Desert Hearts & Smalltown DJs Release New Single "The Cure"

Fresh from their intimate Microfest gathering in Northern California, Desert Hearts founders Mikey Lion and Marbs team up with Canadian duo Smalltown DJs for “The Cure,” featuring Mr. V, out today via Desert Hearts Records.

The collaboration connects artists whose work extends beyond making records to building the spaces where people discover them. For Desert Hearts, that connection has grown from its earliest renegade gatherings into a label, touring collective, and international community. Smalltown DJs bring a parallel history rooted in Calgary’s club scene and Canada’s outdoor festival circuit, with Mr. V joining the collaboration on vocals.

Calgary’s Pete Emes and Mike Grimes, known together as Smalltown DJs, have spent more than two decades developing a bass-heavy approach to house music informed by their hometown’s Hifi Club, which they co-founded, and festivals including Shambhala and Bass Coast. Their catalogue spans labels such as Fool’s Gold, Dirtybird, and Night Bass, while their DJ sets have taken them from Canadian festival dancefloors to London’s fabric.

“The Cure” follows Desert Hearts’ August collaboration with SHADED, “Time To Roll,” continuing a run of releases that includes their debut California EP, “HTL,” the Life on Planets collaboration “This Is The Place,” and “A Place For Us.” Together, these records have established Desert Hearts as a unified artist project, giving Mikey Lion and Marbs another outlet for the musical relationship developed through years of playing and producing together.

Earlier this month, that wider community reunited for Microfest, held October 1–5 at the 132-acre Deloro Valley retreat in Northern California. The gathering brought Desert Hearts back to the close-knit setting of its earliest parties, with a lineup including DJ Minx, Stacey Pullen, Danny Daze, Doc Martin, Justin Martin, and DJ Holographic alongside the Desert Hearts crew.

“The Cure” continues a season connecting Desert Hearts’ recorded output with the gatherings at the heart of its identity.

Desert Hearts Upcoming Tour Dates

• October 24 — Club Vinyl — Denver, CO
• October 30 — Walter Wherehouse — Phoenix, AZ
• October 31 — Music Yard — Charlotte, NC
• November 7 — DWH Warehouse — Atlanta, GA
• November 14 — Academy — Los Angeles, CA
• December 18 — Community Lounge — Costa Mesa, CA
• December 19 — Spin Nightclub — San Diego, CA