Octo Octa

Canonical, even retro sounds are a staple of 21st-century dance music. But in Octo Octa’s work, time-tested tropes of house and techno aren’t just stylistic markers; they signal places of refuge for historically marginalised communities. Born in Chicago in 1987, Maya Bouldry-Morrison grew up without much contact with club culture, despite loving the music; she released her debut album, 2011’s Rough, Rugged, and Raw, on Los Angeles’ 100% Silk in part because it felt like a welcoming place for outsiders. Since she came out as a trans woman in 2016, her music has become both lighter in spirit and more deeply rooted in vintage-sounding breakbeats and rave stabs: Her 2019 album, Resonant Body, could almost be mistaken for a lost classic of the early ’90s. In addition to her solo work, Octo Octa frequently collaborates with her romantic partner Eris Drew. The two women are cofounders of the T4T LUV NRG label and frequently perform as a duo. Their 2020 mix album, fabric presents Octo Octa & Eris Drew, is a euphoric example of their combined vision, presenting the past, present and future of rave music as a never-ending continuum of ecstatic self-expression.