Recent York-based producer and DJ Wade Harley Harris, performing under the moniker flirty800, has announced the release of a new EP titled Strip. The project marks a deliberate sonic pivot for the artist, moving away from the atmospheric darkness of his previous work toward a high-energy, club-centric sound designed specifically for the dance floor.
The announcement comes alongside the release of the project’s lead single, “Smoke,” which serves as a blueprint for the EP’s stripped-back aesthetic. Scheduled for release on May 7 via the b4 label, the project represents a transition in Harris’s creative trajectory, trading emotional complexity for raw, rhythmic instinct.
For those following the New York electronic scene, the shift is notable. Harris has built a reputation through strategic sets at influential venues and platforms, including Basement, Paragon, and the community-focused Lot Radio. These performances have allowed him to test the boundaries of his sound in real-time, transitioning from the “grungy” textures of his debut to the more utilitarian requirements of a peak-hour club set.
From ‘Slut Grunge’ to Club Minimalism
To understand the direction of Strip, one must look at the foundation laid by Harris’s debut EP, My Mind. That earlier project was characterized by a dark, brooding energy that Harris famously described as “slut grunge summer” in an interview with Interview Magazine. While My Mind leaned into the emotional and the visceral, the new material is an exercise in restraint and physical response.
In a press release accompanying the announcement, Harris explained that the shift was a conscious reaction to his previous creative state. “After making something really personal and emotional, I wanted this project to be the opposite — rapid, raw, and instinctive,” Harris said. “It’s minimal, almost primitive in a way. If there’s a message at all, it’s simple: You should be shaking your ass.”
This “primitive” approach suggests a move toward a more skeletal form of production, where the focus is shifted from melodic progression or emotional narrative to the fundamental relationship between the beat and the listener’s body. In the context of current electronic music trends, this alignment with minimalism often mirrors a return to the roots of warehouse culture, where the goal is a hypnotic, repetitive state of flow rather than a traditional song structure.
Analyzing the Lead Single ‘Smoke’
The lead single “Smoke” embodies this new philosophy. The track is defined by its apply of negative space, utilizing silence and sparse, sporadic sounds to build tension. Rather than filling every frequency, the production allows the atmosphere to breathe, creating a sonic environment that feels as though it is expanding and contracting within the room.
The result is a track that functions less like a composition and more like an environment. The buzzing textures and rhythmic gaps dictate the energy of the room, mirroring the way smoke drifts and settles—unpredictable yet pervasive.
By prioritizing “instinct” over “emotion,” Harris is positioning Strip as a tool for DJs and a soundtrack for the nightlife circuit. The track’s architecture suggests it is designed to be mixed, layered, and pushed through heavy club sound systems where the physical impact of the bass outweighs the intellectual weight of the lyrics or melody.
Project Roadmap and Tracklist
The upcoming EP consists of five tracks, each appearing to follow the lean, club-ready logic established by “Smoke.” The titles suggest a sequence designed to maintain high energy while exploring different facets of the minimal club sound.
| Track Number | Song Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | “Smoke” |
| 02 | “Up” |
| 03 | “No Case” |
| 04 | “Oohbaby” |
| 05 | “Run It Back” |
The inclusion of tracks like “Run It Back” and “Up” hints at a project that values momentum. In the world of minimal electronic music, the “run it back” mentality refers to the cyclical nature of the dance floor, where the repetition of a groove becomes the primary source of pleasure and energy.
The Impact of the b4 Label Partnership
Releasing via b4 places Harris within a specific ecosystem of contemporary electronic music. The label has turn into a conduit for artists who blend the lines between traditional DJing and experimental production, often favoring sounds that feel immediate and unpolished. For Harris, this partnership provides the ideal platform for a project that explicitly avoids the “over-produced” feel of mainstream dance music in favor of something more “raw.”
As the New York scene continues to evolve, the tension between the “dark/grungy” aesthetic and the “minimal/club” approach reflects a broader trend in the city’s nightlife. There is a growing appetite for music that doesn’t try too hard to tell a story, but instead focuses on the physical experience of the moment.
The next confirmed milestone for the project is the full release of Strip on May 7. Following the drop, industry observers will likely look toward Harris’s upcoming live schedule to see how these new, instinctive tracks translate to the booth at venues like Paragon and Basement.
Do you think minimalism is the future of the NY club scene, or do you prefer the ‘grunge’ era of flirty800? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
