Holly Lester Releases Debut EP OPEN YOUR MIND Via Duality Trax

Irish producer, DJ and nightlife advocate Holly Lester has shared her debut EP, Open Your Mind, arriving as the tenth release on her own imprint, Duality Trax.

Although it's her first EP, Open Your Mind doesn't feel like the work of a new producer. Instead, it reflects two decades spent immersed in club culture, drawing together the sounds that have quietly shaped Holly's approach as both a DJ and producer. Across four tracks, early London tech house, UK garage, breakbeat and '90s progressive house are woven into a sound that's fluid rather than fixed - rooted in dance music history, but never confined by it.

Opening the record, title track 'Open Your Mind' captures that ethos in full. Built around an expansive bassline, skippy UK garage-inflected percussion and warm piano stabs, it channels the energy of open-air festival sets while retaining the intimacy and drive of a late-night club record.

Across the EP, Holly leans into the tension that's long defined both her productions and the ethos behind Duality Trax. 'Big Fill' dives into the darker end of early London tech house, all rolling subs, intricate percussion and heads-down groove, before 'Tanit' opens out into blissed-out Balearic territory, weaving shimmering synths, drifting textures and subtle UK garage flourishes into something warm, transportive and quietly euphoric. Closing the record, Berlin-via-Australia producer DJ Life reframes the title track as a hypnotic, slow-burning after-hours excursion, stretching its emotional core into deeper, more meditative territory.

Speaking on the release, Holly says: 'For me, this release feels like the result of over a decade of production and two decades of being immersed in club culture as a DJ. I feel like I'm finally in a place where I have a clearer sense of my sound, while still being shaped by the influences I first connected with as a teenager. There's a running theme of duality across the tracks, which has always been a big part of my work and is the reason the label is called Duality Trax. I've always been interested in the contrast between light and dark, uplifting and more heads-down moments, and how those tensions sit together in music. Compared to my previous remixes, this release feels more upfront in its energy. I had summer and open-air spaces in mind while making it, and after road testing the tracks over the last year it's been great to see how they've developed. Releasing it as the tenth release on my own label, alongside marking twenty years of DJing, feels like a meaningful milestone.'

To celebrate the release of Open Your Mind and Holly's debut EP, Duality Trax will also host a special release party in Belfast on 11 September, with Holly joined by Berlin-based DJ/producer DJ Life for his Irish debut at Music Room Belfast, the city's first high-fidelity listening room. The event will mark the release of the EP and DJ Life's remix of 'Open Your Mind', with copies of the record available to purchase on the night. The event is free and non-ticketed, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP via Resident Advisor: Open Your Mind Launch Party w/ Holly Lester + DJ Life at Music Room, Belfast.

Originally from rural County Armagh and now based in Belfast, Holly has spent nearly two decades quietly becoming one of Ireland's most respected underground selectors. Alongside running Duality Trax, she co-founded nightlife campaign Free The Night, advocating for Northern Ireland's creative communities while continuing to develop a production style shaped by years of digging across house, progressive, UK garage, techno and beyond.

More than a debut, Open Your Mind is the product of two decades spent immersed in club culture. Every track draws from the breadth of Holly's musical world - going back to trance, early London tech house, UK garage, progressive house and breakbeat - yet never settles comfortably into one lane. Instead, those influences are woven into a sound that's subtle, spacious and shaped by the years spent building a tacit understanding of what works on a dancefloor.

The EP can be purchased via Bandcamp.

Tracklist

Open Your Mind

Big Fill

Tanit

Open Your Mind (DJ Life Remix)

Holly Lester Upcoming Gigs

11 Sept 2026 - EP Launch Party w/ DJ Life, Music Room, Belfast, NI

18 Sept 2026 - Plain Sailing @ Ulster Sports Club, Belfast NI

25 Sept 2026 - AVA @ Fold, London, UK

3 Oct 2026 - Saltwater Festival, Bundoran, IE

17 Oct 2026 - Hathor Nights @ Oxygenic, Whitley Bay, UK

Photo Credit: katedonaldsonphotography

Don't Miss a Music News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...