 At first glance most would think a skinny, blue-eyed hipster looking dude in a flannel with obnoxious Nike’s to match, would be in a post-electro indie-band. But this is the 90’s for the third time and one of rap’s most exciting new voices, ECID, is not your average newsstand heartthrob. Minneapolis native Jason Mckenzie, an only child raised by a single-mom, had a lot of time to himself growing up. But he was never bored. Ever. He started writing songs at age 13, released his first “album” before his 18th birthday and hasn’t stopped since. Released earlier this year, Post Euphoria volume 1 brought Ecid’s true charm to the surface with sexier beats and punchlines on steroids (and kush).

 Amidst the chaos of artistic evolution, Post Euphoria 2 exploits the best parts of Volume 1 while preparing us for the upcoming full-length Pheromone Heavy. After spending the first half of the year training to be a yoga instructor Ecid bought a MOOG, stopped quantizing and found a way to make songs with a more human approach. Minimalistic drums and urgent melodies give his percussive vocals and no-fuck’s-given personality room to breathe. “Communication Abuse”, a snarky response to society’s infatuation with their phones and themselves, continues ECID’s agenda to challenge the “pack” mentality. ECID lives and dies by the dream and Post Euphoria 2 is what happens when you finally catch that elusive carrot.

CYRIL
Setting a benchmark with his late 2023 hit “Stumblin’ In,” Australian DJ/producer CYRIL has surely come a long, illustrious way. His story is defined by various highs and lows, though always with music as a common thread throughout all his tribulations. Now, having survived the most daring events of his life, CYRIL is more decisive than ever, freshly signed to Spinnin’ Records and eager to excell with a much anticipated string of new releases. He’s still got his best tunes ready to drop; stay tuned for this seasoned aussie to overwhelm the scene. 
Born and raised in the countryside of New South Wales in Australia, young Cyril Riley got hooked on music when only 2-years old, exploring instruments like (bass) guitar, piano and drums. Once a teenager, this love had only increased, causing him to move to the big city, learning the skills of DJ’ing and music production as well as the business side of clubs and festivals.
While pursuing a DJ career in the New South Wales area, though, Cyril hit several setbacks, caused by heartbreak and financial problems. One thing led to another, and soon enough he found himself hooked on a serious substance addiction, crashing his car and losing his home, forcing him to sleep in friends’ houses or in the club where he had his residency.
While going through these traumatic events, Cyril kept making music with just about his only possessions left: a laptop, usb and guitar. Safe to say, music kept him going this period, until he reached the ultimate lowpoint in 2018, when he almost overdosed.
As Cyril says, this moment was ‘the biggest wake up call of my life.’ He made his way back to his home town, managed to clean himself up completely, and after a few months started making music again.
Enter CYRIL, the DJ/producer who’s been making waves until this day. Building a resume since 2021 with several headstrong, inventive electronic tunes, he’s conquered some of his past ordeals with songs like “Lucid Dreams” and “Strong,” culminating in the late 2023 release “Stumblin’ In,” revamping the 1978 pop tune into a sun drenched deep house gem.
It proved a major breakthrough for CYRIL. Kickstarted by a TikTok video that amassed an incredible 3.3 million views, 156k comments and 37.3k saves, things started rolling for CYRIL, culminating in the Bayern Munich football team posting a video featuring the track, while thousands of other people hopped on a jamming trend using the track in their content. 

By now, CYRIL is stronger than ever. Having learned from his experiences, he’s returned to the music scene, living and working in Darwin these days, where he initially had a DJ residency and job as promotions manager at a local club, but has progressed into running another club as venue manager, while doing bookings for another.
In the meantime, he got schooled in music theory at Charles Darwin University, perfected his production skills, moved around to different clubs, and performed some huge shows around the country. 
It’s all come together, he acknowledges, especially with the success of “Stumblin’ In” and the deal he recently signed with Spinnin’ Records. It’s time for the rest of the world to meet CYRIL and the uplifting sounds he’s ready to share. Expect a burst of positive energy and life experience in every tune he drops, coming soon as 2024 unfolds. 
It’s a journey worth joining him on, as this Australian artist is sure to surprise us all with his strong and remarkable return to shape - his story has only just begun.

new acoustic album ‘Unerthed: Hole Erth Unplugged’ out 9/19. https://ToroyMoi.lnk.to/UHEU

Reya is following