12"

genre: TECHNO

label: Drumcode Cat.No: DC324

Two Drumcode stalwarts, Layton Giordani and Bart Skils, join forces for the electrifying yet dark techno thriller "Deadly Valentine." Skils is known globally for his no-holds-barred techno which has graced the charts. The Dutch producer's last output for the Beyer label was 2024's "Sakura" EP, featuring collaborations with SUDO and Drunken Kong. Giordani, also a chart-topper, at the forefront of an exciting new sound melding genres, combining influences of melodic house, progressive and indie dance with techno. His last Drumcode outing was a recent rework of Tiga and Audion's seminal "Let's Go Dancing," and the otherworldly yet peak-time single "Freaks At Night" last June. The duo has a history of B2B performances at big events such as Drumcode, Loveland, and Awakenings. This is their first standalone collaborative single (their "Midnight Magic" was on Layton's 2020 Drumcode LP). "I was listening to Spotify and going down an indie dance rabbit hole," says Layton. "I came across this track, was instantly captivated, and knew Bart was the right person to collaborate on this record." "Layton sent me the vocal idea, and I built it into an arrangement with a flowing groove," says Bart. "The track was updated multiple times later and mixed with a new singer for the release." "Deadly Valentine": Complex, rolling percussion with an insistent techno beat gives a dark, questioning edge to the high, sweet, fast, echoing vocal, often layered or harmonising with itself, singing the seemingly romantic wedding ceremony lyric in French and English. Listen to it as a marriage proposal, or an ironic reason not to make one, or just dance to it. [press sheet from distribution]