I N T E R V I E W
w i t h
B L I S S I N C.
In the ever-shifting landscape of contemporary dance music, few artists have carved such an emotive, dream-anchored path as Bliss Inc. Since his debut on Magicwire in 2019 with Radiant Reality, Bliss inc. has quietly but confidently become a key voice in the genre’s modern reawakening of all things progressive. That first release, glimmering with 90s memory, airy breakbeats, and serotonin-drenched synths—felt less like a beginning and more like the reappearance of a half-remembered feeling. Heralding the rebirth, a new age, of progressive with ‘Radiant Reality’, Bliss inc. has since powered forward lighting the way for others to follow.
Collective Fast forward to 2023’s Mind 2 Mind EP, and Bliss Inc. was drawing from deeper emotional wells, exploring introspection, euphoria, and the dissonance between them, all while keeping one foot firmly on the dancefloor. His music has always carried the texture of memory, highly charged in nostalgia, as if it was beamed in from a parallel rave timeline we had all been present in, experiencing the sounds at some point earlier.
Now, in the lead-up to his new EP, The Cradle, on the label, due in June 2025, Bliss Inc. continues to craft dance floor narratives that feel both personal and collective. From his early influences and experiences, to his instinct driven DJ sets and evolving production style, we caught up with him to talk about emotional storytelling through sound, the journey he has been on, the significance of Magicwire, and where he will lead us next.
IoAT – ‘Radiant Reality’ was your first official Bliss inc. release with the record defining the new wave of progressive, what do you remember most about putting it out into the world?
Bliss inc. – Perhaps it was the burnout I was going through at the time hehe. Back then I was working in print magazine, and there was a constant crunch, lots of after-hours work, flaming deadlines etc. Bliss Inc. became a way to soothe the pain, a sort of sanctuary. And I remember the vibe of those pre-lockdown times; there was definitely something in the air, lots of new styles, artists, labels. Very exciting time. That’s when I discovered Magicwire. Specifically, Gnork’s ‘Yoga on E’ and Ex-Terrestrial’s ‘Euphorbia’ had a very liberating effect. They channeled a very specific energy that really resonated with me.
In hindsight, I think it helped me deal with the tough times. Making tunes that were 90s inspired kind of transported me back to my childhood, so the whole process was definitely therapy-driven haha. There was something about diving into those samples, sounds, like tapping into a memory you didn’t even know you missed.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool, do you think we romanticize the 90s? or was there something genuinely mystical about that time in dance music which is why it still resonates so strongly today to you?
Yeah, there’s a bunch of studies related to nostalgia. Music, as one of the strongest triggers for nostalgia helps to connect different versions of Self – the past and present, and kind of reinforces that sense of continuity, of being whole. So little wonder we feel such a pull toward the past.
The 90s felt like a time of global excitement, at least that’s how I remember it. Everything was shifting fast, there was this vivid mix of hope and anxiety about the future, “The End of History” after all lol! The music reflected all of this in a pure and genuine way, especially before things got boxed into genres. I think it’s the naiveté, and DIY spirit, like everyone was making their own version of what dance music could be makes it so magical. We definitely lost that with all the tech and instant access to everything. Also, popular culture over the past 20 years has been fixated on retro things, so the obsession with 90s music is also an act of a reflection on that.
Everything felt novel and fresh during that time, naivete, innocence, there was no formula back then. Your productions have that organic feel, like the 90s they are fluid, How do you compare productions from then to now? and what have you been trying to focus on in your own productions?
Agree, but I think it’s not completely fair to compare. Different times, different people, different worlds. Still, I do wonder how an artist from back then would react to today’s music. I feel like they’d be blown away by all the tech and sound design possibilities we have now. I mean, how many 90s artists who are still active today are still running cracked Cubase 3.1 on an Amiga ST in their parents’ basement? It’s hard to judge objectively.
Although, I sometimes get frustrated with modern productions from some of the dance music veterans. And for them, it’s progress, but I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s because of technology, when anything is possible, it’s easy to over-polish things. Or maybe it’s the market shaping everything into formulas, making it harder to stay raw and instinctive.
So with Bliss Inc. I am looking for things that really resonate with me. Of course it’s largely inspired by 90s/00s. That era just feels like home to me. It shaped the whole aesthetics, the choice of sounds, moods (which aren’t limited to minor scale), the progression, the arrangement, and all those little bits and bobs.
I’m trying to evoke a certain feeling, a kind of sensuality. For me, a tune is both a mood and a story, with its own little plot twists. I love when music paints a movie in your mind. I keep saying the goal is to convey a certain emotion, a feeling, through the groove and the sound, rather than just stacking synth layers nicely.
You say you are trying to evoke a feeling through productions, to build a story to a degree in your tracks, something of a theme — what is your approach to when you DJ? how much of that is planned versus in-the-moment?
