We spoke to Berliner Iron Curtis ahead of the release of his LP ‘Dial Me In’ and took a look at what the Hudd Traxx release has in store for us.
Hudd Traxx marks a milestone moment with its first-ever full-length album, and it couldn’t have come from anyone more fitting than long-time affiliate Iron Curtis. The Berlin-based producer, real name Johannes Paluka, has been intertwined with the label’s sound since its early years, contributing more tracks and EPs than any other artist in its history. With Dial Me In, he delivers a ten-track journey that reaffirms both his versatility and his deeply personal connection to the house music underground.
It’s been almost seven years since Curtis’s last solo LP, Upstream Colour on Ripperton’s Tamed Musiq, a record praised by DJ Mag for its lush, beatless vignettes and genre-blurring approach. Dial Me In arrives as its spiritual successor, a warmer, more groove-focused record that still carries the same emotional depth and sonic precision that have defined his work for over a decade.
Iron Curtis photo by Mareike Gleisbau
The album opens with the hazy ‘Speak to Me Baby’, setting an introspective tone before the Berlin-tinged 1Up locks into a subtle, synth-driven pulse. From there, Curtis guides the listener through shifting moods: Roxy and the title track blend rich chords with classic deep house warmth, while Troubles leans into hypnotic, low-slung territory, pairing a fluid bassline with rolling percussion. Tensione changes pace with a bass-heavy, breakbeat edge before Bodycode restores the house balance with pure M1 sounding, synth grove.
The final stretch shows Iron Curtis at his most expressive. Dance Inc. floats effortlessly on gentle pads and melodic layers, Signal Signal offers dusty, late-night drive, and closing track Slipstream ties the journey together in a haze of melodic nostalgia.
As Juno noted, Curtis moves between “intergalactic ambience” and “ultra-deep dancefloor bliss” with ease. Every sound feels intentional, built with patience, clarity, and a love for subtle detail. It’s a record that invites deep listening but never forgets the club.
We sat down recently with Iron Curtis and chewed the fat around the release and his past, present and future; here is what went down:
1. You’ve had a close relationship with Hudd Traxx for years. What made now the right time to create a full album together?
It was Eddie’s idea. After I sent him a folder with new music, I waited excitedly and, as always, almost panicking for feedback. Then came one of his famous voice notes, full of “mate” and “nice one,” where he said he really liked the new tracks. I assumed we’d do another EP or maybe a series of them as we did in the past. But shortly after, he called me and said, “Ah, whatever, let’s do an album.” And, well, I couldn’t really say no to that.
2. Dial Me In feels like an important step for both you and the label. Did that sense of occasion shape the way you approached the record?
It was definitely a big step for both of us. Since many of the tracks were already finished, the biggest challenge for me was coming to terms with the idea of releasing a classic house album. I actually thought my third solo album – wherever it would come out – would be more in line with my second (Upstream Colour): that haunting, super-melancholic, multilayered approach with house references but without fully committing to the dancefloor.
But since Eddie’s offer was so generous, and I really stood behind the tracks I’d sent him, I was able to let go of those irrational concerns and arrange the music in a way that made sense to me as an album.
3. The album moves between club-focused tracks and more reflective moments. How did you decide on that balance when putting it all together?
I think Dial Me In definitely has fewer reflective moments than my earlier albums, since the focus this time was different. But it was important to me that beatless tracks like “Speak To Me, Baby” or “1Up” and “SignalSignal,” which show my melancholic side, were included. I consciously avoided a more experimental approach this time, simply because it was an album for Eddie and Hudd Traxx.
In another context, my third album would have sounded different. This one is house, how I love it.
4. The title Dial Me In suggests connection or communication. What inspired the name and the concept behind the project?
I keep a list of words and phrases, which often turn out to become track titles. I even use this list when I’m lacking ideas in the studio or get stuck: I browse through it and start a new track, just by imagining what it would sound like with this or that title. Honestly, I can’t remember how Dial Me In made it onto that list, but it definitely resonated with me in the context of the album. Maybe in the sense of: I haven’t forgotten my house roots, don’t forget about me, dial me back in.
5. Your productions often sound warm and human, full of small details that give them life. What does your current studio setup look like, and how do you create that texture in your music?
Thank you! That’s exactly what I want: to make quantised machine music sound human where possible and necessary, to be multilayered without being overwhelming, and to follow my love of detail without losing focus.
My process is both complex and straightforward. I’m lucky to have a great studio setup with lots of hardware, all of which I more or less used for the album. For example, the DX7 MKII or its little sister, the DX200. On the other hand, my most important instrument is probably my computer – with a mouse or trackpad. Many sketches that later become finished tracks happen between two emails or while testing software or hardware issues in my day job.
Sampling also plays a significant role: Whether it’s “sampling myself” through iterative, repeated recordings and chopping up my own synth takes, or using snippets from podcasts, YouTube rips, or old recordings from my father’s vinyl collection. I layer and layer, and in the end, I always have to go through the painful but cleansing “fare-well-phase” that is deleting material and tracks in a project. And when I’m lucky, the essence of the track remains, like on “Slipstream.”
6. Tracks such as “Speak to Me, Baby” and “Slipstream” have that classic deep house feel but still sound fresh. How do you keep your sound evolving without losing its roots?
