Tritonal

Tritonal are a successful EDM duo from Austin, Texas, consisting of producers/DJs Chad Cisneros and David Reed. Active since 2008, the duo have scored numerous charting hits and performed at several major festivals, in addition to hosting two popular radio programs and co-owning the Enhanced Recordings label. Initially making progressive trance tracks, the duo soon began working extensively with guest vocalists; their 2011 debut album, Piercing the Quiet, featured regular early collaborators such as Cristina Soto and Jeza. Tritonal switched to a more accessible electro-house sound in 2013, and reached Billboard’s Dance charts with singles like that year’s “Now or Never” (featuring Phoebe Ryan) and “Until You Were Gone,” their 2016 collaboration with the Chainsmokers. They have continued to refine their sound, balancing dance tracks with ever more ambient, consciousness-awakening soundscapes as on 2019′s U & Me, 2021′s meditation album Reverence, and 2022′s Coalesce.
The duo formed in 2008 and immediately began releasing progressive tracks, often in collaboration with vocalist Cristina Soto, that appeared on labels such as Anjunabeats, Fraction Records, and Coldharbour Recordings. Their euphoric anthems and ecstatic live performances quickly made an impact on the worldwide dance music scene, and by 2009 they had remixed tracks by major artists such as Ferry Corsten and Ronski Speed. The duo’s first mix CD, Enhanced Sessions, Vol. 2 (with a second disc mixed by Ferry Tayle), arrived on Enhanced Recordings in July 2010. During the same year, Tritonal established a digital imprint called Air Up There Recordings, and launched a weekly radio show also titled Air Up There. Tritonal’s debut album of original productions, Piercing the Quiet, appeared on the label in 2011, and eight of the album’s songs charted in the Top 20 of online dance music retailer Beatport’s trance charts. The duo remixed tracks by more kingpins such as Kyau & Albert, Markus Schulz, and Cosmic Gate, and Piercing the Quiet Remixed emerged in 2012. They began to appear on polls such as DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs of 2012.
Tritonal ended 2012 with the 100th and final edition of Air Up There, broadcast live from a sold-out gig at Emo’s in Austin, but they began 2013 with a new series called Tritonia. The duo spent much of 2013 touring, including slots at major EDM festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, Electric Zoo, and Electric Daisy Carnival. Also in 2013, they joined Will Holland as co-owners of Enhanced Recordings, and released the first two volumes of the Metamorphic EP series on the label. The EPs signaled the expansion of the duo’s sound to include electro-house and downtempo. Tritonal ended 2013 with another mix CD, Tritonia Chapter 001. Metamorphic III was released in 2014, as were Tritonal remixes for tracks by Zedd, Hardwell, and Cash Cash. Tritonal collaborated with Cash Cash the following year, producing a big club hit called “Untouchable.” They also produced hit tracks with the Chainsmokers and Juventa, and remixed pop star Adam Lambert. Tritonia Chapter 002 appeared in 2015 and a Sirius XM cable radio show called Tritonia began airing once a week. The year 2016 saw collaborations and remixes for Angel Taylor, Ellie Goulding, and Gareth Emery, as well as a remix LP called Blackout and a new LP called Painting with Dreams. The duo returned the following year with several more well-received singles, including “Strangers,” “Wild Kind” with Varpu, and “Good Thing” featuring Laurell.
2018 brought a host of new singles and collaborations including “Out of My Mind,” “U Found Me,” “Calabasas” featuring Sj and Tima Dee, and “Just Like You” featuring Apek. Several 2019 singles, including “Hard Pass” and “Real,” led up to the release of Tritonal’s third full-length, U & Me. With 2021′s Reverence, the duo took a break from their dance production, offering a cohesive and atmospheric mediation album. Engineered by University of Texas Music professor Nick Sibicky, it found Tritonal drawing inspiration from the meditation music of Brian Eno, Nils Frahm, and Ólafur Arnalds. They brought a similarly spiritual and ambient-minded approach to their fifth album, Coalesce. Released in September 2022, it featured several guest tracks, including “Losing My Mind” with Haliene, “Safe & Sound” with Last Heroes and Lizzy Land, and “Signals” with Sarah De Warren. ~ Paul Simpson