The Mix 074: X & Ivy

Not many people follow a pipeline from wacky food reviewers to DJs, or have played a set in a cloud, or repeatedly invited *checks notes* the Church of Scientology to an afters. These are just some of the former lives lived by X & Ivy, the Australian-American duo who started producing and DJing together in 2016 after meeting through a mutual friend in Los Angeles, bonding over the “same taste, same drive, and same obsession with the dancefloor.”

While a former iteration of their partnership, under the alias Party Shirt, saw the duo gain attention to the tune of tens of millions of social media followers for viral shenanigans — e.g skits about trademarking the word “party” for a laugh — they’ve called this immense following a “double-edged sword”. Since forming X & Ivy, the collaborators have made it clear they want their pursuit of music to be respected, and to be taken seriously as producers and DJs. Lately, their dream has been coming to fruition.

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One catalyst to consolidation as serious artists is to have the respect of those older producers who popularised the genres you make. X & Ivy got that co-sign big time in the form of a collaboration track with garage legend Todd Edwards, resulting in a relationship of trust and mentorship between the artists. A “full circle moment” for X & Ivy, in what they deemed “a real milestone”. 

In October 2024, the anthemic ‘Keep Me’ was released, a concoction of soulful vocals and grandiose strings with a distant synth riff reminiscent of ‘Discovery’-era Daft Punk production (Edwards collaborated with the French duo many times). Regardless of whether the track got more sales than their cookbook, it cemented them as producer forces to be reckoned with.

Since then, X & Ivy have proven they don’t need to hold Todd Edwards’ hand to make a hit. Top-tier selectors such as Bradley Zero and Roza Terenzi have been supporting their debut EP ‘What is this Sound’. In the title-track, heritage house stabs sit amongst a seductive vocal sample, forming a solid contender to get any crowd grooving, day or night.

We spoke to X & Ivy about their transition from jokers to musicians, how their Italian heritage has inspired them, and what bizarre food combination they think they would be. Their accompanying mix juices these last moments of London summer.

What music did you grow up listening to? How did this end up with you getting into electronic music? 

X grew up in regional Australia listening to a mix of pub rock, disco, and early bloghouse. Think INXS, Daft Punk, Justice, Ministry of Sound compilations. Ivy was raised in Southern California on soul, classic rock, hardcore, and whatever was playing on KCRW or at backyard shows. Erykah Badu, The Mars Volta, Madlib, Prince, early Kanye.

We came into electronic music from different angles. For X it was the energy of bloghouse and the internet era. For Ivy it was through sampling and learning how house records were built. Once we started making music together, all those influences blended. That contrast became the backbone of our sound.

What are some key tracks and albums that have inspired your sound? 

For X, it’s tracks like ‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’ by Baby D, ‘Move Your Body’ by Xpansions, and Justice’s 2007 Essential Mix. That mix felt like a bible.

Ivy was deep into Madlib’s ‘Shades of Blue’, Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works’, The Prodigy and early Moodymann. We both rinsed Daft Punk’s ‘Homework’ and ‘Discovery’. That mix of emotion, groove, and grit shaped how we approach music.

We’re drawn to the rawness of '90s rave, the soul of classic house, and the tension in French electro. It’s less about nostalgia and more about channeling that spirit in a way that feels alive right now.

How do you find working as a duo? What do you each bring to the project and why does it work well for you?

It’s truly such a blessing. Working together feels like twin telepathy. We’ve gone through so many changes in our lives, creatively, personally, and geographically, and it has never involved having to convince the other. We’ve always just been on the same page without needing to say it out loud.

That kind of connection is rare. We’re closer than brothers. It genuinely feels like we’re two parts of a whole. That’s why we connected so deeply with the yin yang symbol. We balance each other in every way.

With one of you being from Australia, one of you being from the US, and both having heritage in Naples, you have explored all these different scenes around the world — how has each influenced you? 

Growing up on opposite sides of the world gave us completely different reference points. In Australia, it was backyard parties, bush doofs, and the raw energy of the local scene. In California, it was digging for records at Amoeba and discovering dance music through warehouse parties and the internet.

