ILTON finds comfort on the dancefloor

Photo Credit: Bo Apitz

In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, artists often find themselves navigating a maze of uncertainties, hoping to find their voice along the way. For New York-based electronic artist ILTON, the journey took an exhilarating turn with the birth of his EP SAD BOY RAVE. The project, a collaboration with producer Emmett Kai, pushed ILTON to a new level, unleashing his artistic power of expression through dance music. Underneath the glimmering sounds of house, we find ILTON singing about unrequited love (“Recall”) and falling into destructive patterns (“But, Instead…”). In our Q&A with ILTON, we discuss focus, influences, and hot takes on electronic music.

Describe the SAD BOY RAVE era.

It has never been easy to be an artist, but it’s particularly hard nowadays. We just throw a bunch of things on the wall and hope one sticks. SAD BOY RAVE has been a project that gave me a lot of energy to keep going. It was amazing to see the support come out from a lot of different places in the world. It showed me what it means to have a fully baked concept and run with it—a lot of lessons learned on how to approach my music. As a brand, I feel very connected to it. Extremely thankful and happy for everyone who has played this record.

When did you start writing/recording SAD BOY RAVE?

Believe it or not the track “But, Instead…” was one of the first songs I produced back in 2018. So technically, it started then. I think I was always meant to make dance music but it took me a bit to get here. The rest of the tracks were written in 2023. As I was dropping them one by one, I had this idea of re-releasing them together in what came to be SAD BOY RAVE.

You produced the EP alongside Emmett Kai. What was that process like?

I had worked with Emmett before and there has never been a process. It has always been whatever feels right in the moment, which comes with a lot of magic. He is extremely talented and I knew that if I stayed in a lane, we would be able to make something great happen. 

Were there any artists that you were inspired by during the EP’s production?

I have watched so many of the greatest pivot their sound and rediscover themselves. A big example was Blue Hawaii, who had a big influence on this EP. Certainly a lot of 90’s electronic music, specifically Dirty Vegas, ATB, and most recently, Real Lies. Their Real Life LP changed me. 

We’ve had “GO!” on repeat! How did that track come together?

That means the world. I still listen to it and it gets me going! That was a short demo that Emmett sent to me. It had some scratch vocals in it. I kid you not, the moment I heard it I felt like I was in my future headlining Coachella show, opening my set with it and everyone going wild. That fantasy was a very good sign. I had it on repeat for a week straight and couldn’t eat out of hype/anxiety. It took us one studio session, one vocal take, and a couple of hours fixing the production and arrangement. Within a month, there was a final version and a music video. When things are great they come together effortlessly.  

How do you approach sampling when it comes to your music?

It used to put me off a lot. I came up with people who respected music in the sense that everything had to come from a place of authenticity. That is not the case anymore. Being original has everything to do with the artist and not the content. Give respect and credit to someone else’s work—but compromising your creativity/sound because you don’t want to use samples is pressure that nobody needs. If the biggest artists in the world can sample, you can as well. 

What’s your hot take on electronic music production?

Don’t overthink it. Sometimes it’s just a synth, a kick, a clap, and a vocal. I love making electronic music for that reason. It is as simple or as complicated as you want, but there are certain parameters to follow. That is always a great starting point. 

What can we look forward to from you?

I need to take this project on the road and hit the stage. It’s been about a year since the last show and I feel like it’s time to connect with people in real life. So if any bookers are reading this, book me for your shows :-)

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ILTON’s SAD BOY RAVE is out now. Listen wherever you stream music. Follow ILTON on Facebook & Instagram.

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