Illyus Barrientos on Reinventing Himself After Illyus & Barrientos

A decade into Illyus & Barrientos, Illyus is going solo. He talked with us about nearly quitting music, falling back in love with it, and what comes next. After being part of one of Glasgow‘s biggest house acts, Illyus & Barrientos, Illyus is going solo under the nearly identical moniker Illyus Barrientos. It all came unexpectedly when his partner, Ivan, decided to step away from the duo project. Illyus was left trying to decide whether to continue on his own. It wasn’t until he opened his own coffee shop in Glasgow that he rediscovered his passion for music. Surrounded daily by his record collection at the cafe, he began to find old songs that he’d forgotten about. He went back to exploring music again with no plan or pressure. That’s where “People’s Prty” came from, a track that quickly started getting played out by some of the DJs he respected most. From there, Illyus Barrientos has created some real movement as a solo act, releasing “Deep Down” with Aden Rémei and “Right Here” with MALU, both on Mark Knight‘s label, Toolroom Records. His most recent single, “Thinking Of You,” came out a few weeks ago, and he has a new record coming out soon on Danny Howard‘s label, Noth...