Based between Sydney and Los Angeles, Double Touch is the live electronic duo of classical pianist and composer Van-Anh Nguyen and DJ, drummer, and producer Mark Olsen.
Photo credit: Double Touch – Official
Since appearing on All Day I Dream with their ‘Adagio’ EP in 2019, the pair have continued releasing music through the label, including ‘Greatest Day’, ‘Storm’, and ‘Gran Amigo’.
Double Touch are now back on All Day I Dream with their three-track ‘Dreaming Of You’ EP. The release includes the title track, ‘Deep Sleep’, and ‘Feel The Love’, with the duo leaning further into the melodic house direction that has become central to their work.
To mark the release, Double Touch select ten tracks that have influenced their sound, spanning classical-meets-electronic composition, organic house, club music, and the artists who helped shape their approach.
1. Kiasmos – Held
“The blend of classical piano and electronic music in this track really resonated with us and has been a big influence on the Double Touch sound. We’ve also always been fans of Ólafur Arnalds and his other projects, and the way he brings the emotion and dynamics of classical music into an electronic world is something that really inspires us. This definitely influenced us from the ambient side.”
2. Nils Frahm – Says
“A masterclass in taking your time to build a song. It’s a masterpiece – it almost feels like Nils Frahm is turning synthesizers into an orchestra. It’s electronic music, but the emotion, dynamics and journey feel much closer to a piece of classical music, which is something we’ve always tried to bring into our own productions.”
3. Sébastien Léger – Le Danse Du Scorpion
“House music with a cello – when we first heard this, we were blown away. It was like our two worlds combined. We’ve been huge fans of Sébastien Léger ever since hearing his remix of ‘Disco Volante’ back in 2007, and we’ve played so many of his records over the years. His ability to bring real musicianship and instrumentation into house music has always been a big inspiration for us.”
4. Lee Burridge and Lost Desert – Lingala
“Lee Burridge and Lost Desert are true pioneers of this dreamy, emotional style of electronic music. Their records have so much soul while still working perfectly on a dance floor. It’s hard to imagine what eventually became known as “Organic House” without the influence of these two and the All Day I Dream sound.”
5. Bedouin – Flight of the Birds
“We’ve always loved the evolution of Bedouin. From the beautiful, chilled and organic sound of early tracks like ‘Flight of the Birds’ through to more recent records like ‘Heavy On My Mind’, they’ve continued to evolve while keeping their identity. That ability to move between deeper, musical records and bigger club moments is something we really connect with.”
6. KEINEMUSIK – Muye
“The Keinemusik guys have been a big influence on us, from their more underground early days through to the Afro-influenced sound they’re known for today. Muye is such a beautifully stripped-back record and a perfect example of how a piano can be a major feature in electronic music without taking away from the groove. Simple, musical and incredibly effective.”
7. Roy Rosenfeld – Rumbala
“Roy has been a huge inspiration for us over the years. His productions are always musical and interesting – the kind of records you can enjoy just as much listening in the car as you can hearing them in a club. ‘Rumbala’ has such an amazing build and groove, and it’s a great example of making something sophisticated and musical that still really works on the dance floor.”
8. Sam Shure – Mirage
“We love the way Mirage blends Middle Eastern instrumentation and atmosphere with an electronic groove. Sam Shure’s musical evolution has also been great to watch – we’ve been playing his music since earlier records like this right through to his newer, more club-focused tracks such as ‘Qualified’. That combination of cultural influences, musicianship and electronic production has always resonated with us.”
9. Nicolas Masseyeff and Parallelle – Renegade (Adam Ten and Mita Gami Remix)
“This one was a game changer for us when we first heard it. Those big, dirty bass leads mixed with disco and funk influences felt really fresh and opened up another direction in house music for us. It was our introduction to Adam Ten and Mita Gami, and we’ve been loving their productions and the whole Maccabi House sound ever since.”
10. Samm, Fahlberg and Benja – You Got What I Want
“Over the past couple of years we’ve become big fans of the sound coming from Magnifik and records like ‘You Got What I Want’. It has that perfect combination of groove, emotion and melody while still feeling fresh and made for the dance floor. It represents a newer wave of house music that has definitely been inspiring our recent sounds.”
Double Touch’s ‘Dreaming Of You’ is out now on All Day I Dream. Stream and download your copy here.
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