In October of 2021, ACRAZE—real name Charlie Duncker— attended EDC Las Vegas not to perform at the event but to take in the three-day spectacle. And while he may not have stepped up to the decks at the return of the largest dance music festival in North America, his impact was felt on nearly every stage.

“Do It, To It,” his grooving edit of the 2006 crunk hit of the same name by Atlanta girl group Cherish, had far exceeded vital status. You would have been hard-pressed to find a stage at which the track (or a remix) wasn’t dropped. By the time Zedd dropped the video of his infectious Squid Game edit of the tech-house banger, it was clear that ACRAZE had the song of the year.

“The recognition was amazing. That’s when Zedd put out his edit. The song was just elevating,” Duncker told Festival Insider. “I heard a lot of dudes playing it during last year’s [EDC]. I was driving [in] the golf cart and passing stages. And I would hear it and I’m like, ‘Man, this is so crazy,’”

With only two songs under his belt as a house artist, the Florida-born artist is thriving. "Do It, To It" has over 425 million streams on Spotify. He's been nominated for three 2022 EDMAwards including Dance Song of the Year, Dance Radio Artist of the Year, and Best New Artist. And he has a summer tour schedule that includes Beyond Wonderland at the Gorge, Tomorrowland, Groove Cruise, and opening for DJ Snake for 80,000 people on June 11 at Parc Des Princes soccer stadium in Paris.

This May, he returned to EDC to play on two of the festival’s largest stages, CosmicMEADOW and KineticFIELD. Festival Insider caught up with him Friday night after his storming main stage performance, where he brought out Cherish to perform with him.

It was a far cry from his trip the previous year. And while he has yet to drop a follow-up, he doesn’t seem worried about the pressure to keep the momentum going. And as we later found out, he’s got plenty of gas in the tank.

“I’m just going with the flow. Of course, when you when you get to this point, a lot of people are watching you. And it’s definitely a lot of pressure,” he candidly states about having the eyes of the industry on him.

Following up a such a strong global success is a tall order. However, he’s comfortable letting this ride out while planning his next move. He’s not looking to repeat a formula either. While many artists fall into the trap of trying to recreate the success of their first hit, Duncker recognizes its strength. Yet, he’s more concerned with just making great music.

“I don’t go into the studio trying to make another ‘Do It, To It.’ I’m just trying to make the best music, and get the most out of each record that I that I make. When I put out another record, probably during the summer, [it’ll] grow on its own. I’m not chasing another hit. if I do grab another hit—which I’m sure will happen in the future—It’ll happen organically.”

His philosophy is rooted in a breezy, effortless attitude. When he leans in to speak, it’s calm, collected, and focused with none of the bravado of his contemporaries —a refreshing counterbalance to the predominant boys club culture in dance music. He seems like he’s been doing this for years because he has.

He has always been enamored by music. He never considered it a career path until he got into DJing after high school. He decided to quit playing football and skip college to focus on music. His parents were shocked, concerned, and not at all on board with a choice that had no guaranteed future. Duncker’s path was divergent from the more traditional route his parents imagined for him. He had a different measure for success.

“I honestly had to get away from my house. I left my family for like, two or three years. That’s what I started to learn music. And then I came back, had some sort of success. And they were pretty happy for me. In the old days, money was like, the way to success. Now, you can have success besides money.”

He says his parents transformed after seeing his continued success. “My parents are completely different now. They’re so happy. They’re living through me now. Because have a different life.”

Before the pandemic, Duncker was producing bass music. He’d scored some wins and even collaborated with 4B. When the pandemic shut it down, he tried to recreate what had worked for him in the studio before, but he was being drawn in a new direction.

“I’m sitting there in my bedroom, I was trying to make bass music and it just wasn’t working,” he says. “And then I started making house. I was writing hundreds of records a month. One of my managers was like, ‘Dude, we have to just follow this flow. If it’s this natural, that means this is your calling,’”

The time to look further inward was a windfall for Duncker. He recognizes that the pandemic was a tragic and traumatic world event, yet he admits that the time to refocus presented a massive shift in his perspective.

“It felt like a blessing. I got to find out who I was as an artist. I got to be in my own element. I got to find where I was. And house music was just making me crazy. I was just so driven by it. I felt so electric.”

At times it seemed like he should’ve been doing this all along. Yet he doesn’t like to view his choices as such absolutes. His attitude of gratitude contributes to his success just as much as his talent.

“I don’t look at things as wins and losses. I look at them as lessons and blessings. It’s either a lesson you learn from it, and you move on. It’s a blessing to cherish that moment and you keep like trying to make another blessing.”

The whirlwind of success resulting from that work has led him to make some game-changing moves. He recently announced that he was signing exclusively with Capitol Records (in partnership with Thrive Music, the label that released “Do It, To It). Having the weight of these two iconic labels will only ensure that he can carry out his vision. He wants to see even more opportunities for underground dance sounds to make their way to commercial radio.

“[I’m excited] just to see new talent grow. I mean, I’m one of them. There’s a lot of new guys that are actually pushing the bar. It’s cool to see new talent rise and see music keep evolving. That’s the beauty of this. I just feel like if we keep pushing music, in the EDM world to radio to keep pushing it to become bigger like pop, it’ll be undeniable at that point.”

