Following his recent move into country music, prolific hitmaker Diplo is now doubling down on his roots by launching a new house music label called Higher Ground.
Named after his recent deep-house inspired EP of the same name, according to the announcement the label is a platform to showcase both established and up-and-coming talent in house music, and a new home for Diplo’s own house tracks and collaborations. It will release “everything from tech-house to deep/melodic house, lo-fi to Afro-infused house, and everything in between.”
“House is where it all came from. Everything we know and love as dance music today started with the masters in Chicago and Detroit almost 40 years ago,” Diplo says of the new venture. “The genre has always been incredibly important to me, and Higher Ground is our homage to the legends and opportunity to champion new sounds and artists from around the world pushing the genre forward.”
Diplo spoke about the project, as well as his current country singles and his appearance at the Stagecoach Festival, in an interview with Variety earlier this year.
The first Higher Ground release is a double-single by Brooklyn-based house duo Walker & Royce titled “Rave Grave,” out September 4. Other upcoming Higher Ground label releases include label-boss Diplo, Lisbon-born Angola house pioneer DJeff, the duo Sidepiece, French multi-genre DJ/producer Born Dirty, German melodic/tribal house duo Andhim and others. Higher Ground is taking over Brooklyn Mirage for a night of house music curated by Diplo’s other label, Mad Decent, on September 22; the lineup will be announced soon.
Other recent Diplo projects include the album from LSD — his “supergroup” with Sia and Labrinth, which released last summer’s hit “Thunderclouds” — and Silk City, with Mark Ronson, whose “Electricity” single (with guest singer Dua Lipa) won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.