The tide is shifting in electronic music, and Los Angeles producer AWAY, née Dan Alm, is steering the new sound. At a time where bubblegum dance music and cookie-cutter EDM is recycled time and time again, AWAY is breaking off on his own and carving his individual artistic path. His sonic aesthetic, which is deeply rooted in experimental rock, ‘90s electronica, industrial and beyond, is powered by his raw, emotionally dark production style and dense, pile-driving sound. Today, AWAY is bringing a vital element missing in modern-day electronic culture: emotive music that conveys an artsy mood and connects with the body and soul, all while exploring the darker, more sinister side of the human psyche most artists ignore. All the gritty-meets-gorgeous aesthetic embedded in the AWAY sound makes total sense once you understand his musical upbringing. Much like that of his heroes Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Thom Yorke of Radiohead, the music of AWAY lives in the rock and electronic crossroads. And just like his idols, he refuses to remain in one lane, abandoning genre classification and limitations with no regard. As one of the foremost independent artists bubbling up from the underground, AWAY is challenging the status quo the only way he knows how: by creating on his own terms and by his own rules. And as electronic music continues to shift into new sonic territories, AWAY is already ahead of the pack. — John Ochoa