berlioz

The shadowy DJ and producer berlioz combines the winding compositions of jazz with the heavy beats of house music—and in just a couple of years has accumulated millions of streams while avoiding the spotlight. Based in the UK, the artist declared on their tinkly 2022 debut single, “nyc in 1940,” a desire to sound like a fusion of Henri Matisse’s art and house’s grooves. That vision combines improvisational jazz’s wonder and smooth jazz’s slickness with movement-ready beats; songs like the glittery “joycelyn’s dance” and the upbeat, piano-led “hot house” feel like they are tailor-made for waiting rooms of the very near future yet possess a club-ready cool that helped them become an early-2020s sensation.