Walker & Royce

American dance duo Walker & Royce make playful, quirky tech-house that isn’t afraid to dip into other genres. They started off producing music closer to deep house and neo-disco during the early 2010s, and their profile started to rise when they began releasing more technical and ambitious tracks like 2014′s “Sister.” Their hedonistic, guest-heavy debut full-length, Self Help, appeared in 2017, producing several club hits. They’ve since concentrated on bass-heavy club bangers, with collaborators including Green Velvet, Diplo, Channel Tres, and VNSSA. James Patterson of the Knocks guested on their 2024 single “Might Just.” Sam Walker and Gavin Royce were already active within New York’s dance scene when they first teamed up and began working on remixes together in 2011. Their first singles appeared on labels like Crosstown Rebels and Dither Down, revealing a love for deep house and ’80s disco. The stranger, more progressive “Sister” appeared on Moda Black in 2014 and was named Essential New Tune by famed BBC DJ Pete Tong. They continued in this offbeat yet club-tooled direction with further singles for labels such as Pets Recordings and Relief. They landed on Dirtybird with 2017’s Self Help, a festival-friendly album that featured guest appearances by producers and rappers including Green Velvet, Dances with White Girls, OnCue, and others. 2018 brought EPs with Ardalan (Escapade) and Chris Lake (Close Your Eyes). The duo collaborated with VNSSA for 2019′s “Word” and Rave Grave EP (on Diplo’s Higher Ground) and continued their association with Dirtybird with tracks such as “Bodies Do the Talking” (featuring Sue Yenn) and “Enthusiasm” (with label boss Claude VonStroke). Singles such as “Feel the Vibe” and “No Drama” appeared in 2022, and the duo teamed up with Diplo and Channel Tres on 2023′s “Diamond Therapy.” The EP No Big Deal, Pt. 1 included guests like Reggie Watts and Glass Petals. No Big Deal, Pt. 2 followed in 2024, featuring VNSSA on “I Don’t Remember,” as well as the drum’n’bass track “Tha Tea.” The sly, sassy “Might Just” featured the Knocks’ James Patterson. ~ Paul Simpson