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Interview: EQRIC’s Skills Shine On New Pop-House EP “Dark Lies”

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With over 40 million collective Spotify streams on his catalog, support in some of the largest EDM playlists on Spotify, and heavy radio play on his infectious tunes, including features on SLAM! Radio and numerous other radios around Europe, EQRIC is without a doubt a massively promising and emerging dance music star. Having already released more than 10 singles this year, while receiving support from tastemaker YouTube channels such as Trap City, House Nation, Chill Nation, xKito Music, MrSuicideSheep, the Canadian talent is now ready for one of his biggest projects to date, his brand new, 3-track EP Dark Lies. 
Coming to digital platforms via Nightblue Music & Deep Universe, Dark Lies is an incredibly cohesive project, seeing EQRIC pull influence from deep house classics, while infusing them with his own distinct sound. Featuring vocals from previous collaborator Britt Lari on “Dark Lies” and “Amsterdam,” as well as Joanna on “Can’t Handle My Love,” the EP perfectly showcases EQRIC’s incredible chemistry with his collaborators, as well as his immense talent in crafting timeless house gems. 
“‘Dark Lies’ encapsulates a meaningful stage in my life, sharing an original body of work using the artistic styles I’ve developed throughout my musical career. I worked closely with Britt Lari and Joanna to write this collection of original songs, and designed the album artwork myself, to create a unique and cohesive EP,” says EQRIC.

You just released your EP Dark Lies. Talk to us a bit about the story behind it and how it came about. 

Recently I’ve been making many cover songs that have received lots of positive feedback, but I wanted to express my creativity further with some originals. I teamed up with the talented singers Britt Lari and Joanna to write this “Dark Lies” EP comprised of 3 original songs. I was going for a “dark deep house” style with catchy pop vocals. The 3 tracks cohesively tell the story of a broken relationship, using intricate ambiences and deep basslines to drive the emotional vocals throughout the tracks.

We’ve seen that you love to collaborate with multiple vocalists and producers. What makes a great collaborator for you? 

Collaborating at an international level, I’ve made great friendships over the years with other musicians across the world. For me, the best part about collaborating on projects is that I can delegate certain work to members of the team that are particularly skilled in that area. From mixing, mastering, production, songwriting, artwork creation and beyond, I strongly value unique ideas and team members who work hard to produce quality results.

How did you start immersing yourself into the world of production, and what were some of your earliest influences? 

I was enrolled in piano lessons at a young age, and began to explore other creative mediums in highschool. I stumbled across music production software at the age of 15, after hearing about an older student at my highschool producing EDM music. My early influences in the EDM scene were acts such as Mesto and Martin Garrix.

At what point in your musical journey did you realize that you can turn this passion into a full-time career?

Funny enough, music isn’t my full-time career. I am currently a university student in Canada studying Medicine. One day I hope to be a doctor; save lives during the day and make music during the night!

You’ve seen massive success releasing covers of some of the world’s greatest hits over the years. Why do you think dance covers resonate so much with people?

There’s no better feeling than stumbling across a re-worked version of a childhood hit song. New, fresh production elements working together with the old hit melodies gives a feeling of nostalgia and excitement that resonates deeply with dance music enthusiasts.

What’s the biggest advice you would give to a young producer looking up to you and wanting to build a career out of music? 

Everything is easier when you collaborate with a like-minded team to optimize the yield of your work. The first step is to make good music, but the more important step is to understand the value of working with others to effectively distribute and promote that music in the digital space.

You’ve certainly hit some massive milestones in your career, such as amassing over 40 million collective streams on Spotify and being ranked among the Top 100 Canadian musicians. What milestone is next on your bucket list? 

– Spotify has been good to me, and I hope to hit 100 million streams within the next year. I just need 1 single to take-off, to help further the trajectory of my music career into something bigger. Let’s see what the next year has in store!

Do you have any exciting plans for the future that you’d like to share?

