Ground16 has joined the SEVEN family with Breaking Through EP, the debut release on the Berlin-based label’s newly launched a.2aum sublabel. Out June 5, 2026, the project marks the formal introduction of a.2aum as a platform centered on broken rhythm, ambient detail, and warm spatial texture.
The four-track EP spans „Eroded Mind,“ „Breaking Through Jazz,“ „Endless Fight,“ and a Pink Concrete remix of „Endless Fight.“ Across these cuts, Ground16 moves through electro, acid lines, broken drums, soft synth work, and funk-rooted percussion — drawing on house, jazz, funk, Detroit influence, and UK-leaning club pressure. The release adds a structured home within the SEVEN label system for an artist whose catalog has already reached Neo Violence and Sofa Movements, and whose live appearances have included Paloma Bar and the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Alongside the release, Ground16 spoke with Magnetic Magazine about the practical and personal realities of operating as a smaller name in electronic music. His most direct point concerned financial independence: he maintains a day job alongside his music work, a decision he credits with removing the pressure that drives burnout and comparison. Without rent depending on the music, he says, he can focus on whether he is making something he actually likes rather than something built to perform.
On the soft skills behind DJing, Ground16 pointed to relationship-building as the element that caught him most off guard — reaching out to labels, promoters, record shops, and fellow artists without coming across as pushy or transactional. He noted that smaller artists typically handle all of this themselves, social media included, and that patience is essential given how slowly much of the industry moves.
Asked about staying confident in his taste outside of trends, Ground16 was consistent: financial separation from music allows him to prioritize his own instincts over what is currently popular. He describes his output as eclectic, often carrying a dub feel underneath, and says he has accepted that it will not connect with everyone. Connecting with a few people, he said, is enough.
Ground16 was equally candid about the limits of his experience. When asked about cross-cultural awareness in DJ sets, he acknowledged that he does not play out frequently and has rarely performed abroad, and declined to construct an answer he could not back with real experience. He did note that reading a room — understanding the specific context of a given night rather than running a fixed plan — is a skill he considers fundamental and one he is still developing.
On the evolution of his taste, he described movement in two directions simultaneously: greater selectivity around production quality and mix, and a broader openness across genres including soul, funk, jazz, hip-hop, and rock. The contradiction, he suggested, is simply how taste actually develops over time.
Source: Magnetic Magazine
