Peace Control: Shaping experiences through sound

Peace Control have moved fast in a remarkably short period of time. Their remix of Fireboy DML’s ‘Peru’ last year became a turning point — widely played and picked up by &ME, which immediately expanded their visibility and opened doors that usually take much longer to reach, including an early CircoLoco Ibiza booking that brought their name into wider circulation. Since then, the duo have shaped a sound that’s flexible, melodic, and increasingly defined, releasing on labels like Higher Ground, Deep Root Tribe, Abracadabra and TSZ while touring across Europe and the US. We spoke with them to revisit that breakthrough moment, to understand how they navigate growth at this pace, and to outline what Peace Control are building as they continue developing their project.

You broke through in 2024 with the Fireboy DML ‘Peru’ remix, which dominated Beatport for months. When you look back at that moment now, what do you think made that track connect so widely across scenes?

It was a combination of things; first being that we made that song purely for fun and I think that essence can be heard in the record. I (Nick) had heard the song one day when I was out and about and I fell in love with the vocal. At the same time, we were working on trying to put out a lot of remixes to help build our name, so it felt like a perfect song to try and remix. Aside from that, there was a huge element of luck involved with us getting the song over to &ME right when Keinemusik was starting to grow rapidly. When it became a big staple in their sets, a lot of their fans discovered it and it became a classic during that point in time.

That record opened a lot of doors — including an early CircoLoco Ibiza booking. What was that first CircoLoco date like for you, and how did it shape the way people discovered your project?

Our first CircoLoco booking was a completely surreal moment. Getting that kind of co-sign from such an iconic institution in the dance world gave us a massive boost of confidence and really made us feel like things were starting to align in the way we’d hoped.
Playing a party with that level of credibility so early in our career helped shape the way people viewed our project. It validated what we were doing creatively and opened a lot of doors for us, especially in Europe. For a US-based act, breaking into that scene early on is usually really tough, and CircoLoco played a huge role in helping people discover who we are.

Keinemusik, Rampa, &ME, Black Coffee, Adam Ten, Adriatique… you’ve had support from some serious names. Do you remember the first time one of them played your music out?

The first time we realized one of them was playing our music was when we stumbled on a video of &ME playing ‘Peru’ at the CircoLoco closing party in Ibiza. We were in the studio, taking a break and scrolling through Instagram, when the clip popped up. Watching him play our track to that crowd… it made us feel something we’d never experienced before. Even through a screen, it hit us in a way that’s hard to describe — equal parts disbelief and excitement.
That feeling pushed us to fly to Miami the very next week, because we wanted to experience it live at least once. And when they opened their set with the song at iii Points, it was honestly emotional for us. Hearing it in person, surrounded by people reacting to it in real time, turned the moment into a core memory we’ll carry forever.

Before any of this happened, what was your own entry point into electronic music? What were you listening to, and at what point did producing become the focus?

For me (Nick), my entry point into electronic music came from seeing my first EDM show in 2015 — it was Skrillex and Porter Robinson. From that point I became fascinated with music and how it was made with computers. I bought a copy of Ableton right before my senior year of high school and decided to take it seriously, pouring all of my time into it.
During college, I fell in love with house music and eventually transferred to a new school to study music business and piano. After college I was looking to get back into DJing after taking some time off to focus on music school, and that’s when Ryne and I started hitting the studio together.

For me (Ryne), electronic music started with the underground scene and the growing house community in Denver. That eventually pushed me to travel through Europe after college, where I really discovered the sound I wanted to make. Artists like Flume, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Michael Bibi, and Keinemusik were huge inspirations.

You’ve released on Higher Ground, Deep Root Tribe, Abracadabra, and Arodes’ label. How does your approach change depending on the label you’re writing for — if it changes at all?

To be honest, when we’re making music, we rarely go into the studio with a specific label in mind. Our best ideas usually come from chasing whatever is inspiring us in the moment — new sounds, new feelings, or even just experimenting for fun. When we take that pressure off, the music tends to flow more naturally.
Once a track feels finished and we understand its identity, then we start thinking about where it might belong. Sometimes it aligns perfectly with a label, and sometimes it doesn’t — and that’s totally fine. For us, the priority is staying consistent in the studio, making time to create, and enjoying the process. When we focus on that, everything else usually falls into place.

You released a collaboration on TSZ with Blackchild. What can you tell us about the track and how that studio connection came together?

