UNTER STRØM Talk “Orynth,” Breathing Records, And Building A New Identity

UNTER STRØM make their debut with “Orynth,” arriving May 15 via Breathing Records, and the project brings together two artists with long histories in darker electronic and alternative spaces. Alex Gonzales is known through Matte Blvck, a project that has built a growing audience through touring and sold-out U.S. shows, and John Kunkel has released as The New Division and John Grand, with past support from Armin van Buuren on A State of Trance and a guest mix on Group Therapy Radio. Together, they move into a shared lane that draws on techno, melodic house, and industrial sonics, with a clear focus on tension, rhythm, and atmosphere. “Orynth” started with Alex sketching the opening idea before John expanded it into a complete track, adding layers, automation, and a breakdown that pushed the record into a larger shape. The single was mixed by Aaron Short, whose credits include Madison Beer, The Naked and Famous, and So Below, giving the final version a finished sense of scale without pulling away from the project’s darker foundation. For a debut release, it gives UNTER STRØM a defined entry point: club-focused, cinematic, and built from a writing process that seems to move quickly when the two are locked in. In the conversation below, Alex and John get into how the project came together, why UNTER STRØM needed its own identity, and how they divide creative roles without turning the process into a fixed system. They also talk about leaving old expectations behind, building a live setup, and the inside jokes that have already become part of their studio language. What comes through is a project that came from years of overlap, and “Orynth” now gives that shared history a proper first release. Interview With UNTER STRØM UNTER STRØM comes from years of you two working together in bands and studios. What finally made this feel like the right project name and the right format for the music you wanted to make? John I think everything happens for a reason. From what I remember, the first time we really decided we wanted to make dance music was around early 2024, and we had an early rough draft of that vision: music meant for the dancefloor without compromising on artistic integrity. We knew early on that if we were going to do something together, it would have to be different from whatever we had done before. Alex I think the two of us had been circling this space creatively for a long time without fully stepping into it together. We have always connected over dance music, atmosphere, rhythm, and cinematic energy, so once we started writing, it felt very natural almost immediately. The name UNTER STRØM felt right because the project has this sense of movement and tension to it, like being pulled by a current. We also knew early on that this could not feel like a side project or another collaboration. It needed its own identity and a clear creative frame around it. Alex, the track started with your opening sketch. What was the first element that made the idea feel worth developing? Alex Honestly, it was the rhythm and momentum of it. I had been experimenting with some of John’s workflow and how he shapes dance records, and I was blending in some of my own instincts and programming with percussion, transitions, and atmosphere. Once the groove locked in, it immediately felt bigger than a loop or demo. There was this tension and movement to it that made me feel like we were tapping into something new for the two of us. John, when you picked up the initial idea, what did you feel the track needed in order to become a complete piece? John I think for me, the track was already great, and I wanted to see how far we could stretch it. I love creating breakdowns, layering too many synths over each other, and playing with envelopes and automation. I honestly do not really remember working on the track. I was in the moment, and before I knew it, the section wrote itself. I sent it over to Alex, and I remember telling him I was afraid of what I had done, thinking it was too crazy or wild. He heard it and loved it. Since then, whenever we write something that really hits, we have this joke where we say “tengo miedo,” which means “I’m scared” in Spanish. I guess the joke really means “I have no clue how I made this, this does not feel like me,” and that seems to happen a lot whenever we write tracks together. The music, rhythms, and elements all pour out, and we are always a bit confused as to how any of it came to be. How do you divide roles in the studio when one of you starts the idea, and the other expands it? John Not really. Honestly, whenever one of us gets tired or sick of working on the track, we hand it off. It is good for one person to have full focus for an hour so the other person can rest their ears, go watch some memes, and take a break. There are also times where we are in the zone working on the same section together, recording something, humming a melody, or tinkering around on a keyboard. It is really organic, and