There's a certain magic in names that carry weight - and for nearly two decades, Trafik has been exactly that: a name that whispers from dusty CD wallets of iconic club mixes, that rolls off the tongues of seasoned heads with knowing grins and bleary eyes. It's a name that conjures moonlit highways and warehouse back rooms. And now, after a stretch of silence, Trafik are back, and they've come armed with a monster.
Out now on Ray of Light Records, Haunt EP is a high-voltage jolt to the senses - a dark and hypnotic transmission from the core of the electronic underground. This isn't just a teaser for a forthcoming album. It's a ghost in the speakers. A warm hum in the chest. A reminder that proper progressive house still breathes, still burns, and still begs to be played at decibel levels that make your bones rattle.
The title track Haunt does exactly what it says on the tin. It creeps in slowly, with a pulse like a heartbeat in the dark. Layers unfold with uncanny precision: lush, cinematic pads; twisted melodic fragments; a vocal hook that feels both distant and intimate. It's music for midnight moments and faces half-lit in strobes. Deep house? Melodic techno? Progressive? Labels melt away. This is just Trafik - unmistakable in its DNA, but evolved. Sharper. Stranger. Better.
But don't let the legacy fool you into thinking this is a nostalgia act. Trafik aren't here to rehash the past. They're here to rewrite it - bending their storied production chops into something that feels utterly current. Their sound has always had that rare ability to sit between genres and transcend them. With Haunt EP, they double down on that slippery, genre-fluid magic.
From their earliest records on Global Underground - where they defined a sound alongside names like Sasha, Digweed, and Nick Warren - Trafik have always had a cinematic scope. They don't just build tracks; they craft scenes. Stories. Whole worlds. And with this first single, you can feel that world-building in full swing again.
There's also a clear understanding that this is just the beginning. The Haunt EP isn't here to blow the doors off - it's here to crack them open and let the pressure build. It's the deep breath before the plunge. And if this is the first salvo from their upcoming full-length, then what's coming next is going to be absolutely unmissable.
Ray of Light Records has become a trusted name for proper underground sonics - and with this 70th release, they hit another milestone. A label with a sharp curatorial eye and a deep respect for legacy, they're showing once again that the old guard still has new tricks up their sleeves.
Trafik are back. Haunt is here. And the shadows never sounded so seductive.