Keep an eye out for many more releases this year, with some particularly exciting cover songs coming out in December!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

It’s hard to say, but I’m sure I will still be involved in the music industry. Let’s see where life takes me!

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Founder, Owner & Manager of EDMHouseNetwork. Instant lover of all things electronic dance music from the moment I heard Fatboy Slim and The Prodigy. After pursuing a career as a DJ, creating EDM content quickly became a love of mine and it has been my mission to keep delivering high quality content ever since.

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EDM Music

Allan Piziano, Luis Erre & Celeda Drop ‘Good Time’

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HoTL Records bring together Allan Piziano, Luis Erre & Celeda with ‘Good Time’, landing just as the Ibiza season gets underway.

HoTL Records bring together three defining voices in house music with ‘Good Time’, a new collaboration between Latin house pioneer Allan Piziano, tribal house producer Luis Erre, and iconic vocalist Celeda, best known for her seminal ‘Dance Music Is The Answer’. The tune arrives as the Ibiza season gets underway and temperatures in the northern hemisphere continue to rise, landing at exactly the right moment for what it is.

Widely regarded as a leading figure in the Mexican Latin house scene, Allan Piziano joins forces with Venezuelan veteran Luis Erre, whose signature Electrotribal sound has made him a recognisable name across the global club circuit. Together they craft a driving, club-ready groove built on rhythmic percussion and tech basslines, with Celeda’s commanding vocal presence anchoring the whole thing. Her voice has topped global dance charts for decades, and on Good Time it delivers the same sense of dancefloor liberation that made her a house music icon in the first place.

Good Time captures the tribal-soul energy that defines the HoTL Records catalogue and is the kind of record that builds momentum across a season rather than peaking on release day. As the summer stretch begins in earnest, it is already shaping up as one to watch on floors that lean toward the Latin and tribal side of house.

Connect:

www.facebook.com/allanpizianoo
www.facebook.com/djluiserre
www.instagram.com/allanpiziano
www.instagram.com/luiserreoficial
www.soundcloud.com/celeda-official

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David Tort & Justine Sainte Release “L’Amour Français”

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David Tort & Justine Sainte release “L’Amour Français”, a 2026 rework of the French house classic “Bel Amour”.

David Tort and Justine Sainte have released L’Amour Français on HoTL Records, bringing a 2026 update to Bel Amour, one of the recognizable classics from the French House movement. The original carried through the early 2000s club circuit with real chart history, reaching No. 23 on the UK Official Singles Chart and No. 4 on the UK Official Dance Singles Chart, which makes this new version feel connected to more than just nostalgia. With L’Amour Français, David Tort and Justine Sainte keep the filtered disco feel and familiar vocal that made Bel Amour stand out, while moving it into a current House and Tech House setting through both a Radio Mix and an Extended Mix. It brings the sun soaked feel of the original into a 2026 club release that gives longtime house listeners a direct link to the classic, while introducing it to a newer generation through a version made for today’s dancefloors.

Bel Amour’s Place In The French House Story

Bel Amour came from a French House period where disco filtered production, repeated vocal phrases, and longer club mixes gave house records a clear identity across both radio and DJ playlists. The original’s appeal was not only in its groove, but in the way the vocal carried the record, giving it a warm and instantly familiar hook that stayed connected to the early 2000s sound. That balance helped Bel Amour reach beyond a short lived club moment, with its UK chart placements showing that the track had a real presence outside underground spaces.

L’Amour Français carries that recognition through the original vocal, giving David Tort and Justine Sainte a clear link to Bel Amour while leaving enough room for the 2026 version to stand on its own. They keep that part close to the heart of the song, letting the original’s disco warmth remain clear while the production gives it more pressure for today’s House and Tech House sets. It keeps the connection to Bel Amour easy to hear without making the new version feel like it is only looking back at the early 2000s.

L’Amour Français Brings The Classic Vocal To HoTL Records

With L’Amour Français released through HoTL Records, the rework also lands in a label space that makes sense for David Tort’s long running place in house music. The two version release gives the track different points of entry, with the Radio Mix keeping the song direct for streaming and the Extended Mix giving DJs more room to work with the vocal inside a longer arrangement. That format keeps the release connected to the way house records have always travelled between casual listeners and club use, especially when the vocal is strong enough to carry both versions.

Justine Sainte also strengthens the French identity at the centre of the release, from the title L’Amour Français to the return of a vocal tied so closely to Bel Amour. The updated production does not overcrowd the original reference, which is important for a song that depends on listeners feeling that connection straight away. Instead, David Tort and Justine Sainte give the classic enough space to be recognized while pushing it into a firmer 2026 club version through its bassline, percussion, and Tech House edge.

For longtime House listeners, L’Amour Français brings back a familiar French House vocal with enough care to keep the original character intact. For newer listeners, it introduces Bel Amour through a version that feels current without losing the disco filtered feel that made the original stand out. Across both mixes, David Tort and Justine Sainte turn the rework into more than a simple throwback, giving L’Amour Français its own place on HoTL Records while keeping the classic close enough to be felt from the first listen.

Connect with David Tort:

Instagram / Soundcloud

Connect with Justine Sainte:

Instagram / Soundcloud

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Roland Leesker Remixes Inner City’s Classic ‘Pennies From Heaven’ On Definitive Recordings

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Roland Leesker, the Frankfurt-born house music producer, photographed in a black and white outdoor portrait sitting on a low wall in a black jacket over a white top, looking directly at the camera with a calm, steady expression, bare winter trees and open grassland visible behind him.

Roland Leesker remixes Inner City’s 1992 house classic Pennies From Heaven on Definitive Recordings, reimagining it as a TR-909 driven contemporary club cut.

Originally released during a pivotal era for House music, ‘Pennies From Heaven’ remains one of the defining moments of Inner City’s catalogue, capturing the melodic, vocal led style that helped bring Detroit influenced sounds to a global audience. More than three decades on, it returns in a new form that connects its original spirit with a contemporary club approach.

Roland Leesker’s new remix strikingly reinterprets ‘Pennies From Heaven’ as a direct, club focused House cut. Built around a steady TR-909 driven groove, the track develops through a layered arrangement that gradually introduces elements of the original. The breakdown brings the main vocal and theme into full focus before returning to a stripped, rolling groove aimed at the dancefloor.

Roland Leesker Comments: “Inner City’s 1992 album ‘Praise’ is one of my all-time favourites, and it’s a true honour to remix ‘Pennies From Heaven’. I’ve always had a strong connection to the record, and it was important to me to pay homage to it while remaining true to the spirit of the original throughout the process.”

Roland Leesker has been active in House music since the early 1990s, with roots in Frankfurt’s club scene and a journey that has since taken him through New York, Berlin, and the international electronic music circuit. Through his work with Definitive Recordings and Get Physical Music, he has remained an influential figure within electronic music culture, building a catalogue that includes tracks such as ‘My Warehouse,’ his remix of Roland Clark’s ‘I Get Deep,’ and his latest album, ‘Searching For Peace’.

Founded by Kevin Saunderson, one of the Belleville Three and a key figure in the history of Detroit Techno, Inner City became one of the most influential acts in electronic music through defining releases including ‘Big Fun’ and ‘Good Life’. With millions of records sold worldwide, their catalogue achieved international chart success and widespread club and radio rotation, cementing Inner City as one of the most commercially successful and culturally influential acts to emerge from Detroit’s opening wave of House and Techno.

The new remix of ‘Pennies From Heaven’ connects the original era of Inner City with a contemporary club approach, designed for modern House sets. Both the vinyl and digital releases also include an acapella tool, providing DJs with the original vocal elements for extended mixing, creative layering, and reinterpretation.

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Roland Leesker: Beatport | Traxsource | Spotify 

Inner City: Instagram | Beatport | Traxsource | Spotify 

Kevin Saunderson: Instagram | Beatport | Traxsource | Spotify 

Definitive Recordings: Instagram | Beatport | Traxsource | Spotify

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