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From NYC’s Underground to Label Boss: Layton Giordani Opens Up About New Imprint, Full-Circle Journey Back to Hometown Electronic Scene

In an exclusive interview, Giordani discusses the launch of his own record label, which debuts September 5th by virtue of a collaboration with house music icon Green Velvet. The post From NYC’s Underground to Label Boss: Layton Giordani Opens Up About New Imprint, Full-Circle Journey Back to Hometown Electronic Scene appeared first on EDM.

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From NYC’s Underground to Label Boss: Layton Giordani Opens Up About New Imprint, Full-Circle Journey Back to Hometown Electronic Scene

After years of releasing music on some of the world’s most respected labels, Layton Giordani is bringing things back to where it all began: New York.

The rising electronic music superstar’s latest and most ambitious endeavor is his own record label, MADMINDS, which he’s launched in partnership with Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music.

“If you would have asked me this five years ago, I would have said it sounds too stressful. Can’t do it,” Giordani tells EDM.com. “But things have happened so organically… maybe my success for the past year has put me to the point to do it, but I feel ready now more than ever.”

MADMINDS is a homegrown project for the EDM.com Class of 2025 star, who came up in the city’s underground scene, sneaking into Manhattan clubs like Pacha as a teenager before later cutting his teeth during a DJ residency at Brooklyn’s Output.

“I learned what it felt like to warm up a room. I learned what it feels like to close out a room. I learned what it feels like to play the peak energy of a room,” he says. “I learned all that in New York and it shaped me as an artist, completely.”

Launching the label is Giordani’s way of giving back to that scene while spotlighting other “creative crazy minds” to honor its roots. While many American DJs first build recognition at home before expanding abroad, Giordani’s career unfolded in the reverse. He became a fixture on the European circuit under Adam Beyer’s label, Drumcode, before gaining momentum stateside.

“Starting this label and having a New York label… being able to now come back to my roots and start something in my backyard is such a reward,” he says.

At its core, MADMINDS is about sparking curiosity. Look no further than the label’s logo, which features a keyhole with an eye peering through, a visual identity that Giordani says will creatively extend to each release.

“Traditionally, labels put out artworks, and that has the art and the artist, the name of the track, and the name of the label on every release,” he explains. “With this, I didn’t even want it to interfere with the art, so we’re not putting words on the artworks… We’re going to create little art pieces. And every art piece is going to spark some sort of curiosity. And that’s the theme: it’s causing curiosity, making you want to join, pulling you closer, and inviting you in.”

That philosophy, of course, extends to the music itself. While the label will focus on techno and house tracks, Giordani wants them to blur traditional genre lines rather than fit neatly into any boxes.

“The last year I’ve been making music, people have been saying, ‘Oh it’s techno’ or ‘Oh, it’s house,’ or various other genres. And I’m just like, ‘Good. I’m glad you can’t decide which genre it is.’ That means we’re making some new stuff, and none of that categorization matters.”

It’s an approach shaped by his years with Drumcode and his mentorship under Beyer. During Giordani’s time on the roster, Drumcode rose to become not only one of the the world’s best-selling electronic labels, but also an arbiter of taste in the genre’s underground.

“A lot of people fight for wanting to sound underground and credible and that’s where I started from… and I think without having that stress of worrying about underground credibility and all that stuff, you can really let the music speak more.”

Beyond the music, Giordani has big plans for MADMINDS. Branded events are already in the works with the “keyhole” concept serving as inspiration.

“When you look through a keyhole, you’re looking through it to see what is on the other side,” he explains. So I want the events to give that energy. I want people to see it and not know what it is until they go to the events. And it’s just a whole new world, in its own shape and form.”

Expect plenty of easter eggs woven into releases, visuals, artworks, and live performances: small details that reward those who look closely.

“I want to provoke curiosity and put you in a whole new world,” Giordani says. “It’s more than just being a label. It’s about trying to bring in this whole new element of art and provoking your mind, beyond just signing hits.”

The imprint’s first release, “When It Kicks” with Green Velvet, embodies the MADMINDS spirit. Out September 5th, the track has already been championed by John Summit, Mau P, and Giordani’s longtime mentor Adam Beyer. Its hypnotic hook, “When it kicks, it hits, then it goes, it’ll blow your mind,” is as open to interpretation as the music itself.

“Are we talking about a kick drum? Are we talking about something else? That curiosity is exactly what I want,” Giordani says of the track, which fans can now pre-save.