Gray Area Spotlight

SOEL's music reflects a rich sonic palate informed by a lifetime absorbing a multi-colored patchwork of sounds. Equally refined, emotional, dark, and cinematic. He is a master of twisting synths into gorgeous wavering layers of beauty. His moody, melodic techno has wowed acclaimed producers like Adriatique, Tale Of Us, and Recondite. ▪️Follow SOEL▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/soel__musi...

Melding arpeggiated basslines and glowing melodies into incandescent dance music, Tony y Not - aka Mimi von Koerber - inspires pure elation through all that she produces. Her tracks, infused with the spirit of Chicago house, the richness of deep house, and the euphoria of '80s disco, have fueled unforgettable nights in New York City, Berlin, Black Rock City, and beyond. ▪️Follow Tony y Not▪️ Insta...

Yulia Niko is a Russian-born DJ and producer of melodic-minimal techno— a style she imagined into existence that incorporates steady beats, precise layering, and the occasional breathy, other-worldly vocal. ▪️Follow Yulia Niko▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yulianiko/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/yulianikomusic/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/julianikomusic Spotify - https://open.sp...

Master manipulators of trippy vocal elements, tech house rhythms, and acidic analog, Irish brothers Disfreq - aka Joe and Cahir Kely - have energized dance music fans worldwide with rave-ready stompers. ▪️Follow Disfreq▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/disfreq/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/disfreqmusic Twitter - https://twitter.com/disfreq Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2r...

International DJ sensation, Cassy, cut her teeth at one of the most legendary clubs in the world, Panorama. Helming her residency taught her how to play for any crowd anywhere in the world, and she's carried that kind of musical sensibility to every facet of her career from her productions to her curations on her own label Kwench Records. ▪️Follow Cassy▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cass...

Music has always moved Baltimore-born multi-hyphenate Life On Planets —aka Phil Celeste. His smooth, soulful house sways and sings with the sounds of a lifetime of musical influences that range from jazz and the blues to pop-punk and hip hop. ▪️Follow Life On Planets▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lifeonplanets/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/livinglifeonplanets/ Twitter - https://tw...

As the music industry navigated a community kneecapped by the pandemic, Abby Tilton—aka ABCO —transformed a small dedicated Twitch audience into a nationwide community of dancers enamored with her UK-influenced blend of feel-good house and chunky beats. ▪️Follow Abco▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abcomusic/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abcomusic/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/abco...

Manda Moor's infectious determination seeps into her bouncy yet sophisticated tracks. Her relentless drive has since landed her international gigs in some of the most acclaimed house and techno spaces, particularly in Ibiza and the UK, and her tracks have been released on acclaimed labels like Tamango Records.  ▪️Follow Manda Moor▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mandamoor/ Facebook -...

When Lacularis says that dance music saved her life, it's not a cliché, it's a profound truth. Fueled by passion, the Belarusian techno maven has in a short time built a budding catalog of emotive, starkly beautiful music on labels like Natura Viva Black and Androgyne Audio. ▪️Follow Lacularis▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lacularis/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lacularis Twitter...

Elderbrook—real name Alexander Kotz— always takes a songwriter's approach. Whether he is writing lyrics for vocal features like the now-infamous charting record "Cola," with Camelphat, or building a song from the ground up as he did on his early hit "Rewinding." ▪️Follow Elderbrook▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_elderbrook/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Elderbrookmusic Twitter - ht...

Ammo Avenue is rising to the top of the smoldering rave movement in South America. The Peru-based artist is leading the charge with a distinct style that's being toted by labels like Repopulate Mars, Black Book, Rawthentic, and Toolroom. ▪️Follow Ammo Avenue▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ammoavenue/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ammoavenue Twitter - https://twitter.com/ammoavenue S...

Miami born and raised, Malóne's cascading soundscapes and infectious rhythms are heavily inspired by his Cuban heritage. A regular at Clube Space, his entrancing releases have appeared on Toolroom, Club Sweat, ABRACADABRA, Saved Records and his own Hurry up Slowly. ▪️Follow Malóne▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/malonemusicofc/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/malonemusicofc/ Twitter -...

What makes Steve Bug unique is the universal application of his love and passion for dance music. For nearly 30 years, the Berlin-based polymath has served as a producer, DJ, event curator, and label head to a plethora of different imprints. Read our full Spotlight on Steve Bug here - https://grayarea.co/artists/steve-bug ▪️Follow Steve Bug▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/steve_bug/ Twitte...

