Maddy O’Neal on DJing as MADHAUS: “I was in a Full-On Love Affair with the Genre”

Maddy O’Neal swung by to talk about her house alias, from its origins to whether fans can expect any original MADHAUS music in the future. Maddy O’Neal is widely known in the electronic music world for the funky bass sound she’s honed over the past 13 years. But recently, the Denver-based producer has been leaving her mark as a DJ in the house scene with her side project, MADHAUS. The idea of playing house music first came to Maddy O’Neal right before the pandemic. She and her friend — fellow bass artist Megan Hamilton — had toyed with the idea of pursuing the genre together under the name “House Wives.” It never became a reality, but the pandemic brought Maddy O’Neal extra free time she used to experiment with mixing. She bought a deck of CDJs using a business loan and started live streaming herself playing house sets. It was then that MADHAUS was born. “I was hooked,” Maddy O’Neal said. “It helped me improve my mixing skills and I was in a full-on love affair with the genre.” Since the pandemic years, MADHAUS has grown from an in-home passion project to a name found on festival rosters and afters flyers. Maddy credits her “selection” and “appetite” for the opportunity to appear a...