We both have roots in Southern Italy, and that sense of rhythm, emotion, and chaos from Naples has always stuck with us. There's a kind of poetry in the way the city moves that we try to reflect in our music.

Spending time in Berlin, London, and other cities has helped us connect the dots. We’re not trying to imitate a sound. We’re absorbing the feeling of each place and channeling it into something that feels honest to us.

You built up a big following for viral shenanigans online, but music is something you take seriously. Do you feel like you're putting distance between your previous following and those who love you for the music, or are you bringing them together?

That chapter is behind us. Party Shirt was wild and opened a lot of doors, but we never wanted to build X & Ivy on top of that. We wanted to start fresh, from the ground up, to show how serious we are about the music and the culture around it.

This project isn't a rebrand. It's a completely new world we've created, rooted in everything we love about dance music. Community, emotion, history, chaos. If people from our past life connect with it, great. But we're not chasing that. We're focused on building something real and lasting, even if it means starting from zero.

You have previously cited fellow groups Wham! and the Beastie Boys as an inspiration, wanting to combine music and skits - what does this combination look like in electronic music?

For us, Wham! and the Beastie Boys showed how a duo can be larger than life. Funny, self-aware, but still serious about the music. That balance really stuck with us.

In electronic music, it means building a world around the tracks. Skits, visuals, inside jokes, surreal characters. Bringing a bit of chaos and personality into a scene that can sometimes take itself too seriously.

We want people to come for the music but stay because they feel like they're part of something weirder and more layered. It's not about perfection. It's about energy, storytelling, and making it all feel alive.

Is there room for the intertwining of music and content with X & Ivy? Or is that something that if you could, would leave with your ‘partyshirt’ alias?

Absolutely. The goal with X & Ivy is to build something that reflects all our tastes in music, fashion, art, and culture. Content has always been part of what we do, and it still is. But this time, it's about doing it with intention.

For X & Ivy, everything needs to feel real, thoughtful, and true to our vision. We're not interested in chasing trends or algorithms. We're creating a universe where the music comes first and the content supports the world around it.

Who is someone you've played with or collaborated with who marked a major career milestone? And if you could play B2B with any DJ you haven't yet, who would it be?

A big one for us was collaborating with Todd Edwards. He’s been a hero of ours for years, and working with him felt like a full circle moment. It wasn’t just about the music. It was about trust, mentorship, and a shared love for the roots of dance culture. That was a real milestone.

As for dream B2Bs, there are a few. But let’s just say we’ve got something special lined up with a certain UK garage pioneer to close out one of our favourite festivals. We’ll leave it there.

You previously released a cookbook, if you could describe your music in one weird food combination, what would it be and why?

Dipping Skittles into Chick-fil-A sauce. It sounds wrong but hits surprisingly right. You get the full spectrum of flavours. Sweet, tangy, salty, chaotic. Kind of like our music. Unexpected, bold, and somehow it just works. And yes, we've actually tried it.

Can you tell us about your mix?

After the incredible London summer we've had, we wanted this mix to capture a feeling. Something nostalgic and euphoric to close out the season properly. It features tracks from some of our favourite artists and friends, plus a few recent releases, unreleased bits, and timeless records that never leave our bag. It’s a reflection of blissed-out, sun-soaked days and warm nights. Close your eyes, grab your favourite summer drink, and let yourself drift.

Check out X & Ivy on Bandcamp

Finn Cliff Hodges is a freelance journalist, follow him on Instagram

Tracklist:
1. André Zimmer - Eterna
2. DJ Cinéma Quartier Latin - XTC
3. Demi Riquísimo & Clint - Love State 
4. Incity - Free (Vocal)
5. Conny - Song for Eva (Brooklyn Rave Mix) 
6. Mixolydian - Let Me 
7. Spray presents Spriitzz - Sunscreen (feat. Merely) 
8. ID - ID 
9. MARMA - Penny's Worth A Passion 
10. CRYME - FUNK FETISH 
11. Mange Le Funk - I Still Want You (Liquid People Vox Mix) 
12. X & Ivy - Let The Bass Kick