Contributing Writer
Australian-born, LA-based multi-platinum artist Hayden James has released his latest collaborative single ‘Make It’ with fellow Aussie Kormak out now via Future Classic.
Teaming up together for the first time, James and Kormak, each a dance music scene pioneer in their individual right, ‘Make It’ is a house anthem for celebrating life’s wins. A pitched up vocal, ‘they said we could never make it’ becomes the hook atop a driving kick drum, as euphoric build to drop moments pave the path for ‘Make It’ to become a cracking house hit.
The record arrives the night before Hayden performs from London’s Drumsheds on April 27. It also follows Hayden’s first ever Just Friends party – a Sunday afternoon sesh held on Sydney’s floating pontoon The Island, which sold out in just a few minutes and hosted DJ sets from Hayden and special guests, including Kormak, Wax Motif and Loods.
“Some of my biggest musical inspiration comes from artists who sample old funk, soul and disco records – like Daft Punk, Moby and The Chemical Brothers. This record we wrote reminds me of that vibe… a crunchy, noisey house record that locks into a groove and just delivers. I’m pumped to release this track with my long time studio friend, Kormak.” – Hayden James
“I grew up making beats in my early teens by trying to cut samples and form a structure out of them. I’ve always loved the unique aspect a sample hook can bring outside of something original. Hayden and I have been working together a lot and once the idea of a collaboration came up, the record practically wrote itself. Very happy with how it turned out!” – Kormak
‘Make It’ follows Hayden’s double A-Side release of UK funky house heater ‘Beggin’ You’ featuring international star on the rise, SAYGRACE, and late-night lounge groover, ‘Nevermind’. The two tracks followed the release of ‘Do You Want Me’ with Bob Moses and ‘We Could Be Love’ with AR/CO. Hayden celebrated the release of ‘Do You Want Me’ by hitting the road with Bob Moses for combined shows in New York and Vancouver, alongside performances at Michigan’s Electric Forest. Most recently, Hayden released ‘Different Worlds’ with American pop-house mainstay Anabel Englund, and toured with ZHU after featuring at a string of US festivals including California’s HARD Summer.
Since breaking out in 2013 with ‘Permission to Love’, Hayden James has gone on to release revered platinum certified hits ‘Numb’ feat. GRAACE, and ‘Just Friends’, securing his position at the forefront of Australia’s house music scene. The producer continued his run of hits with the ARIA-nominated debut album Between Us in 2019, and his 2022 follow up LIFTED, which boasts over half a billion streams and debuted at Coachella to a packed out Do LaB stage that same year.
Stream Hayden James and Kormak’s new single ‘Make It’ available now on all platforms.