That track came together shortly after we got back from our first trip to Ibiza. Being on the island for the first time was a life-changing experience — everywhere we went, the music and energy just hit different. We found ourselves really drawn to that classic house energy we kept hearing, and it inspired us to get into the studio and try something in that lane.
After we sketched out the initial demo, we were already chatting with Blackchild on Instagram and WhatsApp. We all liked the idea of collaborating, so we sent over a few ideas, and the one he gravitated toward eventually became ‘Move With Somebody.’
Over the next few months, we bounced versions back and forth, refining the idea and bringing it to life. Eventually, we sent it to Mougleta, who wrote and recorded the vocals that completed the record.
From that first spark to the final release, the whole process took almost a year, but we loved every step of it. It’s a track we’re all genuinely proud of.

You’re playing everything from Space Miami to Pacha Munich, Surf Club Dubai, Framework, Riviatles, and direct support slots for Rampa, Damian, Black Coffee, Francis Mercier, Mahmut Orhan… What have you learned from being that close to these artists on tour?

One of the biggest things we’ve learned from these artists is how important it is to find what makes you unique as an artist — whether it’s your branding, your visuals, your sound, or even the way you dress. Having a unique selling factor is a huge part of what separates the biggest artists from the rest.

When you’re putting together a set, what’s the balance between what you want to play and what the room needs in that moment? Do you think your sound has changed from the early ‘Peru’ days?

When we’re putting a set together, it’s always a balance between what we personally want to play and what the room needs in that moment. We treat those two things as connected — if we read the energy right, we can still push our own sound while giving the crowd exactly what they’re craving.
As for how our sound has evolved, we feel like it’s grown rather than changed. We’ve always been drawn to a fusion of genres, and as trends shift, we try to stay fresh without losing what makes Peace Control feel like us. We still make tracks in the spirit of ‘Peru’ from time to time, but our sets today reflect how we’ve evolved as artists and what we’re producing now. It’s the same DNA — just expanded, deeper, and more confident.

Given how fast everything has been moving, what do you do to avoid getting trapped in a formula? How do you keep the studio process fresh?

It’s definitely easy as a musician to fall back on familiar habits, but growth really comes from intentionally pushing beyond what feels comfortable. One of the biggest things that keeps us evolving is consistently digging for new music. It not only shapes our live sets, but also sparks fresh ideas in the studio.
We’re constantly experimenting — trying new sounds, learning new plugins or hardware, and giving ourselves time to create without any specific goal. Those sessions where we’re just exploring often lead to the most exciting breakthroughs.
A huge part of keeping the process fresh is collaboration. Working together naturally pushes us out of our comfort zones, but we also love bringing in people outside the house and dance world — guitarists who come from rock, singers rooted in pop or rap, artists who hear things differently. Those collisions of style and energy always lead to ideas we wouldn’t have found on our own.
On the performance side, we make a point to test new tracks in our sets as often as possible. Hearing how they land in a real environment keeps us inspired and helps us avoid falling into a formula. Staying curious and pushing ourselves to evolve is really the key.

You’ve already ticked off some of the world’s big club institutions. What’s still on the list — venues, festivals, collaborations, or specific cities you haven’t touched yet?

There are still so many places we dream of playing. On the festival side, Coachella, Kappa Futur, Glastonbury, and Tomorrowland are definitely at the top of our list.
As for clubs, we’d love to bring our sound to spots like Savaya Bali, Fabric in London, Il Muretto in Italy, and of course iconic rooms in Ibiza like UNVRS, Pacha, and Hï.
We’ve been fortunate to tour extensively across Europe, but looking ahead, we’re excited to break into new markets — especially Asia and Australia. There are a lot of cities and scenes we haven’t touched yet, and exploring those is a big priority for us over the next year or two.

Looking ahead to the summer, you’ve got a packed schedule across Europe and the US. What’s one thing fans can expect from your shows that they might not know if they’ve only heard the records?

When it comes to our summer shows, fans can expect a lot of range and variety. We love pulling from all the different inspirations that have shaped our sound, and we’re never afraid to move across styles if it serves the moment.
Lately we’ve been leaning more into club-driven, high-energy tracks, but we always balance that with vocal-focused moments and melodic touches that give the set contrast.
We approach every performance like storytelling — how the tracks evolve, how they connect, how the energy rises and falls. We want the experience to feel dynamic rather than one steady level from start to finish. Our goal is for people to feel like they’ve gone on a journey with us, not just heard a playlist.

And finally: what’s the one record — yours or not — that never leaves your USBs right now?

Emanuel Satie — ‘Something on My Mind’
Madonna — ‘Like a Prayer’ (Birds of Mind, Selim Sivade Remix)