When producing, I mostly follow intuition and trying not to think too much. It’s different from classic “writing,” where you build a setting with characters, arcs, and structure. Music is more abstract, it’s about improvisation and subconscious decisions made here and now. That said, I do sometimes imagine certain sounds as characters, moods, or elements of a setting. Like, what kind of personality does that stabby sound have? Does it belong here? Isn’t it too comic for the drama I’m trying to create? Or is this melodic sequence actually adding to the story, or just a nice sound? However sometimes, the sounds themselves direct you, opening up avenues you didn’t even think about.
When I DJ, I try to apply the same mindset: follow intuition and let the story unfold as it goes. Instead of throwing sounds, you’re throwing tracks into the mix and watching how it impacts the dance floor. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but more often than not it is way more rewarding than playing pre-planned set. I’m not judging DJs who pre-plan, we are all different and circumstances might not let you choose. I do it too sometimes, but it’s a different experience. Of course, I still prepare: I select certain stuff depending on the gig, spend time tagging, sorting tracks. But once I’m playing, I’m usually deep in selecting and mixing. Sometimes when I’m sorting music (especially on trains) I end up putting together a solid set, haha. But most of the time, I drift off somewhere completely different after a couple of tracks.
It’s also important to respect the crowd. That’s part of the job reading the room and to an extent adapting to who’s actually there, not just who you imagined would be. It is a real-time interaction, and that makes it very different from being alone in the studio.
Sets should be seen as an emotional journeys and that is something we are seeing less of, it is noticeable that recently the club scene is focusing to much on an immediate responsive moment than the bigger picture of the set, the idea of capturing ‘the pop’ for the content machine. There’s always a bit of risk in being spontaneous. Do you think taking those risks, whether emotional or musical, is where the real connection happens both in DJing and in production? are these risks what are missing from todays scene compared to the formative years in the 90s?
The scene reflects the times. I guess it’s just a consequence of the current socio-economic reality. Who wants to take risks when the stakes are so high? For many promoters and clubs, it’s their own money, so they curate the line-up accordingly. And it’s an industry now, it tends to play it safe. But it is also differs quite noticeable depending on the country and its “dance” heritage.
But yeah, I agree, so many sets these days leave you with the same aftertaste as scrolling through a feed. It’s engaging in the moment, but kind of unfulfilling. There’s often nothing to hold on to, nothing that stays with you. I really wish there were more opportunity for something with depth, progression, emotion, with peaks & troughs. Maybe that’s what’s missing today, the tolerance to be a bit messy. Everything has to be perfect, as your latest post.
Is there one track out there, either yours or from someone else, that still gives you chills when you hear it back? What’s the story behind it?
Oh, that’s a tough one, there are so many! And it’s always such a personal thing. I’d say ‘Jason Randolph – Naysayer (Open Mix)’. It’s a classic mid 00s tribal/progressive house B-side almost 10 minutes long. A friend of mine, who’s sadly no longer with us, introduced me to it when it came out in 2005/2006. That was around the time I started clubbing and getting into the DJ side of things.
I remember how we used to trip out on the big breakdown and the huge drop, how much impact it had on the dance floor. It holds a very special place in my heart.
As for my own tracks, I’m not too sentimental, but maybe ‘Radiant Reality’, the first track from my first EP, takes me back twice, once to the era it was inspired by, and again to 2019 when it was made haha. Still, I want to believe the best is yet to come.
With that in mind and without giving too much away, what’s the emotional or sonic thread that ties this to your upcoming record The Cradle? Is there a different kind of story you’re telling this time? Do you see The Cradle as a continuation of where you’ve been or the start of something entirely new?
It’s definitely expands the “universe” of the previous releases, using familiar sounds to explore new themes. There’s a thread running through the record, it moves through different emotional spaces that, in one way or another, we’ve all been through. But it’s not just about nostalgia. It’s also about moving forward and finding transformation. But I’d rather leave the conceptual stuff to the listener and let the EP speak for itself.
Sonically, there’s a bit of looking back and rethinking (some ideas are dating back to the very start of Bliss Inc.), something from the present, and a glimpse into the future. Yeah, the future is cathartic.
What do you hope the dance music scene looks like in five years? Is there anything you think we should be working toward collectively?
The community feels very fragmented right now, with a clear divide for all sorts of reasons. I hope we find a way to move past that. That’s the most important. Also I’d love to see more local scenes that aren’t so dependent on headliners, where local artists get enough support and space to grow. It’d be great if more established promoters and bookers opened up their platforms to locals too.
I’d also love to see less attitude and competitiveness in the community and more mutual care. We should probably brush the dust off good old PLUR. And I really hope club culture survives all the challenges that keeps falling on it. If we lose the night clubs, that would be a huge loss.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects or directions you’re excited about in your own journey in dance music?
More music and remixes are on the way, plus some sporadic gigs here and there (catch me on June 28th at Dox’Art Festival in the north of France). And keep an eye on the Equator project with Gabriola! Cheers
