Baltra
Originally from Philadelphia, Michael Baltra discovered his love of dance music in New York. The raves he lost his mind at in the Meatpacking District took him towards DJing, then production, fascinated by the emotion he could evoke in the listener. Debuting with ‘The Vision’ in 2014, his dusty drums and ‘80s-era vocals quickly brought him a wide fanbase.
Baltra’s work within the genres of lo-fi and filter house, though, inevitably led to him being boxed into those genres. He’s always shrugged off any pigeonholing, as his production shows he moves mercurially through dubstep, jungle, electro, ambient and beyond – releasing on labels including Local Action, Shall Not Fade and Future Classic.
Alongside forthcoming EPs for Keinemusik’s sub-label VOD and Rinse FM, Baltra is dedicatedly building up his '96 and Forever' label. Through it he self-released his debut album, 2019’s Ted – a work dedicated to his late father, who passed away from cancer. His dad had been a keen songwriter, and Baltra sampled his work on the record, which was praised for its engulfing melodies and euphoric synth washes.
Already a prolific releaser, this year sees a concerted effort by Baltra to unveil his most forward-thinking music yet. Singles ‘Echoes of Us’ fuses tunneling psych with euphoria, while ‘Twisted Ways’ darts between nifty synths and a scuttling low-end bassline.
Baltra
Originally from Philadelphia, Michael Baltra discovered his love of dance music in New York. The raves he lost his mind at in the Meatpacking District took him towards DJing, then production, fascinated by the emotion he could evoke in the listener. Debuting with ‘The Vision’ in 2014, his dusty drums and ‘80s-era vocals quickly brought him a wide fanbase.
Baltra’s work within the genres of lo-fi and filter house, though, inevitably led to him being boxed into those genres. He’s always shrugged off any pigeonholing, as his production shows he moves mercurially through dubstep, jungle, electro, ambient and beyond – releasing on labels including Local Action, Shall Not Fade and Future Classic.
Alongside forthcoming EPs for Keinemusik’s sub-label VOD and Rinse FM, Baltra is dedicatedly building up his '96 and Forever' label. Through it he self-released his debut album, 2019’s Ted – a work dedicated to his late father, who passed away from cancer. His dad had been a keen songwriter, and Baltra sampled his work on the record, which was praised for its engulfing melodies and euphoric synth washes.
Already a prolific releaser, this year sees a concerted effort by Baltra to unveil his most forward-thinking music yet. Singles ‘Echoes of Us’ fuses tunneling psych with euphoria, while ‘Twisted Ways’ darts between nifty synths and a scuttling low-end bassline.