Olly James & Sarah de Warren On Charting HILOMATIK Release

Olly James and Sarah de Warren are rising forces in the techno music scene. Earning global recognition through worldwide performances and support from top-tier DJs, last week they released ‘303 State’ on HI-LO’s imprint HILOMATIK. The record currently sits #3 in Beatport's Trance - Main Floor top 100. In between their busy touring schedule for this month (Sarah has been performing in Asia and Australia and Olly in America and Asia), we took the time to ask them a couple of questions about the creative process behind their newest track.

Can you take us back to the moment this collaboration first started? Who reached out to who, and how did the idea of working together on the record come up in the first place?

Olly James: So I had an instrumental idea which I knew had a ton of potential, it had already been played out on the mainstage of Tomorrowland. The only issue was it lacked an identity, that’s when I reached out to Sarah. I’ve been a massive fan of hers & I knew she would absolutely nail this. I told her about the theme & she nailed the topline, super catchy & complimented the acid lead perfectly.

Sarah de Warren: As two British artists that both make techno/rave music, we were both fans of each other's projects and it was only a matter of time before we made something together. So when Olly sent me a text last summer with this track idea, it was an obvious yes. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to jump on. I’m so happy he trusted me with this track.

Can you walk us through what the creative process for ‘303 State’ looked like? Were you in the studio together building the track, or were you working remotely and sending ideas back and forth?

Olly James: We just spoke through Instagram for this tune, the foundations were there so I think she was instantly inspired. We had ‘303 State’ done within hours. Being able to work remotely is an important skill to have nowadays I think, especially with touring schedules, being able to work on something together just using voicenotes etc is so valuable.

Sarah de Warren: We actually haven’t even seen each other since we made this track together! It all happened over messages. I sat with the track in my home studio and the idea came out immediately. No overthinking, just vibes. That’s when you know the track is a perfect fit for you.

When you played ‘303 State’ for the first time, what was the crowd’s reaction like? Could you immediately tell that the track was connecting with people?

Olly James: Being a touring artist we are very lucky to be able to test records before finishing them/releasing them & you can definitely tell when you have a special one as it gets reactions all around the world. With 303 State, I first tested in Asia & it went crazy, the next test was the US & I think it worked even better, that’s when I knew this one would do well. The acid lead instantly pulls you in, then the vocal hook gets stuck in your head, the perfect recipe.

Sarah de Warren: The first time I played this, the reaction was so good that I knew it would be in every single set from that moment on. The flow of the breaks and the builds is like the perfect rave formula. There is a really fun call & response between the acid line and the vocal hook and it commands the attention of the audience, before giving them the drop. It’s just such a fun track to play :)

Imagine handing ‘303 State’ to another producer for a remix, who would you trust with it and what do you think they might add to the track?

Olly James: That is a tough one as there are a lot of artists I would like to hear remix this one, but I'm going to say Marlon Hoffstadt. I think this acid line with a groovy trance structure would sound amazing.

Sarah de Warren: I think it would be fun to hear it faster and more bouncy. I’ve loved listening to some of Ki/Ki’s sets recently so it would be fun to hear it in her world.

After working together on ‘303 State’, would you be open to collaborating again in the future?

Olly James: Yes I definitely want to work with Sarah again, we have similar tastes & work really well together. I'm sure we will get a 303 State follow up done at some point!

Sarah de Warren: 100%! Next time it would be fun to physically be in the studio together. I think we’d be on fire since our creative styles complement each other so well.

If you had to describe ‘303 State’ with 3 emojis, which one would it be?

Olly James: 😈 🧨 🕺

Sarah de Warren: 🌪️💥 😈