the emotional impact.” Looking ahead, it is clear MELTX sees the project evolving far beyond the boundaries of a standard DJ career. “I want MELTX to feel bigger than just a DJ project,” she says. “It’s a full creative world. Music, visuals, emotion, fashion, cinema, nostalgia, chaos, femininity and vulnerability all colliding together.” Ultimately, the goal is not simply to entertain people for an hour in a dark room. “I want people to remember a MELTX set the way they remember a scene from a film or a moment from a dream.” MELTX https://www.instagram.com/meltx__ https://open.spotify.com/artist/23OJIYBIMvQEv0TUl0uiGQ https://soundcloud.com/meltxxxxx

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

Tennis Court Jersey City-based melodic house artist Tennis Court returns with new single ‘Motion’, a polished electronic release built around immersive textures, emotional movement and flowing melodic energy. Designed to reflect themes of progression and personal transition, the track balances infectious grooves with atmospheric electronic production, creating a sound that feels equally reflective and club-ready. Warm synth layers and rolling percussion gradually build throughout the arrangement while melodic details continuously evolve beneath the surface. Rather than relying on oversized drops or dramatic shifts, ‘Motion’ focuses on steady emotional momentum. The production unfolds patiently, allowing its rhythmic flow and melodic atmosphere to guide the track naturally from beginning to end. According to Tennis Court, the single was inspired by the feeling of “moving forward, navigating transitions, and finding your rhythm within the chaos,” a theme that comes through clearly in the track’s fluid pacing and uplifting progression. The release also highlights the continued evolution of the artist’s wider sonic identity. Across recent material, Tennis Court has increasingly explored the intersection between melodic house atmosphere and emotionally driven electronic storytelling while maintaining a clean and highly accessible production style. Early engagement surrounding the release has already been strong across social platforms, with teaser clips and studio previews helping build anticipation ahead of the full release. With ‘Motion’, Tennis Court delivers another confident step forward in his melodic house journey. Atmospheric, polished and emotionally grounded, the track captures the feeling of constant movement while reinforcing his growing presence within the modern melodic electronic space. Tennis Court https://instagram.com/courtoftennis https://open.spotify.com/artist/08DrTWe8FiRF4zVhmwIn2q

Pierre to a degree French producer Pierre to a degree has unveiled ‘Becoming Wind’, a four-track EP that brings together ambient introspection, melodic house movement and cinematic electronic storytelling ahead of the release of his forthcoming album ‘Omen’. Inspired by Paulo Coelho’s philosophical novel The Alchemist, the wider album project explores ideas surrounding intuition, trust, self-discovery and the search for personal purpose. ‘Becoming Wind’ acts as both a standalone listening experience and a final preview into the sonic world the artist has been gradually constructing through previous releases. Opening with the title track, ‘Becoming Wind’ immediately establishes the EP’s emotional tone. Ethereal female vocals and celestial synth textures slowly emerge from a meditative atmosphere before the rhythm gradually takes shape underneath. What begins as something ambient and introspective steadily transforms into a hypnotic melodic house journey, balancing emotional weight with fluid dancefloor energy. That contrast between stillness and movement continues throughout the project. ‘Reverie (Where Dreams Lead)’ leans further into dreamlike territory, built around mysterious synth work, echoing vocal layers and subtly psychedelic melodic progression. The groove remains restrained but constant, creating a feeling of forward motion that quietly pulls the listener deeper into the arrangement. ‘Dawn’ shifts the energy slightly higher while maintaining the EP’s immersive atmosphere. Driving percussion and eerie melodic textures create a more intense emotional undercurrent, while smaller production details and rhythmic variations reveal themselves more clearly with repeated listens. There is a patience to the production throughout the release that allows every layer enough room to breathe naturally. Closing track ‘Campfire’ strips things back again, ending the EP on a softer and more reflective note. Here, atmosphere becomes the dominant focus, allowing the emotional residue of the previous tracks to settle gently rather than explode into a final climax. Across the full project, Pierre to a degree moves fluidly between ambient music, downtempo influence, melodic house and euphoric electronic production without sounding disconnected. Instead, ‘Becoming Wind’ feels unified by mood, emotional pacing and a clear sense of narrative progression. As anticipation continues building around ‘Omen’, the EP stands as a strong representation of the producer’s wider artistic direction. Introspective enough for solitary listening yet energetic enough for club environments, ‘Becoming Wind’ captures the increasingly blurred space between personal reflection and collective dancefloor experience. Pierre to a degree https://www.instagram.com/pierre.to.a.degree https://open.spotify.com/artist/65P7RYJUMq5jQWmzZDxA9P