Johannes Paluka considers himself a DJ first and foremost, and that is more than just a bullet point on a CV that also credits him as a prolific producer, musician, and remixer. Whether in the studio or behind the decks, the Berlin-based »interuniversal« artist most commonly known as Iron Curtis meanders along the margins of different genres, combining discrete elements while switching things up wholesale with the sort of proactive curiosity that is at the heart of DJing. His various activities follow a »what if ...?« approach: What if we blend these two tracks and let the results mutate further? What if we enrich house music with elements of genre X? What if we eschew the tried-and-tested methods and take a different path for once, if only for the fun of it?

Since his debut as a producer in 2008, Paluka has explored different genres and unexpected combinations thereof. His own productions, countless remixes, and collaborations—such as his ongoing series of full-length releases with long-term friend and musical partner Johannes Albert—have consistently strayed from and circled back to the house music sound that is so integral to his own. His 2018 sophomore solo album Upstream Color for Tamed Musiq showed just how far his exploratory drive can lead him when he leans into it: combining his sensibility for the deepest and dustiest of grooves with a penchant for sonic experimentation, the album reflected the breadth of his interests and qualities as a producer with a hazy shimmer.

Over the years, Paluka has amassed a broad discography, stylistically ranging from leftfield experiments to broken beats and, of course, dancefloor-ready house music. Besides his collaborative albums with Albert on Frank Music and a slew of releases by the now-defunct acid/electro duo Achterbahn d’Amour, his discography includes numerous EPs and LPs under the name Iron Curtis, as well as various (occasionally anonymous) aliases. He has regularly worked with labels such as Rawax and its C...