Electronic Youth

Electronic Youth are a house group made up of Leisuregroove and Rustem Rustem. The pair form the project after working on the UK DJ circuit and set up Sexy Trash Digital as their own label, first releasing material there under their individual names before moving into the Electronic Youth sound.

Style and label work

The group build their productions around house, with influences from 1980s electro and early house, deep basslines, heavy beats and urban-style vocals. They relaunch Sexy Trash Digital at the end of 2013 as a platform for this approach, alongside releases and productions on labels including THIS IS Records, System Recordings, CR2, New State, Conkrete Digital, Maquina Music, PHD Recordings, Stealth Records and Hed Kandi.

Releases and remixes

They follow a UK No. 2 club hit with a run of singles and remixes. These include “I Would Leave” featuring Shanaz, “Diver” featuring Shanaz, “Orange Van” with Alex Hart, a cover of Fallout’s “The Morning After”, and “Took My Love” featuring Rita Campbell. They also issue the compilation Was, Is & Now and a summer 2014 compilation, and they produce work as The EY Project for the Shapeshifters’ Love Inc. label.

Electronic Youth also remix Sam Skillz & Roland Clarke’s “Resist”, which reaches the Traxsource top 10, and create remixes of Guru Josh’s “My Burning Bush” and Solange’s “Tick Tock”, both of which enter the UK Club Chart. Their remix for MYNC & Mario Fischetti featuring Deborah Cox on CR2 also appears on the US Billboard Club Chart. Earlier, they make unofficial remixes of Kariya’s “Let Me Love You For Tonight” and Angie Stone’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You”; the Angie Stone version is later released legally with Alex Hart.

Background and development

Rustem Rustem works in vinyl distribution and runs the Loonacy and Spud Records imprints, and also spends time in charge of The Hoxton Whores’ WhoreHouse Records. Leisuregroove develops a solo production career with support from Judge Jules and Seb Fontaine through Digital Disco Records, and collaborates with artists including Angie Brown, with releases on Hed Kandi. The two then join forces and shift their sound towards a deeper style influenced by London and the South East club scene.

Performances and support

The duo play sets at We Are Fstvl and at Loco Dice’s Used & Abused at Brixton O2 Academy, support Faithless at Electric Brixton, hold a residency for Random, head up Data Transmission’s sixth birthday at Ministry of Sound in London, play Pacha London, and headline Sin in Dublin for its tenth birthday celebrations. Their work receives support from DJs and producers including Pete Tong, Steve Smart, Artful Dodger, Skream, Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Claude Von Stroke, Luca C, DJ Spoony, Mark Knight, Fat Boy Slim, Robert Owens, Andre Crom, KORT, Dave Seamen, Nightmares on Wax, Miguel Migs, Hoxton Whores and Seamus Haji.