Walker & Royce

American dance duo Walker & Royce craft playful, quirky tech-house that readily ventures into other styles. Early in the 2010s they focused on productions steeped in deep house and neo-disco, yet their visibility grew once they shifted toward more technical and ambitious material, notably the 2014 track “Sister.” Their hedonistic, guest-laden debut album Self Help surfaced in 2017 and yielded multiple club successes; since then the pair has emphasized bass-heavy club bangers, enlisting Green Velvet, Diplo, Channel Tres, and VNSSA among their collaborators. James Patterson of the Knocks appeared on the 2024 single “Might Just.”

Sam Walker and Gavin Royce were already immersed in New York’s dance community when they joined forces in 2011 to create remixes. Their initial releases on Crosstown Rebels and Dither Down reflected a fondness for deep house and ’80s disco. The more eccentric, progressive “Sister” arrived via Moda Black in 2014 and earned Essential New Tune status from BBC DJ Pete Tong. They maintained that offbeat yet functional approach on subsequent singles for Pets Recordings and Relief. In 2017 they joined Dirtybird for the festival-oriented Self Help, which showcased appearances from Green Velvet, Dances with White Girls, OnCue, and additional guests. EPs arrived in 2018 with Ardalan (Escapade) and Chris Lake (Close Your Eyes). The 2019 collaboration “Word” with VNSSA preceded the Rave Grave EP on Diplo’s Higher Ground imprint, while further Dirtybird output included “Bodies Do the Talking” featuring Sue Yenn and “Enthusiasm” with Claude VonStroke. The 2022 singles “Feel the Vibe” and “No Drama” were followed in 2023 by “Diamond Therapy,” a team-up with Diplo and Channel Tres. No Big Deal, Pt. 1 brought in Reggie Watts and Glass Petals, and its 2024 sequel No Big Deal, Pt. 2 featured VNSSA on “I Don’t Remember” plus the drum’n’bass cut “Tha Tea.” The sly, sassy “Might Just” again spotlighted James Patterson of the Knocks.