In the past, I used to worry much about whether a track sounded too much like a “classic” Iron Curtis tune or leaned too heavily on the typical deep-house formula. And so I tried to erase anything too obvious and make tracks sound different, almost compulsively.
With Dial Me In, I just let go, because in the end, I make music for myself and not for anyone else. I want to have a good time in the studio and enjoy listening to a track on my headphones on the way to work.
At the same time, I have ambition and want to try new things, avoiding getting stuck both in the studio and as a DJ who digs for new music. Otherwise, I’d get bored.
7. You’ve worked under several names including Moon and Achterbahn D’Amour. How do these projects influence what you do as Iron Curtis?
Dial Me In is my 8th album, counting all projects and solo efforts, so I’ve come a long way and was able to experiment. Also, I’ve always been fascinated by artists who create under different names, often more or less anonymously – whether in music, literature, or visual art. Hiding behind an alias felt liberating to me. I’m pretty shy and often struggle with myself. My artistic alter egos can be different, I can imagine how they should be and what musical sides they can explore. But it’s both a curse and a blessing: In the past, I also lost myself between projects, got stuck, and, career-wise, it might not have been the smartest idea to spread my music and not focus on my “main” outlet, Iron Curtis. But again: It’s been fun, and I love all the various music and projects I did in the past.
8. You’ve said before that DJing plays a big part in how you approach production. How much do your experiences in the booth guide what happens in the studio?
I’ve learned what “works” on the dancefloor and how to please DJs and dancers alike. As Robert from Rawax recently said: Dance music isn’t rocket science. And he didn’t mean that in a condescending way, but quite sincerely and with lots of love for all the artists he collaborates with. In the end, it all comes down to mindset, and letting go makes so many things easier when working in the studio.
Besides learning how to make music for the dancefloor, DJing has also taught me that it’s possible to blend things that might not seem to fit in the first place. I was devastated when I heard about JD Twitch’s illness and his recent passing as Optimo, Giles Peterson, local DJs from my hometown, Nuremberg, and radio hosts like Thomas Meinecke and Dirk Rumpf taught me early on that it’s more about the feeling than the BPM or genre labels. I carry that approach into producing as well.
9. There’s often a playful side to your music, with unexpected vocal cuts or rhythmic shifts. Are those moments planned out or do they appear naturally when you’re experimenting?
I wish they were planned, just so that I’d know how to recreate it every time I work on something new! Of course, over the years, I’ve developed workflows that help me make my music sound a certain way.
But it’s a mix of chance, source material, and technique: sample X with method Y might sound like Z, but depending on my mood – A or B – it won’t always turn out as Z in the end. Ultimately, it’s about what feels right. And since I often get bored quickly while producing or can’t make up my mind, that’s probably where the layers and playfulness come from.
10. From your early releases to Upstream Colour and now Dial Me In, how do you think your sound has grown or changed over the years?
Everything changes, including how I perceive music – my own and what I play or listen to. I learn new tricks and develop my skills, and equipment and software evolve. What remains is that feeling inside me. The writer Benedict Wells coined the word “Euphocholia” to describe the moment when melancholy and euphoria shake hands, which I really like. No matter what kind of music I make, that feeling has and will be part of it.
11. What kind of feeling do you want DJs and dancers to take from this record when it reaches the floor?
I just hope people have a great time on the dancefloor, and that DJs enjoy playing the tracks.
12. You’ve seen electronic music go through a lot of changes. How do you view the current state of deep house and the wider scene in 2025?
The older I get, the more trends I’ve seen come and go: Shortly after I started DJing in clubs, playing an eclectic blend of broken beats, Detroit-infused techno, deep house and disco, the minimal techno wave really hit. And then it was Fidget House, French Touch 2.0, deep house 3.0, tech- and liquid house, and so on. Recently, I noticed a comeback of dub-techno and -house, which I really like! Let’s see what’s next. But House music is a constant; it’s the foundation and will never go away.
13. If you could “dial in” to one defining moment from your musical path, past or future, which one would it be and why?
An excellent question, but damn hard to answer: Listening to records with my dad, my first computer and the first version of Propellerhead Reason my friend Ioakim got me, hearing Moodymann’s Forevernevermore on the radio for the first time…
But honestly, one of the most defining moments for me was handing over my first mixtape to a group of promoters in Nuremberg. When I was 17 or 18, my girlfriend at the time had a friend, and we once listened to one of my tapes in her car. Her comment was something like, “Well, this won’t get you far in your DJ career — the real DJs in town wouldn’t like this.”
That really upset me and brought me down. But it also made me think: I’ll show you. That led to another mixtape, which I handed to the local crew of Lead With The Bass, who organised legendary house/broken beats/downbeat parties at the time.
They apparently liked it, and soon after, I got my first gig at one of their events (as support for Kristian and Frank from Âme in 2002) and even became a resident there.
Everything came together: I was frustrated, then motivated, I put all I had into creating something meaningful, I took a risk and overcame my biggest fears, and someone believed in me and gave me a chance.
For both Hudd Traxx and Iron Curtis, Dial Me In stands as a landmark release, soulful, diverse, and built for both the dancefloor and beyond. Pre order now here.
