Bart Skils x HOF – New Life [Drumcode]

Bart Skils teams up with HOF, the inaugural winner of the ‘Make Your Mark’ competition to craft a techno track made for big moments, featuring the lyrics of a Nina Simone classic.

The duo linked up during ADE 2023 with HOF beating over 1500 other artists to win the opportunity to produce a track with Skils in Martin Garrix’s STMPD studio in Amsterdam, alongside a b2b with the beloved DC artist at the Drumcode Centraal pop up last October. The pair’s set was so well received Adam Beyer turned it into a Drumcode Radio episode. HOF is a Frankfurt-based producer who’s active in the city’s club scene, while notably just coming off a collaboration with A*S*Y*S on the acid techno legend’s Fe Chrome imprint.

First played by Skils as his opening track at Drumcode’s iconic Gashouder party during ADE week, ‘New Life’ is a strong addition to the label’s catalogue, marked by HOF’s goosebump-inducing chords and plenty of warmth and soul thanks to the famous lyrics from Simone. These elements are deliciously juxtaposed with Skils’ trademark sharp drum work and a proper bass face-inducing bottom end.

“The fact that the track was actually chosen as the winner from a large number of entries seemed absolutely unreal at first. I think when the preview of the message popped up on my lock screen, I froze for a moment. After that, everything happened super quickly: I exchanged the files with Bart on the same day and he was able to take the track to the next level with his typical driving beats. We then refined the rest together in the STMPD studios in Amsterdam. This song is special to me and I couldn’t have found a better home for it than Drumcode.” – HOF