David Gtronic Comes Back Home With a New Album, Head's Above Water

At 16, Colombia-born, Miami-raised David Gtronic was already spinning 137-plus BPM trance at Club Space. By 18, he slowed the beats, signed to a label, and had his tech-house-tinged tracks played out by legend Marco Carola. "I remember watching Marco Carola and Loco Dice play the Terrace so many times, and their selection blew me away," Gtronic tells New Times from his home in Barcelona. By drinking age, he was touring and gracing the decks of the world's best nightclubs.

"When I came from Colombia, I never heard of electronic music," he shares. "In Miami, I started getting Tiësto CDs and Armin van Buuren. My first real memory of paying attention to music was with electronic music. I remember I went to the Ultra Music Festival at thirteen and went there every year after that. I started working with all-ages promoter events, which got me to play all around Miami early on."

A successful Miami-grown DJ story is probably reason enough to check out Gtronic's set at Jolene Sound Room on July 28 for DJ Natalia Roth's Melódie party series. But after listening to his new album in collaboration with old-school Frankfurt DJ Reboot, you'll take note of an artist taking strides to hone his craft.

Sixteen years after his Club Space debut, Gtronic has released the 11-track album Head's Above Water on Personality Disorder Music, an imprint founded by Gtronic and Argentine producer Guti.

"Originally, there were four tracks we produced made only for vinyl that sold out in pre-sale," Gtronic explains. "The repress came out in April and sold out again."

Head's Above of Water took a year and a half to produce and is packed with enough homages to old-school sounds to withstand the flash-in-the-pan trends. The opener, "Deception," and later on, "Orlando Bass," include IDM (intelligent dance music) influences and Aphex Twin-like bouncy percussive patterns and bleeps reminiscent of a '90s sci-fi movie soundtrack. Meanwhile, "Kongfluss" is more appropriate for sun salutations than popping Champagne bottles. "Mind Games," the seventh track and most club-ready, features sleek, sharp, minimal techno basslines that can knock you down if played on a proper sound system.

"I've learned so much from Reboot," Gtronic says. "He wanted everything perfect; we made sure everything was proper. We never had a big idea; we just wanted to experiment with different genres. We were just aiming for the original four-track EP, but once that was completed, the album started coming after that."
Head's Above Water continues, replete with vocal stems from artists like Mari Kvien Brunvoll, before concluding with the title track, featuring purring synths straight out of "the best of liquid dubstep" playbook.

Gtronic and Reboot's working relationship started in 2013 when Reboot remixed his track. "We never met or communicated," explains Gtronic. "I didn't really see him, but we were then introduced by Guti and started talking and hit it off."

Incredibly, Gtronic and Reboot only recently met in person at Ibiza's DC10 nightclub in 2022. The pair will finally go back-to-back for the first time at London's famed Fabric for the record release party on August 11.

Each track on the album is accompanied by a music video designed by Bucharest illustrator Morysetta.

"Morysetta did two different album covers: the one seen online and another one for the full-cover sleeve for the vinyl edition. That one will have four cuts," Gtronic says, adding that he'll vinyl copies to T Bag Records downtown and Command Center Records in North Miami when he's in town.

Head's Above Water ultimately resists pop-focused dance trends while allowing the listener to acclimate to newer sounds. The title alludes to the story of the busy artist becoming less in demand as newer styles of dance music take over.

"It's interesting because sometimes you are touring a lot and thinking it will always be super busy, then with the pandemic, it got slower, and now there is a new generation," Gtronic says. "For artists who have been around for a long time, you sort of have to stay patient, believe in yourself, and adapt. Keep your head up, basically."

David Gtronic. With Natalia Roth and Taimur. 10 p.m. Sunday, July 28, at Jolene Sound Room, 200 E. Flagler St., Miami; 305-603-9818; jolenesoundroom.com. Tickets cost $11.22 to $14.02 via dice.fm.