Argy DJ
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Argyris Theofilis, known by his stage name Argy, is a Greek DJ and music producer from Rhodes. He is based in Ibiza.
Career
[edit]Argy was born and raised in Rhodes, Greece.[1] His early musical ambitions took him to London in 2004, where he studied Music Technology at Thames Valley University (now called West London University), having already spent most of his school years producing music. His first full release, 'Love Dose', on Steve Bug's Poker Flat[2] in 2005, was a global underground hit and launched the 19-year-old onto the electronic music scene.
Across the following decade Argy produced a range of musical styles;[3] from 90s house to minimal techno, forming connections with renowned electronic music labels including Cadenza and Cocoon. In 2011, he released his album 'Fundamentals'[4][5] on Jerome Sydenham's Ibadan label. Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, Argy toured the globe multiple times, with a prolific release schedules including EPs and singles on labels such as Defected, as well as launching his own These Days[6][7] outlet in 2009.
Parallel to his electronic music output, Argy established himself in the soundtrack domain through his enterprise The Soundtrack Company.[8] He has composed music for high-profile brands such as Carolina Herrera, Ferrari, BMW, Pomellato and BVLGARI, as well as participating in song-writing camps for creatives such as Virgil Abloh.
Afterlife & 'Tataki'
[edit]After the pandemic he released 'Ketuvim',[9] which was the catalyst behind Argy's connection with Tale Of Us' label, Afterlife (co-owned by Interscope). His first release, 'Tataki', went viral, breaking the record of any other Afterlife release on YouTube. The track established Argy's new direction in sound with its Indian mantra-esque vocal. The accompanying visuals,[10] with multiple eyes moving in different directions, fueled the viral success of 'Tataki'. Argy followed up 'Tataki' with 'Pantheon',[11] 'Aria' (with Omnya),[12][13] and 'Higher Power',[14] a collaboration with Afterlife co-owner Anyma (Matteo Milleri).
Three years after its release, 'Tataki' was used by Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk in a training video,[15] before he defeated Tyson Fury, connecting the track with his victory and becoming a national anthem in Ukraine. The success of his productions led to Argy being featured as the cover star for the August 2022 edition of Mixmag Spain,[16] alongside remix work for Tiësto[17] and Monolink.
Argy is a regular at Afterlife events worldwide, including Madrid,[18] Medellin,[19] Paris,[20] Miami, Tulum and Barcelona.[21]
New World album
[edit]In March 2024 Argy released New World.[22][23] With a strong influence from the iconic Matrix film series, the album was a collection of material that represented the direction in sound Argy established through his previous releases on Afterlife. The LP has over 120 million streams on Spotify.
Online magazine The Groove Cartel summarised;[24] "Masterful in scope yet tactile and inviting, New World unlocks primordial gateways to the mythical headspaces spiritualists, psychedelics, and questing trance explorers sought for generations. Argy New World is 2024's cosmic game-changer – and its architect an immortal mastermind."
The LP was accompanied by a series of sold-out New World shows, where Argy transformed live performances into multi-sensory experiences. These performances offered an immersive journey beyond the traditional concert experience by combining both auditory and visual elements, creating a multi-sensory show. The show travelled as far as China, Guiyang.[25] A rare appearance for the local populace.
Touring and notable appearances
[edit]Argy has appeared at many notable club venues and festivals, Exit (back-to-back with Vintage Culture[26]), Tomorrowland,[27] EDC Vegas[28] among them, as well as a standout performance at Ultra: closing the festival in a torrential downpour.[29]
In March 2024 he was invited to perform on BBC Radio 1's iconic Essential Mix,[30] following a previous mix on Pete Tong's long-running dance music show.[31] He he also appeared on leading YouTube broadcaster Cercle.[32] With Cercle he played a set to complement the stunning scenery on the observation deck at Jungfraujoch,[33] known as the Top of Europe. Surrounded by glaciers and snow, Argy's set marked the historic final solo Cercle show, closing a huge chapter for the popular broadcaster and giving the final interview on the platform,[34] which ignited a lot of traction (and controversy) online. The show had over 1 million views in its first month.
Controversy
[edit]Argy openly expressed his support for smartphones in parties in a 2024 interview with Cercle.[34] In the interview he suggested that filming is good for the economy of melodic techno, as the footage of visuals promotes the genre outside of its audience, to casual observers who experience the music for the first time through their social media stream.
Many people, and publications, have expressed their support for banning smartphones[35][36] at shows. However Argy's stance was that melodic techno needed online exposure for its actual survival, arguing that it's a relatively new and more obscure genre, competing with longer established genres such tech house, EDM or afro house. Argy is the first artist to publicly take a positive stance on this matter and the opinion sparked a big response from those on both sides of the argument.
References
[edit]- ^ "Argy - Amsterdam Dance Event profile".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Discogs entry".
- ^ "Argy's Discogs profile".
- ^ "Argy - The Making of Fundamentals". 1 February 2012.
- ^ "Argy - The making of 'Fundamentals'". 4 January 2012.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "These Days Discogs Page".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy shares his Top 5 from These Days Records". 2 June 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ https://www.thesoundtrackcompany.com
- ^ "Story of Ketuvim (via Facebook)".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy - Tataki". 8 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "ARGY: "Pantheon" Claims No.1 Spot on Beatport Overall Chart". 26 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Lambeau, Alex (22 September 2023). "Argy, Omnya's 'Aria' has finally arrived on Afterlife".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Aria on Spotify".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Eede, Christian (10 November 2023). "Tale Of Us' Anyma releases new single, 'Higher Power', with Argy: Listen".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Oleksandr Usyk trains with 'Tataki' before the biggest heavyweight boxing match in recent history".
- ^ "Mixmag Spain". 31 August 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Lay Low (Argy Remix) (Extended Mix)". 14 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Afterlife: Madrid".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Afterlife: Medellin".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Afterlife: Paris".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Afterlife: Barcelona".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Liendo, Laura (6 February 2024). "ARGY 'NEW WORLD'". Mixmag Italia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Besnos, Rebecca (18 March 2024). "Argy unveils magnum opus 'New World,' a revolutionary fusion of emotion and AI innovation with accompanying Afterlife tour".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "We listened to Argy's new album 'New World': Our Review". 15 March 2024.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy at the China Music Festival". 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Argy B2B Vintage Culture | EXIT Festival 2024 best moments". 13 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy at Tomorrowland".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "EDC Vegas 2024 lineup".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Moments before we had to evacuate Ultra but at least I will never forget this..."
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Radio 1's Essential Mix: Argy". 14 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Radio 1: Pete Tong - Argy". 13 April 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy at Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe, Switzerland". 18 April 2024.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Argy at Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe, Switzerland for Cercle". 18 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "ARGY Cercle Full Interview". 18 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sears, Meena (14 August 2024). "Ibiza's Pikes to extend dancefloor phone ban to 7 days a week".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Coney, Brian (14 June 2024). "Hï Ibiza's no phones on the dancefloor policy added to James Hype and Meduza Club Room residency".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)