Get to Know the Raw House Style of Syncia

Rising UK artist Syncia swung by to share insight on his artistic journey, his thoughts on the scene, and more.

Syncia made his debut in the scene only two years ago, but he’s had a lot of success since then. Accolades have already begun to stack up for him with chart-topping house and techno hits on Beatport and Traxsource, residencies at Club 338 in London and Pikes Ibiza, and more. Not to mention that Syncia’s releases, which have landed on labels like Alan Fitzpatrick‘s For The Brave, Release LDN, Kneaded Pains, Vicious Recordings, and CENTRL, continue to receive support from fans and tastemakers alike.

This year, Syncia continued his ascent up the scene’s ranks. He kicked off the year by releasing “Another One” on Famous When Dead Records and recently dropped “Bad Bitch” with GAWP and IDA fLO on his newly-launched imprint, Rawmance Records. He’s also set to bring his house-meets-tech style to the stages of festivals like Camp Bestival and in Ibiza during the Back To Mine residency this summer.

Before the summer months kick into full gear, we caught up with Syncia to chat about his journey in the scene, recent releases, and where he plans to head next. Read on for the whole conversation and listen to his exclusive guest mix on SoundCloud.

Stream EDMID Guest Mix 467 || Syncia on SoundCloud:

Hi Syncia, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. Let’s start this one off by digging into your roots in the scene. Who were some of the earliest artists that you listened to who helped you develop a passion for electronic music?

Hey, thanks for having a chat with me. My roots are and were inspired by great nights at Hard Times, Back To Basics, and Speed Queen in Leeds. Looking back, I was exposed to what and who would become the leaders.

In my opinion, that house sound was inspired by multiple genres, from techno to disco, funk, and pop music, and it was just a brilliant time to be exposed to such diverse sounds. Great songs and, latterly, excellent sampling and remixes always inspire me. Transforming something into something else is inspiring.

So, probably everything traces back to Todd Terry, Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Daft Punk, Rhythm Masters, Masters at Work, etc, and that led me down the rabbit hole I still scurry around today.

In 2023, you stepped out of the shadows and said hello to the world as Syncia. What prompted you to finally make the jump to launch this project?

The pseudonym I was using became too restrictive and synonymous with a particular “sound,” and I was sitting on a load of tracks that didn’t sound like anything I had made before, so I thought it was time to cook something else up

You’ve already seen some significant success in the scene since your debut, with multiple top-charting tracks and support from major names like Danny Howard and Jamie Jones. What has it felt like to have your music receive such a warm reception so far?

Anytime anyone plays music that you have made, it can deliver a jolt of joy or pride, but I really, in all honesty, make music that I like to listen to. Over the years, I have tried to care less and less about the reception it may receive and, more importantly, whether I would play it. If I wouldn’t play it out in a club or it doesn’t get me wiggling around in my studio, then I don’t share it.

If you could define your signature sound in three words, what would they be?

A friend of mine sent me a message recently after I had shared something with him, and he asked, “Why’s the kick gotta be so harsh?” My response was, “When you hear it on a proper system, it will take your head off.” Then I shared with him some old gritty Theo Parrish tracks where the kick is raw and ghetto. To summarise into three words, let’s go with Loud, Raw, and Ghetto

Your latest release, “Bad Bitch,” saw you team up with GAWP and IDA fLO. Can you share the story behind how this collaboration came to life?

It’s not super interesting. Gawp and I work on a lot of tracks together, and we were in the studio and making a banger. He then whips out this vocal he has been sitting on, and all of a sudden, the track was sketched out. We then spent an age getting the sounds tweaked, and then it was ready to play, I took it to Pikes, and it didn’t translate very well in the bottom end, so we made some more tweaks.

This summer, you’re set to take the stage at Camp Bestival! What can fans expect from your set when they catch you there? What sort of preparations are you making ahead of your performance?

I’m fickle; it all depends on my mood, the weather, who is playing before and after me, kind of dictates on the day what I do. I rarely arrive with a prescribed idea of what to play, but I do have a folder stacked full of things I’ve made and other people’s tracks I’ve butchered – but I can guarantee it will make you dance.

The UK is renowned for being one of the biggest countries in the world for dance music. What’s your experience as a rising DJ there? Do you feel that being in the UK has impacted your journey positively?

Yes and no. I have been surrounded by amazing artists and DJs, which is a blessing because it makes you better. However, as most people will attest, it is a very saturated market, and perhaps not everyone playing is doing it as their first career choice. This can clog up, for want of a better word, the system for those who only want to do this. Let’s kindly call them tourists.

What’s the biggest struggle you’ve faced so far in your career? Have you been able to overcome it?

Making the leap from worker bee to being able to pursue my dreams, without a fantastic wife and family, I wouldn’t be able to do this.

Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve in the second half of the year?

Gosh, I need to pull my finger out and load all the tracks I’ve made to the distributors I work with and stop second-guessing a release order, quite frankly no one cares!