OPEN YOUR MIND EP From Holly Lester to Arrive via Duality Trax

Irish producer and DJ Holly Lester has announced her debut EP, OPEN YOUR MIND, set for release via her own label, Duality Trax. The title track arrived today as the lead single, ahead of the full EP's release on 4 September. The project marks the tenth release on Duality Trax and lands as Lester marks twenty years working as a DJ.

A landmark moment for both artist and imprint, Open Your Mind marks the tenth release on Duality Trax and arrives as Holly celebrates twenty years behind the decks. Although it's her first EP, Open Your Mind doesn't feel like a new producer's work. Instead, it reflects two decades spent immersed in club culture, drawing together the sounds that have shaped Holly's approach as both a DJ and producer.

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 that shimmer through layers of playful FX, the track unfolds with effortless momentum. Sitting somewhere between progressive house and tech house, it channels the energy of open-air festival sets while retaining the intimacy and drive of a late-night club record.

Speaking about the single, Holly says: 'I made this track with sunny festival days in mind, wanting to lean into something bigger and more expansive than my previous output. The bassline has a really wide, open-air feel to it, with the chord stabs bringing warmth and energy. It sits somewhere between tech house and progressive, whilst the percussion and bassline draw heavily from UK garage. Throughout the EP I wanted to bring together the sounds that have inspired me over the years rather than fitting neatly into one style. Finding your own sound is a long process, but I finally feel like I'm getting closer to what I want to convey.'

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.

Alongside running Duality Trax, Holly 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.

Tracklist

Open Your Mind

Big Fill

Tanit

Open Your Mind (DJ Life Remix)

Originally from County Armagh and now based in Belfast, Lester has spent nearly two decades building a reputation as one of Ireland's underground selectors, while also co-founding the nightlife campaign Free The Night to advocate for Northern Ireland's creative communities.

Photo Credit: Kate Donaldson

Need more Music Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...