Adam Sellouk and OMRI.’s “Activate” feels like the kind of record that was made for the exact few minutes in a set when the room is already moving and the next track has to sharpen the whole thing without overdoing it.
There is a rolling groove underneath it, a lot of tension sitting in the synth work, and NEVVE’s vocal gives the record the part people can actually hold onto once the low end starts doing the heavier lifting.
That is the thing I kept coming back to with this one.
A track like “Activate” could have turned into a full-on pressure tool with very little personality, especially with two producers involved who already know how to make club systems react. Instead, the vocal gives it a clearer center. NEVVE does not take the record away from the club, but the voice gives the production enough shape that it feels like a song moving through a big-room structure, rather than a loop stretched for impact.
The single is out through Three Six Zero Recordings, which has been doing a good job of placing records that still feel built for DJs while carrying enough identity for streaming, radio edits, and larger festival moments. The early support list already says a lot too, with A-Trak, Max Styler, Mau P, Gorgon City, and other names getting behind it, plus plays across Coachella.
The Vocal Gives The Track Its Hook
The strongest part of “Activate” is the way NEVVE’s vocal cuts through the production without needing to dominate it. Adam Sellouk and OMRI. keep the groove tight, the synth tension keeps rising around the edges, and the low end gives everything a heavier club shape, but the vocal is what stops the record from feeling anonymous.
That matters because this kind of house record can get crowded fast.
Too much tension and the track starts losing its character. Too little vocal and it becomes another functional tool. “Activate” sits in a better place because each part has a job, and nobody sounds like they are trying to win the whole track at once.
Sellouk brings the more polished, high-pressure side of the record, which makes sense given his run through Afterlife, Experts Only, and Drumcode, along with appearances at Tomorrowland, Hï Ibiza, Brooklyn Mirage, and Ushuaïa Ibiza. OMRI. brings the groove-first side, and you can hear the instincts that have placed his music around Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, Higher Ground, and his own Collecting Dots imprint.
Festival Pressure Without Losing The Song
What I like about “Activate” is that it has the size you expect from this kind of collaboration, but it still gives you enough of a hook to remember it afterward. The track is clearly made for larger rooms and festival systems, but it does not treat scale as the only idea.
The synths keep the tension moving, the drums stay direct, and NEVVE’s vocal gives the whole record a sharper identity. That balance is probably why it has already moved through high-level DJ support so quickly. It is useful, but it also has a vocal moment that can cut through a loud set.
For Sellouk and OMRI., “Activate” feels like a smart first collaboration. It pulls from each artist’s strengths without turning the track into a compromise, and Three Six Zero gives it the right kind of home: club-focused, current, and clearly aimed at DJs who want records that can move from streaming to festival stages without losing the main idea.
Adam Sellouk
Instagram / Soundcloud / Spotify
OMRI.
Instagram / Soundcloud / Spotify
Three Six Zero Recordings
Instagram / Soundcloud / Facebook
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
