The pair discuss finding the right balance in combining two influences.

New Orleans producer Kilbourne and Brooklyn’s Kala both make up part of the DJ collective kunq which has spawned their new collaborative title Storm.

The first sounds many hear on Storm may be unexpected: aggressive drum fills, distorted guitar slides, screams. They’re elements more associated with hardcore punk and metal, sounds Kala and Kilbourne bonded over growing up listening to, chopped and arranged in the spirit of the music they make today.

“I def feel a music connection with us both growing up listening to hardcore,” Kilbourne explains over email. “It comes out in obvious ways, we just played BOOM Bushwick and were nerding about how we mix guitars, but also more broadly in our creation of heavier sounds and atmospheres.”

The release is staggered between two Kilbourne originals and two Kala remixes, solo constructions that actually help make Storm such a successful collaboration. Kilbourne’s opening ‘My Betrayal’ and ‘Stop Trying And Hit Me’ offer two sides of the same idea, with the former approaching club from the scream-filled realm of hardcore, while the latter uses a glossy Jersey club palette to build to an increasingly violent peak.

Meanwhile, Kala’s edits of Chinx’s ‘Yay’ and Zora Jones’ ‘Moonstar’ sketch moodier shades, providing atmosphere and tension to Kilbourne’s uninhibited rush. It’s that dynamic and attention to detail that makes the, at times questionable, combination at the heart of Storm work.

“Most attempts at combining dance music and punk get super cornball super fast, but I think we both find ways to acknowledge the two styles,” Kilbourne says.

Both producers have a lot on the way. Kilbourne is working with up-and-comers Besharam and MYLYPEDE while getting ready to launch the new party Tension. In addition to doing mixing, mastering and teaching Ableton, Kala will dive further into the sound of Storm with -L.O.T.O.-, an upcoming EP blending everything from death metal to Caribbean music.

Expect to hear more from the pair as they continue to play with this tricky combination, with a reassurement from Kala: “We will def stay away from making guitars cheesy in our music.”

Stream and download Storm in full below.