Premiere: Alinka ‘Learning To Fly’
Alinka re-launches her Twirl imprint with a trio of tantalising house jams imbued with healing qualities
Alinka will release a new EP, ‘Day Dreamer’, via the Twirl imprint next week. Listen to ‘Learning To Fly’ below.
After a two-year label hiatus, Twirl, which the Berlin-based DJ and producer runs with former Hercules and Love Affair vocalist Shaun J. Wright, is entering a bright new era. Christening the imprint is Alinka herself with a trio of tantalising house jams, which offered the lauded producer a world of escapism and healing amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine, and following the loss of her Grandma who helped to raise her.
Born in Kyiv but raised on Chicago’s vibrant house sound, the project pays homage to the bustling city where Alinka found hope, solace, and escapism after her family left the crumbling USSR in the late '80s. Its title track, ‘Day Dreamer’ comes jam-packed with timeless house charm; a deluge of crisp rollers, euphonious synths, and thumping punch drums whisking dancers into a new world of feeling at every turn.
“I wanted to write tracks for the dancefloor that are timeless and channel all the classics I fell in love with in my youth that still hit me the same way today,” she reflected on the project. “I wanted to create music that sounds timeless because that’s what Chicago House is to me, my favourite tracks still sound as fresh as they did when I first heard them.”
‘Learning To Fly’ is similarly groove-based, flexing Alinka’s superlative ear for house music honed over a decade as a resident at Chicago’s Smart Bar and at Kyiv's ∄ club. ‘Just a Feeling’ rounds out the tape with a thumping kick drum beat and bouncy bassline, paired masterfully with a shimmering chord progression to heal both the mind and soul. Twirl is certainly back with a bang.
The imprint was originally founded in 2014, following an impromptu meeting with Shaun J. Wright, in which the pair formed an immediate bond. Hailed as a “homage to the classic Chicago house sound with a fresh, forward-thinking attitude,” the label became a home for their own releases, alongside music from LA-4A, Kim Ann Foxman, Virginia, and Spencer Parker.
Over the past decade, Alinka has also released music through prominent labels including Permanent Vacation, NeedWant, HE.SHE.THEY, and Rekids, where she dropped her most recent ‘Numbers EP’ in 2022.
‘Day Dreamer’ is out on 21st July. Listen to ‘Learning To Fly’ below.
