out now: Justin Strauss - Restart EP [HFN Music]

Artist:
Justin Strauss

Title:
Restart EP

Label:
HFN Music

Cat#:
HFN172

Release Date:
18th September 2026

Format:
download & streaming

Tracklist:
01.
Restart

02.
Restart
(Joe Goddard Rеmiх)

03.
Restart
(Joe Goddard Rеmiх Instrumental)

Press Info:
Justin Strauss has been part of the fabric of New York club life since 1980, when he started DJing at the Mudd Club. Over the following decades he worked through rooms like the Ritz, Area, the Tunnel and Centro Fly, building a reputation as one of the city’s most consistent presences behind the decks. In parallel he established himself as a remixer and producer with a wide reach, working with acts ranging from Depeche Mode and Tina Turner to LCD Soundsystem and Beyoncé. Before any of that, he was the frontman of Milk ‘N’ Cookies, the cult glam-pop group that signed to Island Records in the mid-seventies and found itself caught between glam and the first wave of punk.

“Restart” came together in London, at the Relax & Enjoy Studio that Joe Goddard shares with fellow Hot Chip member Al Doyle. Goddard and Strauss have a working history, having collaborated alongside Marcus Marr as Extra Credit, and the session moved quickly. Goddard had an 808 running. Strauss suggested slowing it down considerably and distorting it. They built up bass lines and synth parts between them, with Goddard adding his own synth line.

As Strauss recalls: “The current state of the world was weighing heavy on mind which in turn inspired the lyrics, which I just started writing down as the track was playing. Recorded the vocals and added some live percussion the same day and the track was done. We were both really happy how it turned out.”

The release comes in three versions. The original carries the weight of that session directly, the distorted 808 at its centre and the lyrics grounded in the moment of writing. Goddard’s remix extends the track, bringing his characteristic sense of layering and movement while staying close to the original’s mood. The instrumental version of the remix gives the production space to make its own case.

Full Track Streaming: