X & Ivy: Crafting emotions through house and garage
X & Ivy, the dynamic house, techno, and garage producer/DJ duo, have rapidly ascended in the electronic music scene since their inception in 2023. Evolving from their previous alias Party Shirt, which amassed over 10 million followers during the global lockdown, X & Ivy have quickly made a name for themselves with their distinct blend of house rhythms and garage-inspired sounds.
Photo credit: X & Ivy – Official
Their rise has seen them perform sets for Book Club Radio and secure gigs across the US, UK, Berlin, and Australia. Renowned artists like Peggy Gou, Jamie Jones, and Marco Carola have thrown their support behind the duo’s tracks.
In an exciting development, X & Ivy have collaborated with UKG legend Todd Edwards on their latest track ‘Keep Me.’ This collaboration, born from LA recording sessions, seamlessly melds X & Ivy’s signature house style with Edwards’ iconic garage rhythms and vocal manipulation, promising to ignite dance floors worldwide. The track is set to be released on 25th October, 2024.
EG had the opportunity to sit down with X & Ivy to delve into their creative process, discuss their journey from Party Shirt to their current project, and explore their vision for the future. Join us as we uncover the story behind this rising Australian duo and their thrilling trajectory in the world of electronic music.
EG: Hi, guys! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
X & Ivy: Hey, thanks for having us! We’ve been great, busy but in the best way. Right now, we’re in Los Angeles prepping for some upcoming shows and working on new music.
EG: So, first of all, congratulations on the upcoming release of ‘Keep Me’, your new collaboration with Todd Edwards! You must be psyched to have this one out to share with everyone. What are some of your initial feelings now that ‘Keep Me’ is out?
X & Ivy: We’re beyond excited! ‘Keep Me’ has been in the works for a long time, so it’s amazing to finally share it with the world. It’s a bit surreal, honestly, because Todd has been a huge influence on us, and to collaborate with him is something we’ve dreamed about for years. The feedback so far has been incredible, so we’re just soaking it all in.
EG: Now, what can your fans expect to find on ‘Keep Me’ as a whole? Is there an emotional trigger or concept driving the collaboration?
X & Ivy: At its core, ‘Keep Me’ is about that feeling of holding on to something meaningful, whether it’s a person, a memory, or even a sound. We really wanted to blend Todd’s signature vocal chops with our deep, groovy rhythms to evoke that push and pull of emotions. There’s a lot of warmth and nostalgia in the track, but also a forward-driving energy that keeps it moving.
EG: And what was the collaborative recording process like? Did you guys have a clear horizon from the start? How did the relationship with Todd Edwards come about?
X & Ivy: The process was very organic. We’ve been fans of Todd for years, so when the opportunity to work with him came up, we jumped at it. We connected over a shared love for garage and house music, and from there, things just clicked. Todd is such a perfectionist, and so are we, so there were plenty of back-and-forths, but it all came together in the end. We didn’t have a set plan initially, it was more about experimenting and finding the right balance between our styles.
“‘Keep Me’ is about that feeling of holding on to something meaningful, whether it’s a person, a memory, or even a sound”
EG: By the way, ‘Keep Me’ comes hot on the heels of ‘Outro’, which saw you flipping Alan Braxe’s ‘Intro’. What can you guys tell us about how ‘Outro’ came to be?
X & Ivy: ‘Outro’ was a really fun project for us. We’ve always been fans of Alan Braxe, and flipping ‘Intro’ felt like paying homage to a track that has been iconic in dance music. We’ve loved ‘Intro’ for years, but had just heard it again the weekend prior at Dekmantel, and fell back in love with it. The idea for ‘Outro’ came just after, while we were messing around in the studio, reimagining how a classic house tune could be mixed into a UKG track. We wanted to give it a new life while keeping the spirit of the original intact.
EG: Now, taking this back to your origins… how did you guys meet? Was the musical connection and the idea for X & Ivy an instant one?
X & Ivy: We met back in 2016 through a mutual friend at the University of Southern California. From the get-go, we started playing shows and making music together. Our connection was pretty instant; we both had a shared vision of blending different genres and pushing boundaries. From there, X & Ivy (well, at first, Party Shirt) was born.
EG: And what’s your dynamic in the studio like by now? Do you guys have set roles playing on each other’s strengths, or is that something that varies track by track?
X & Ivy: It really depends on the track. Sometimes one of us will have a strong idea and take the lead, and other times we’re bouncing ideas back and forth. But we’re constantly evolving, and there’s no set formula.
EG: Now, onto a hot topic… How do you guys feel about the rise of AI implementation in music? What’s your relationship with that like? Have you guys used AI in recent releases?
X & Ivy: It’s definitely a hot topic right now. We think AI can be a useful tool if it’s used creatively, but it’s important not to lose the human touch. Music is so much about emotion, and we don’t want to lose that. That said, we’ve played around with AI for sound design and ideas, but we haven’t relied on it heavily for any of our releases. It’s more of a fun tool to spark inspiration rather than something we use to create entire tracks.
“Music is so much about emotion, and we don’t want to lose that”
EG: Finally, what can we expect from X & Ivy in the next few months? Where can your fans catch you next?
X & Ivy: We’ve got a lot coming up! We’re planning a few more releases leading into early next year. As for live shows, we’ve got gigs lined up across Australia, going into the summer down under. And we’re always working on new music, so expect plenty more from us soon!
EG: Thank you so much for your time, guys! We wish you all the best for the future. Take care!
X & Ivy: Thank you! Appreciate it — looking forward to what’s next!
X & Ivy’s ‘Keep Me’ is set to be released on 25th October. Listen to the preview here.
Follow X & Ivy: Spotify | Soundcloud | Instagram | Youtube
