On Anjunabeats, Genix releases double A-side ‘Libre / Higher & Higher’

"My music is a representation of my personal taste, it’s my expression and my passion being put into sound."

Genix

Genix has released a double-A side featuring two club-oriented tunes off his upcoming debut album, 199X. Genix showed off some more subtle vocal-led productions on the Anjuna veteran’s long-awaited album in both prior songs. Genix shows a different side to ‘199X‘ with ‘Libre / Higher & Higher,’ (download) as well as a taste of the harsher lead creations that his fans have come to expect. A love letter to rave culture ‘199X’ is the debut artist album from Anjunabeats stalwart Damion ‘Damo’ Houchen, also known as Genix.

Damo has rooted his life to the ever-evolving sounds of dance music, having been raised on The Chemical Brothers, Leftfield, and Chicane. He became a resident DJ and promoter at The Emporium nightclub in Coalville, a famed Midlands partying destination that has hosted parties for everyone from John Digweed to Tiesto.

I started to fall in love with dance music during the 90s as a young teenager. My mum used to listen to the likes of Nightcrawlers, Leftfield, The Prodigy and more on our holidays. Those sounds will always be a part of my love for dance music. I think they’re timeless and you can hear a lot of their influences in my productions today.

As a young DJ I spent every single penny I had on vinyl. I would often get on the bus to different places to go record hunting. Those were really magical times and they’ve shaped my sound as it is today. – Genix

The album is a break from Genix’s typical sound. Genix was noted for his textured, melodic trance productions in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and he grabbed the attention of Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk, landing releases on Armada and Vandit. With tunes like “Aura,” “Destinations,” and “Black Water,Genix debuted on Anjunabeats in 2010 and quickly became a mainstay in Above & Beyond sets (with regular touring partner Sunny Lax).

From those origins, Genix has blossomed into a mainstay in the trance scene. As his fame increased, so did his musical approach:

There have been so many influences [on my sound]; DJs, producers, events and the thousands of records I’ve bought over the years. I don’t try to be any one genre, some people think I produce less trance sometimes, but if you have followed my career from the start it’s always had tech influences. I think any producer should stick to the sounds they love, if it makes me jump out of my seat when I’m making it, then that’s all that really matters.

My music is a representation of my personal taste, it’s my expression and my passion being put into sound. It really is an art and I just try to be myself, not a genre, not a certain BPM, just Genix. – Genix

2020’s song “The Light,” co-written with label mate Grum, was a strong electro-edged anthem that charted at number one on Beatport’s Melodic Techno chart. Etienne De Crecy, Hi-Lo (Oliver Heldens), and Joel Corry provided DJ accompaniment. On ‘199X,’ the aesthetics are explored in-depth, with elements of Sasha, Groove Armada, Orbital, and Underworld.

Genix has performed all over the world, from festival stages such as Creamfields in the UK, Tomorrowland, EDC, ABGT250, and 350, to more intimate club events such as Ministry Of Sound, The Hollywood Palladium, and Warehouse Project.

These performances, however, do not compare to the heights of 5,597 meters above sea level, where Genix set the Guinness World Record for the highest land DJ set by organizing a party at Everest Base Camp in April 2019.

The Anjuna Music Store has pre-orders for both vinyl and digital versions of ‘199X‘, which will be released on September 10th.