Luxxury

Luxxury makes dance music for adults. Raw, funky bass-lines plucked with grown-man finesse. A mastery of keyboard and synth native only to those who lived through the late '70s/early '80s. Dust in the glitter that vibrates in the space between string stabs, bongo slaps, and guitar jabs—even while the steady pulse and astral effects feel beamed in from a more cybernetic future Los Angeles. That's where the nu-disco wizard born Blake Robin dwells, of course. That is, when he isn't on the road opening for Giorgio Moroder or the Juan MacLean; leading his dapper band on late-night TV; remixing live at DJ sets in Mexico City, New York and Berlin; or seeding his Dublab radio show/Spotify playlist Good Morning, Disco! with gems that span four decades of groove-first music. In fact, you might've first felt his deft touch via the controversial Luxxury Edits—where he uses the multi-tracks (stems) of classic hits to create dubby slow-disco versions—but his original music is no less arresting. After two LPs of way-finding, Luxxury has come into his own with a sound that reflects not only a newfound earnestness of expression but a lifelong love for the craft of disco.

When our hero returned to his own songs in 2016, with L.A. dance guru Goldroom serving as ad hoc executive producer, and a singles series released across various contemporary indie dance imprints, Luxxury took off like never before. The hypnotic "Breathe (Again)" blew past 2 million streams on Spotify. Last Call with Carson Daly audiences were treated to luxe live renditions of "Take It Slow" and "Hold On." SPIN praised the music's sensuality. Complex said it sounded like Nile Rodgers DJing a rave. The titles of these tracks, collected on the How to Be Good EP, were meant as mantras for Luxxury, to help him focus on creating his best material. Clearly, it worked.

His latest singles set, the Be Good 2 Me EP, finds Robin looking outward from that foundation. The title track is a muscular, bass guitar-powered take on what happens when disco goes rock 'n' roll. "Pleasure!" pulls piano house, Beca Dream's silky coo, and a flute solo into its carnal grasp. "I Need You" is an honest-to-god love song featuring funked-up bass from Fitz’ and the Tantrums’ Joe Karnes and the shimmering Rhodes of Luxxury regular Billy Caruso. "Feel the Night" is a rubbery dancefloor destroyer just begging for falsetto sing-along. With a rawer sound and lyrics pulled from the real life of an unapologetic disco fiend, Robin is kicking out the most authentic bangers of his life.