When a classically trained musician who grew up surrounded by piano scales and music theory discovers the raw energy of a packed nightclub, something extraordinary happens. OFFAIAH’s journey from the music rooms of his youth to the main stages of global dance music festivals is a masterclass in translating traditional musicianship into contemporary club culture. Nearly a decade after his breakthrough track “Trouble” reshaped expectations for house music in 2016, the East London producer with Argentinian roots has carved out a distinctive sonic identity that bridges groove, melody, and peak-time energy.
Now running his own label ALL FIRE while continuing his relationship with Defected Records, OFFAIAH opens up about his creative process, the role of AI in modern production, juggling family life with a demanding tour schedule, and why his 4-year-old and the family dog have become his most trusted A&R team.
1. You grew up in a household with a piano teacher father and learned multiple instruments from an early age. How did that classical foundation shape your approach to electronic music production, and was there a specific moment when you realized you wanted to translate those skills into the dance music world?
Growing up with a dad who’s a classical piano teacher meant music theory, scales, and proper technique were just part of daily life – like brushing your teeth. I played piano, trumpet, guitar and drums. That gave me an unfair advantage when I discovered dance music: I could hear chord voicings, arrangements, and dynamics that a lot of bedroom producers were figuring out by trial and error. At school would spend lunchtimes in the music room arranging dance songs on the Atari ST.
The real light-bulb moment was probably around 2009 when I had a night at London’s Bagleys Nightclub. I can’t remember exactly what DJ Ariel was playing but the crowd lost it, and I thought: “Wait, I already know how to make stuff like that… I just need to make it bang at 128 bpm.” From that night I went home and started translating everything I knew from classical/orchestral writing into house music. It’s still the same process now – I often write the main hook on piano first, then mess around with it until it works on a big system.
2. Your breakthrough track in 2016 marked a clear direction for the OFFAIAH sound. Nearly a decade later, how would you describe the evolution of your production style?
2016 (“Trouble”) was very much a reaction to the big-room fatigue I was feeling. I felt people wanted groove again, vocal hooks, proper songs – but still with energy.
Almost ten years on, I’m less interested in making “tools” and more into telling little stories in 5–6 minutes. The grooves are still heavy, but you’ll hear more instrumentation and keys I play myself, fresh sounding design, and I’m not afraid to go deeper or more melodic. The core is still “will this smash a warehouse at 3 a.m.?”, but I want people to remember the record the next day too.
3. Coming from East London with Argentinian roots, how have these different cultural influences informed your music? Do you feel a responsibility to represent either scene, or has your sound become something entirely independent of geography?
East London gave me grit, pirate-radio-style energy you might say, along with a multitude of multicultural raves in warehouses in East London. Argentina (my mum’s side) gave me that Latin emotion, that sense of creating a mood you can actually dance to.
I never felt I had to “represent” either flag. London is so mixed that trying to rep one thing feels fake. My sound just ended up being the kid who grew up listening to house music on Rinse FM and reggae on his dad’s huge gramophone – it’s inevitably both, a bit of everything, but it’s not consciously “world music” either.
4. Your new EP “Save My Soul” brings together three distinct artists with different strengths. How did this particular collaboration come together, and what made you feel that these were the right collaborators for this specific track?
I’ve been a big fan of Ekonovah for a while – he has an incredible knack producing groovy, danceable yet hard-hitting bass-lines and being able to polish it off with that high-end technical production. Similarly 7KY’s style has caught my attention for a while with his cinematic and almost psychedelic-style vocals with awesome melodies and lyrics. I got chatting to the guys on instagram and the conversation ultimately led to a collaboration which I was so excited to get stuck into.
5. Launching All Fire as your independent label represents both creative freedom and entrepreneurial responsibility. What motivated that decision, and how has running your own platform changed your perspective on the music industry?
By 2022 I had enough music that didn’t quite fit other labels’ schedules or sound, and I was tired of waiting 6–9 months for a release slot. Starting ALL FIRE was scary – suddenly you’re dealing with distribution, artwork specs, metadata and marketing budgets – but the freedom is unreal. I can drop a track two weeks after finishing it if it feels right.
It also changed how I see the industry: 90% of what labels do you can now do yourself if you’re willing to learn. The value they bring now is mainly curation and relationships.
6. In the past, you’ve been closely associated with Defected Records. How has that relationship influenced your artistic development, and will there be more releases on the label?
Defected was family for years and still is – they believed in my earlier productions when a lot of bigger labels passed, and it paid off for both of us. They didn’t just sign a record and stick it out, but they actually spent time going through the recording and production process and helped make tweaks on a granular level, which shows how willing they are to spend the extra time it needs to get something done the right way. I’ll always have love for them, and yes, there are still things in the pipeline. It’s not exclusive anymore, but the door is very much open.
7. Can you walk us through your production process – do you start with a specific element, and how do you know when a track has that “peak-time weapon” quality?
90% of the time I start with a groove – drums and a bassline loop that makes me wanna move. Then I’ll jam around on keys until I hit a two- or four-bar phrase that feels like the soul of the record. Everything else (vocals, effects, arrangement) serves that phrase.
When I feel like the track is done I’ll turn off the monitor and play the track from start to finish putting myself in the mindset of someone in the club in the middle of the dance floor – If I start fist pumping the air and jump out my seat I know it’s good-to-go!
8. AI is increasingly present in music production, from arrangement suggestions to sound design tools. As someone with deep musical training and years of production experience, how do you view AI’s role in electronic music?
I’ve tried all the toys – Udio, Suno, RipX, Stemrollers, etc. They’re incredible for inspiration when you’re stuck or for generating textures quickly. But the moment a tool writes the actual musical idea for me, I lose interest. The magic still happens when it’s my fingers, my mind, my references.
AI will probably produce 80% of functional dance music in ten years, but the 20% that moves people on a deeper level will still come from humans who lived something and need expression. I’m cool using it as a super-advanced plugin, but I’m not letting it drive the car…yet!
9. You’ve performed at major festivals and venues worldwide while maintaining a consistent release schedule. How do you balance the energy demands of touring with the focus required for studio work, and does one feed into the other creatively?
Honestly, it’s a bit of controlled chaos – we’ve got three young kids and a dog at home, so the idea of “balance” makes me laugh sometimes. Touring can be intense, but coming home to that madness actually keeps me grounded. After a weekend of thousands of people screaming, walking in at 6 a.m. to school runs, packed lunches, and the dog barking because he’s missed me… it puts everything in perspective.
I do try to make sure I get my 6-8 hours of sacred studio time in amongst all the madness.
The kids and the dog have accidentally become my best quality control too. If I’m playing a new demo in the kitchen and my 4-year-old starts doing his silly dance or the dog starts wagging his tail like crazy to the kick drum, I know it’s working. If they ignore it, back to the drawing board. Touring charges the battery, family life keeps me human, and the studio is where it all gets turned into music. It’s a juggle, but it works.
10. Looking back at your journey from classical training through various electronic music phases to where you are now, what’s the most important advice you’d give to producers and DJs just starting out?
Learn an instrument properly and learn basic music theory – it will save you years.
Second: finish tracks. Doesn’t matter if they’re perfect, just finish and move on. Most people have 100 half-ideas and zero complete records.
Third: play your music for normal clubbers, not just your producer mates. If strangers scream at the drop, you’re onto something.
OFFAIAH, Ekonovah, 7KY – Save My Soul, out now. Get your copy here