Following his hfn music debut “Restart”, Justin Strauss returns with “Obsessed”, a track that taps into the more hypnotic side of his relationship with club music. It was one of the first pieces to emerge from sessions with his friend and co-producer Andrew Raposo at La Piscina studio in Brooklyn, where Strauss began working on a long overdue solo project. “I wanted to do something with the dancefloor in mind, keeping the track minimal but powerful at the same time,” he explains. “We came up with the drum track and then I started playing around with a few of the many amazing synths at the studio.”
That process resulted in a lean, tightly focused production driven by a direct groove, understated electronics and Strauss’ own vocal. Synth details and percussion gradually shape the track while leaving space for the lyrics, which draw on a more personal interpretation of the title. “I definitely have my obsessions with records, books, magazines and clothes and mostly the people I love in my life so the lyrics came from thinking about all of that.”
The approach feels closely connected to Strauss’ background as a DJ. Across decades in New York clubs and countless productions and remixes, his work has been informed by an instinctive understanding of how records function in a room. “Obsessed” carries that perspective into his current solo work, bringing song elements and club production together in a stripped-back form.
Matias Aguayo takes over for the second track with his Wildpitch Remix. The Cómeme founder opens up the original and gives the groove a more expansive, physical character as fragments of Strauss’ vocal move through shifting percussion and electronics. For Strauss, Aguayo was a particularly welcome choice: “I am honored to have the incredible Matias Aguayo contribute the remix for this song. I am a huge fan of his work and when he sent me the remix, well, I was obsessed with it. It was perfect and complemented the original perfectly, bringing his unique style to the track.” The result gives “Obsessed” a distinct second perspective and brings Strauss and Aguayo together around their shared instinct for the dancefloor.
