We’re taking way back with an OG remaster! HI-LO (Techno alias for Oliver Heldens) teamed up with Spanish producer Danny Avila for their newest flip of ‘Gangster’s Paradise‘. ‘PARADISE‘ takes elements from Coolio‘s classic. Originally, it honored Stevie Wonder‘s ‘Pastime Paradise‘. The HILOMATIK track has been played all over, making it one of HI-LO’s top-played tunes last year.
The song is the perfect blend between Danny Avila’s Mainstage Techno and HI-LO’s undeniable sound. Recently, the single gained support from the likes of Oliver Heldens, Armin van Buuren, Hardwell, GORDO, and many more. The essence of ‘PARADISE’ relies on the worldwide known vocals of the chorus mixed with the darker underground sounds.
HI-LO…MATIK
In just a few short years, Oliver Heldens has successfully parlayed his career in the dance music mainstream into a much-lauded alter-ego in the techno world as HI-LO. He’s been gaining widespread acceptance from the underground scene in the process. The name HI-LO is now synonymous with cutting-edge, quality, hard-hitting, innovative techno. By 2020, his tracks ‘Zeus’ and ‘Kronos’ landed in the Top 10 most-played Techno tracks of the year on 1001tracklists.com.
That made him the #1 most-supported producer platform-wide that year across all genres. His DJ sets as HI-LO have serenaded audiences at huge events like Ultra’s revered Resistance or Manchester’s Warehouse Project. Moreover, he has played in Austin’s Seismic Dance Event and San Diego’s Proper NYE. Plus, he has appeared in prominent clubs in the techno scene like De Marktkantine in Amsterdam, Watergate in Berlin, E1 in London, Mondo in Madrid and Nitsa in Barcelona. He also contributed to numerous stand out performances on Drumcode and Filth on Acid label showcases across the globe.
Combining a big room sensibility with a dark, underground, raw edge, HI-LO has become a trusted tastemaker, with his tracks receiving massive support from luminaries of the scene. These include Adam Beyer (who signed his ‘Hypnos,’ ‘Wanna Go Bang’ EPs and ‘CRESCENDO’ to his Drumcode label and invited him to remix his DJ Rush collab ‘Restore My Soul’). The list continues with Reinier Zonneveld (with whom HI-LO released seven wildly creative collabs). And we can’t leave out Carl Cox, Solomun, Tale of Us, Anyma, Charlotte de Witte, and countless other a-list acts.
HI-LO earned the #1 best-selling and best-streaming techno artist title over the last six months, according to Beatport. The next chapter in the HI-LO story was the January 2023 launch of HILOMATIK, a new label showcasing his productions alongside music from hot new talents and techno heroes that will further expand his musical manifesto. The imprint kicked off with the mighty ‘PURA VIDA’ from the man himself. He has many exciting releases and party plans lined up in 2024.
Enter Mainstage Techno
Hard-hitting techno goes hand in hand with dark nightclubs. Basslines snake through underground bunkers and kick drums thump through warehouse party spots. But what if this underground sound could light up the world’s biggest arenas? Enter – Mainstage Techno. Danny Avila’s latest interpretation of techno takes the white-knuckled strength of the best techno records. He brings the kick, the bass, the hardness and reimagines them for massive crowds. It’s the sound of the underground music he grew up performing, yet bolder.
Think state-of-the-art techno and its deep-in-the-club sonics, but tailor-made for thumping across the main stage. Premiered in 2021 at Tomorrowland‘s Around The World festival, Mainstage Techno brings Avila’s underground roots together with a massive presence. It’s music made to be played on huge stages with massive crowds. And more than anything, it’s a journey – one taking Avila back to his DJing roots and the tracks he loves, with all of the knowledge gained from performing to hundreds of thousands of crowds. Welcome to Mainstage Techno and Danny Avila’s next progressive era.
‘PARADISE’ is available now via HILOMATIK.