“Blush,” the newest single by the Montreal duo Isla Den, is at once atemporal and future-forward; more importantly, it has an affective quotient that lends credibility to the title of the band’s forthcoming album, which is called, quite simply, Emotional Dance Music. The duo is able to blend the pillow-soft tropes of 90s trance music with electro and beyond, resulting in a driving style that will make you want to both reach for the lasers and contemplate your last failed relationship. We checked in with vocalist Ellie and producer Mira: read our interview and listen to “Blush” below. Emotional Dance Music comes out November 21st.
What does the phrase “emotional dance music” mean to you?
E: Exactly what it sounds like: music that makes you want to dance while evoking emotion … yearning, joy, bliss, sadness, hope. Dance music that invites you to feel deeply.
What kind of music has been influencing this project lately?
E: A mixture of extremes—mainstream pop and underground ambient trance. SoundCloud edits of top 40, and DJ Boonie flips on YouTube. Saramalacara, and Malibu always.
M: Weightless, dreamlike, euphoric music—“trance” in a loose sense … Any music that sends me far away. I also am obsessed with pop music; it’s hard to make good pop, especially in a way that meaningfully collides with leftfield influence. Ms* Gloom, and oqbqbo do this really well—I’m a big fan of both those projects.
How do you approach building the visual world around the band?
E: We’re both visual artists, so the visual world is just as important as the music for us. Our approach is concept-driven and rooted in the ideas behind each project. With Emotional Dance Music, we’re playing with the idea of dance music as a “product” subverted through emotion. The visuals are consumer-facing with a twist, something Victor Svedberg is incredibly skilled at. Collaboration has been key to opening the world beyond ourselves.
M: I see our visual world as a long-term, inter-connected multimedia projects—it’s full of internal lore and personal symbolism that guide our decisions. It initially began as a personal outlet for our own artwork and, over time, became a collaborative process. It’s rewarding to invite creators we look up to and inspire us to contribute to our world, to build it together.
The physical CD of the new mixtape looks really good. How did that design come together?
M: We’ve been collaborating with Victor Svedberg for about a year, and it felt right to keep this one simple. We really trust him, so it came together quickly.
What is “Kiss The Light” about?
E: It’s a kind of emotional Prometheus story—reaching for the light through the darkness, knowing it might burn but wanting it anyway. It’s about longing, memory, and daring to touch something transcendent at any cost.
M: From a production perspective, I wanted to see a lot of different influences collide: ambient, trance, eurodance, EDM, pop, and progressive kind of merge here to create something that feels connected to the lyrical narrative.
Tell us about the video for “Blush.”
M: It’s pretty DIY, shot on an iPhone 12 days before release. The song felt like it needed a pop video treatment, but we didn’t have a pop video budget, so we asked our friends for help, brought a hazer and strobe light to a local DJ practice spot and let it unfold. It’s Blush visualized as we imagined it.
E: We wanted to capture a moment of vulnerability reflecting the lyrics. Being more exposed on camera felt right for this track. Our close friend Taylor Tomlin directed and pulled us out of our comfort zones in the best way. All the extras are friends, which made it feel real and intimate … pureiD+
What’s the scene like in Montreal right now? Any artists you’re excited about?
M: We feel lucky to live here. It’s a small city, but there’s so much optimism and teamwork taking place to build a more sustainable music culture. TDJ and Cult Member are both really talented trance producers from here, and Montreal is also home to the SPF INFINI label. It really feels like Montreal is becoming a hub for trance music.
E: We also run a series called wWwindmill Powered and have hosted shows here with some of our favourite artists like Malibu, ESP, Himera, BABii, and Ninajirachi. We also host guest mixes from international artists who can’t make it here yet, like Lorenzi from Paris and BELOW0 from Helsinki.
ID: s/o 2guarded and lovelifeallthetime, both lowkey geniuses, both from Montreal!
What’s your favourite trance track and why?
M: Chariot “World Asleep.” This is perfect music to me—it carries so much emotion, and marks a lot of emotional memories for me. Merely is just such a key innovator in modern trance music, and she’s been doing it for a long time. If she’s on the track, I’m probably going to love it.
E: Malibu “Iliad (ESP Remix).” I imagine this song is what they play in the queue to Heaven’s Gates as you process your life and transcend into the next.
ID: Special mention to “Aura” by Team Rockit … That project changed everything for us.
