With their silken style of house, DJ/producer duo IDEMI are breaking through on SoundCloud as a rising duo in the dance music scene, and are the latest act to join SoundCloud’s 2026 Ascending class.
SoundCloud’s Ascending is a monthly series that puts a spotlight on rising artists from around the globe who are breaking through. Previous Ascending artists include DIY alternative rock artist crayon, rapper and producer slayr, indie pop sensation Erin LeCount, UK underground rapper YT and electronic artist DJ_Dave, to name a few.
Growing up in Singapore, twin brothers Rhett and Conran Lee were exposed to dance music through the city’s vibrant club scene, which included the formative experience of seeing EDM DJs like Avicii and Martin Garrix perform. When that spark was lit, they leaned into their shared musicality; playing instruments in jazz and rock bands, writing music together and exploring electronic music production.
“Our love for DJing and set craft was also growing in parallel,” Conran says. “Some of our closest friends were into DJing, so every weekend we’d get together and spend hours mixing and sharing our favorite sets.”
When they moved to London, they were inspired by its gritty, underground club culture to go all in on their DJing and production work as IDEMI. “From there, we spent years honing our songwriting and production skills,” Conran tells SoundCloud. “As brothers, and as twins, we’ve always been very close and competitive with each other in everything.”
“As a result, we’re individually very complete producers with similar tastes but definitely different workflows,” Conran continues. “I’m focused on groove and simplicity, whilst Rhett is more chord-focused, as a guitarist might be. The whole process is very instinctive and based on trust. If we both love an idea, then that’s how we know it’s right for us.”
IDEMI gravitates to the deep, jacking grooves of classic 1990s house, and it comes through on their original music.
“The first track that truly felt like IDEMI was no doubt ‘Someday,’” Conran says. “It came to us so organically, but looking back, it was a defining moment for us in finding and solidifying our sound.”
That sound has been spread through EPs like ‘Take Me Higher,’ ‘Outta The Box’ and ‘Transmission,’ and collaborations with artists like Camden Cox (who was interviewed on Sound Advice in 2025). As producers, the atmosphere of their tracks is crucial. “What makes our tracks distinct is our textures — whether it’s sound effects like rain or cityscapes, we want to place you in our world when you’re listening to our music,” Conran says.
Throughout this journey, IDEMI have focused on sharing their music and growing their following on SoundCloud. As young artists striking out in established dance music scenes, across Singapore and London, they found a community on SoundCloud that allowed them to experiment freely — until they were ready to share the results with confidence.
“There’s so much great dance music on SoundCloud and it’s exciting to have a platform where we can dialogue with it in our own way,” Conran says. “When we started uploading music to SoundCloud, we just loved the scene and wanted to be part of it. Since then, the whole community has grown so rapidly across the world — and at the same time, fans and DJs alike have been so supportive and welcoming of us.”
As a show of appreciation to their fanbase, IDEMI recently uploaded a sample pack to their SoundCloud, inspiring their fellow producers to create and experiment.
In 2026, IDEMI is taking the latest evolution of their sound — as heard on recent tracks “Teach You Desire,” “Let Go Of This” and “Reflections” — on the road. As a duo who draw lovingly from that classic American house sound, it’s been a joyously full-circle experience to perform their music to audiences who are tapped into that homegrown sound.
“Performing in the US feels like a really exciting step for us because there are so many iconic festivals and venues here,” Conran says. This summer, they’ll play in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, among other cities; in the latter, they’ll perform alongside house music royalty Kerri Chandler. You can find out more about IDEMI’s upcoming tour dates here.
Now that they’re part of SoundCloud’s 2026 Ascending class, IDEMI shares some wise words of advice to fellow artists looking to grow their musical community on the platform. “We think it’s key to let go of expectations and pressures early on,” Conran insists. “When we started, we had this overwhelming pressure to make something special, but as soon as we did things for fun, everything changed — and now, it’s grown to something bigger than we could have imagined.”
LISTEN TO “LIKE AN ANGEL (TOUCH ME)” BY IDEMI ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
CHECK OUT WHAT’S NEXT IN MUSIC WITH THE ASCENDING PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
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