Adam Beyer's Drumcode has a new catalog number, DCX014, and it belongs to Layton Giordani and KASIA. Their record "The Realm" is out now, and it marks Giordani's return to the label after more than a year away.
Why did it take Layton Giordani this long to get back on Drumcode?
Giordani's catalog on the label doesn't move fast, and that's part of what makes each entry count. His last Drumcode release was a February 2025 collaboration with Bart Skils. "The Realm" is the first thing he's put out on the imprint since, this time with KASIA, an artist making her own mark on the label's roster.
What's the story behind the vocal?
The title isn't a coincidence. C'hantal's own "The Realm" is a 1992 vocal record that became a fixture of the early rave era, and its acapella is exactly what Giordani and KASIA built their 2026 version around. Reusing both the vocal and the title turns the new record into less of a sample flip and more of an official update, a techno cut that openly points back at the record it's rebuilding.
"It's an honor to get approval and make an official revision for Drumcode with KASIA."
That quote from Giordani gets at something specific: clearing a vocal this recognizable isn't automatic. Getting the green light to rework it, and putting it out on the label that shaped his own sound, is the point of the record as much as anything happening in the mix.
Had anyone heard it before the release?
Yes. Giordani had already dropped "The Realm" into his Essential Mix ahead of the official release, the usual route for a DJ to test a record on a real audience before it has a catalog number attached to it.
