Techno Queen Nicole Moudaber Drops Hypnotic And Smoldering ‘The Volume’ EP

Nicole Moudaber is among the most established names in dance music as she has produced chart-topping hits, performed at renowned festivals around the globe, and runs MOOD Records and award-winning weekly radio show In The MOOD. Today, March 5, the techno queen takes her illustrious career to the next level with her latest EP, The Volume, which she cites as “the most important of her career.”

The two-track club EP, featuring legendary Club Space icon Alan T, is texturally varied and showcases Moudaber’s signature dark, rhythmic and smoldering sound. The title track is sonically diverse, beginning with hypnotic beats before building up to transfixing lyrics, pulsing bass lines and effervescent synths. “The Music Is Mine” offers pounding bass lines and spellbinding synths, creating a song designed for dance floor domination. Indeed, The Volume proves to be an impressive release from the MOOD Records label boss and was notably created during the beginning of the pandemic. 

“[The Volume] is [the most important of my career] because it was a very, very difficult period for us performers and artists—like the rug was pulled from under us,” Moudaber says. “From being on 12 flights a week to none was quite daunting in the beginning, and for me to be able to come up with such a result for this EP is incredible.” 

Moudaber says the EP was inspired by entertainer and performer Alan T, whom she has known since her days on the dance floor in Miami about 20 years ago. The artist says she was having difficulty finding inspiration during lockdown, but frequently speaking with Alan T added “color” to her life. As a result, the two created The Volume, with Moudaber adding it was the longest project she has ever worked on—the EP took her four months to create as opposed to the week or less she usually needs. “I was adamant to make something happen, and when I think of Alan I think of the days when I was on the dance floor, care-free [and] dancing until the lights went on,” she says. “I just felt the need to emulate that feeling again.” 

Although Moudaber says she initially found it difficult to create music at the beginning of the pandemic, noting she was “in a catatonic state when it all happened for three months,” working with Alan T reignited her inspiration. “It was scary, but then you snap out of it and you make the best of it, try to work with what you have and keep your sanity in balance,” she says. With the EP also comes a music video for “The Volume,” which was created remotely with all scenes shot by Alan T at Miami’s Club Space and Moudaber producing the video in London. 

Looking ahead, Moudaber plans to celebrate seven years of In The MOOD, which has won awards for best techno and best tech house radio show. The artist says the show is broadcast on 95 FM stations around the world, reaching over 50 countries and 15 million listeners weekly. Moudaber cites consistency and good music as her keys to success for In The MOOD. “The show is varied and it’s not boring. I play all styles of music,” she says. “I’m in no way pigeonholed in one specific style, so if the music is good it needs to be heard—whether it’s drum’n’bass, house or techno.” 

In light of the many challenges people around the world are facing due to the pandemic, Moudaber says: “We have two timelines overtaking our lives at the moment—one that projects fear and isolation, and another one that allows you to grow. I would say choose the latter. It’s all in your head and not you—you perceive it. What you make out of is [you], so choose the positive one. It helps.”