Hailing from sunny Los Angeles, California, Good Society embodies the feelings of warm weather, endless days, and good vibes. The record label and event promoter is renowned for their incredible line-ups, careful curation, and stacked compilations. Their latest project Good Society Volume 3 pushes the future beats sound with standout artists like oshi, capshun, Laxcity, whereisalex, DECAP, Chromonicci, and more. They're a mainstay in LA and have been expanding their shows out of state to Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Austin, for SXSW. 

With Good Society's constant growth we felt it would be the perfect time to connect with Josh Yamini, the brand's founder to get an inside look at what makes them so good. We discuss their origins, the fusion of hip-hop and electronic music, fostering relationships, creating a unique live experience, and much more. 

Starting at the beginning, Josh explains what sparked the birth of his platform saying, "I started Good Society as an expression of my love for the underground and bringing people together. My taste in music was largely influenced by SoundCloud at the time of launch and all of my experiences at Insomniac festivals made me want to put that love of music and people into action." 

One of the core facets of what makes Good Society so special is their ability to bring together the worlds of hip-hop and electronic music. Whether it's future beats, chilled-out lo-fi, or experimental hip-hop and trap, this fusion is central to Good Society's platform.

"My love for these genres initially stemmed from ripping gems off of YouTube and Adult Swim bumps. I listened to lots of Nujabes, Flying Lotus, and Erykah Badu at the time which then evolved into listing to artists like Mr. Carmack, Sam Gellaitry, and Smino. Oftentimes I’ll bring my knowledge of the beat scene together with vocalists that I’m newly discovering to create a blend of genres that’s totally unique. Other times I might just be working with the artists who’ve coined a sound in between the two and are perfectly representing the medium with us," Josh elaborates about bringing together the two sonic worlds. 

In addition to uniting unique sounds, Good Society strives to bring people together. This applies to fans, through the music and events, as well artists. Josh expands on this outlook, "Our goal is to create a space where people can express themselves and find common ground through music. Ultimately we’d like to bring that to scale and create immersive experiences that go beyond traditional club settings while incorporating the songs and artists we’re releasing on our label. We want to create an ecosystem."

The genuine love for connection is what makes the brand so good. While some platforms focus more on numbers, social media following, or ticket sales, Good Society is all about creating an intangible vibe through human connection. Whether it's friendships, business relationships, or something even deeper.

"The good in Good Society stems from all of the constructive relationships this brand has built with artists, fans, and listeners alike. Many of our work relationships extend into personal ones. We’ve seen countless people having become close friends or start dating after having met at Good Society events. One couple is even getting married!"

Relationships are the cornerstone of any great business, but authenticity is what seems to separate Good Society from your typical promoter and label. Their connections are longstanding with many artists and come out of genuine respect and appreciation for their work. The brand is an extension of its founder's life. The friendships and connections along the way aren't just to the benefit of the label but are also about enriching his personal life.

"Much of our early outreach was done through Instagram and led to us doing things like flying out chromonicci for our second show ever, when we were really just learning the ropes and how to refine our events process. I’ve done everything very personally with this brand to the point of hosting artists at my apartment for the week of our shows, such as chromonicci, capshun, zotti, J Kuch, Malik Eliah, and more. Running Good Society is just as much a means to expand on my own life as it is for that of the audience that I curate for. So these relationships I’ve formed with everyone involved are directly tied to my own happiness," Josh tells us.

While Josh is the driving force behind Good Society, he's not doing it alone. Roto and MadBliss serve as the brand's resident DJs. In addition, they have their own videographer, Gavin Banksy, and Arielle Lana LeJarde serves as their publicist and advisor (editors note: Arielle is a writer for Festival Inside but did not take part in writing this feature). Josh handles the majority of the bookings, label releases, promotion, content, and social media while collaborating with different partners on a per-project basis. 

Matching the quality of their label releases, the Good Society events series looks to raise the bar. Josh explains what makes the series special saying, "The vision behind our concerts was initially to throw them in nature. Being that we’re in a big city, it felt natural to build up the foundation of our brand with solidly curated lineups, and uniquely unforgettable nights. More recently we’ve pivoted into renegade shows, different experiences such as the boat party, and are slowly gearing up to diversify the setting of our parties to better fit our initial dream of Good Society. What makes our events special is the fluidity of it all. You might get a live band 420 show with seemingly infinite free cannabis, a massive warehouse party with Alexander Lewis, or cruise on a boat across the ocean with Josh Pan & Luca Lush. We’ve even done insane live shows at a mansion and in a tunnel on the beach. Our diversity of curation and experiences is one of our strongest points."

Good Society has a lot of exciting prospects on the horizon. They will be expanding their events series, working towards an outdoor indie festival, and releasing more thematic compilations pushing the sounds they love. Josh closes our interview fittingly with an invitation to all, "I hope you get to attend one of our shows in the future or are positively charged by the music we release! Moreover, I hope we get to meet someday. Don’t be a stranger!"

Good Society Volume 3

"I curated this project to affirm the belonging of hip-hop & electronic music in a single space. Otherwise known as future beats, this project brings together soulful and jazzy boom bap production riddled with soulful rap vocals and electronic sound design."- Josh Yamini