Over the last two decades, Proper Villains has built a decidedly genre-fluid catalog. As a house producer, he's flourished and his music still carries with it a cohesive string. It’s part of the reason why his music appears on lauded labels like Classic Music Company, Box of Cats, Southern Fried, and Fool’s Gold. Read our full Spotlight on Proper Villains here - https://grayarea.co/artists/proper-...

Dirtybird co-founder Mz Worthy has spent nearly 20 years helping define the sound of West Coast house music. After coming out as transgender she's re-emerged with a renewed spirit, and an inspired sense of diversity in her sound. Read our full Spotlight on MZ Worthy here - https://grayarea.co/artists/mz-worthy ▪️Follow MZ Worthy▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamworthy/ Twitter - https://...

With releases stretching back two decades on labels such as Dirtybird, Poker Flat, and his own imprint Moon Harbour, Matthias Tanzmann is a stalwart of the European house scene. Read our full Spotlight on Matthias Tanzmann here - https://grayarea.co/artists/matthias-tanzmann ▪️Follow Matthias Tanzmann▪️ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/matthiastanzmann/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/MattTanzm...

HoneyLuv has quickly ascended in house music, yet the culture is a part of her aura. In a short time, she's already played festivals like EDC and Seismic and performed at legendary venues like Avant Gardner. Her releases on POPGANG and Insomniac are scintillating slices of forward-thinking house with a classic edge. Read our full Spotlight on Honeyluv here - https://grayarea.co/artists/honeyluv ▪️...

BBC Radio 1 presenter, producer, and DJ Arielle Free has risen to be an influential tastemaker in dance music. Often referred to as Scotland's answer to Annie Mac, she's diligently spent years creating her own space in dance music. Aside from being the daytime ambassador for Radio 1's iconic dance programming, her career as a DJ exploded in 2020 with performances at Printworks, Parklife Festival,...

Rony Seikaly's life story is something out of a movie. Born in Lebanon, Rony moved to the USA at age ten for four years before moving back to Greece at age 14. While in Greece, he discovered disco and basketball. So he began hosting a "club" in his parent's garage, inviting his friends and teammates over to party while playing any sort of house music he could. Despite never having played before, R...

Niteplan emerged in recent years with a string of diverse releases ranging in sound from deep tech to jungle-inspired melodic breaks. The British producer quickly turned the heads of industry luminaries like Jamie Jones, Detlef, A-Trak, The Martinez Brothers, Waff, and Anja Schneider and earned releases on Skream's Of Unsound Mind and Solardo's Sola. Read our full Spotlight on Niteplan here - http...

Dark analog textures and sub-shifting basslines are the paints that Marie Nyx uses to paint her stark, funky, and grinding beats. The Los Angeles-born and raised artist speaks against a backdrop of hardware synths stacked high. As she carries me through a story that winds from an auspicious trip to Coachella in 2004 to her days as a raver and culminates in her creating a record label with her part...

Mikey Lion is a conduit of bright white light, a vibe conductor of the highest order, and a champion of positive energy and dusty funky beats. Positioned at the center of the West Coast house movement, he’s one of the founding members of the Desert Hearts crew. Alongside his brother Porkchop, childhood friend Marbs, Lee Reynolds, and Kristoff McKay, he’s created a loving community of wide-eyed dan...

Defected mainstay, and a legend of happy upbeat house music, David Penn has been tearing down dance floors since the 1990's. A resident of Spain, he readily admits that his musical style is more international which shows given his broad audience and immense reach with every release. Read our full Spotlight on David Penn here - https://grayarea.co/artists/david-penn  ▪️Follow David Penn▪️ Inst...

Matsu is one of the few that straddles the line between house music and turntablism. He's been hand-picked by A-trak to compete at the Goldie Awards and competed in the Red Bull 3Style. After dominating the competitive Dj world, he's crossed over into house as a producer, DJ, and a part of the team that runs DJ Craze's Slow Roast Records. Read our full Spotlight on Matsu here - https://grayarea.co...

Before 2011, you could find Squire—aka Jaime Alguersuari —speeding around the track behind the wheel of a Formula One car. And while he achieved great success there, when he left the sport he did so to pursue the thing that he’d been passionate about his whole life. Dance music has been omnipresent in the Spanish artist’s life for as long as he can remember. And as the allure of the beat became to...