It was just a few years ago that the NYC DJ-production team Sam Walker and Gavin Royce were spinning opening sets at Cielo, doing the occasional remix for the venerable Nervous label and generally living the relatively simple life. Nowadays, of course, the longtime friends are budding international dance-music kingpins, thanks to a flurry of red-hot work for heavyweight labels along the lines of Dither Down, Crosstown Rebels, OFF Recordings and Moda Black (read a review of the pair’s recent My Dream EP here); just yesterday, the pair dropped a remix of the Golden Boy’s tune “The Promise” on Eton Messy Records. And that’s not to mention the seal of approval from Pete Tong—the BBC Radio 1 tastemaker tapped the duo as Future Stars in 2013, and this past October, he recently selected their “Sister” as one of his Essential Tunes. Along the way, their sound has hugely evolved, morphing from charmingly low-key and emotive deepness into a thumping brand of house that’s considerably tougher and and a bit more twisted—kind of like what you’ll get with this mix from the men themselves. If you like what you hear—and we suspect you will—you can catch Gavin & Royce at San Francisco’s Monarch on April 25, the Lost Village Festival in Lincolnshire, U.K. on May 23rd, at London’s Ministry of Sound on the same day, and at the Gottwood Festival in Wales on June 11.

Video: Walker & Royce discuss their XLR8R podcast

01 Joshua “Let The Spirit” (Prescription)

02 Carl Craig, Green Velvet “Rosalie” (Relief Records)

03 DJ Deeon “Truthstrumental” (Dance Mania)

04 Gemini “On This Planet” (Walker & Royce Edit) (white label)

05 Trevor Rockcliffe “The Bells” (Steve Mulder Remix) (Mentor Records)

06 Walker & Royce – My Dream— (Moda Black)

07 Green Velvet “Shake & Pop” (Relief Records)

08 Chambray “Rub” (DJ Haus Remix) (Ultramajic)

09 Till Von Sein “Sundowna” (Dyed Soundorom & Shonky Remix (Supplement Facts)

10 In Flagranti “Genital Blue Room” (Codek)

11 A Jackin Phreak “Take a Love Break” (Mental Groove)

12 The Glimmers “I’d Much Rather Go (Out With The Boys)” (Diskomo)

13 Marc Houle “Clock Width” (Harvard Bass Remix) (M_nus)

14 Groove Armada “Get Down (Walker & Royce Meltdown Remix)” (Moda Black)

15 Justin Jay “You Give Me Butterflies” (Pets Recordings)

16 Nick Höppner “No Stealing”(Osgut Ton)

Podcast 383: Walker & Royce by Xlr8r on Mixcloud

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