DJ_Dave writes code that makes people dance. On her debut album, Hardcore Software, out now via Mad Decent, the Los Angeles producer gets stuck into trance, hardstyle and pop, chopping up her own vocals along the way.
A member of our Beatport Next Class of 2026, she recently joined us at Beatport Connect LA to show exactly how she codes her music live. There’s plenty to unpack here. Switch Angel, c_robo_, Lil Data and meat computer join her across the 15-track album that moves from the fluttering tune “Await” to the urgent drive of “Fail-safe” and the more lyrical “Alive Internet Theory.”
The release also comes with m@lw@re, an interactive Mac application for “Give it 2 me.” Using the listener’s camera, location, computer information, and responses to questions, it builds a personalized video around whoever is watching.
“It reminds me of live coding in the way it can perform something for you in real time rather than play back a prerecorded experience,” she explains.
She takes Hardcore Software on the road this month before joining horsegiirL’s Nature Is Healing tour for nine dates, from Atlanta on October 21 to London’s O2 Academy Brixton on December 4 – grab tickets here.