Mark Betteridge
Nativalien — the deep house alter ego of multi-instrumentalist Qais Khoury — lands with emotional precision on ‘On & On’, his newest release via Hot Soap Records, out July 18th. Blending organic textures with late-night pulse, it’s a track designed as much for inner reflection as it is for sun-drenched dancefloors.
Opening with a soaring grand piano riff, the production swells with melodic intent. Police sirens flicker like distant flashbacks while rhythmic shakers ground the groove with urban intimacy. Over this framework, Pinwheel Valley’s topline vocals glide with emotional urgency — a voice both triumphant and vulnerable, evoking echoes of Years & Years at their most anthemic.
There’s a cinematic quality at play here — a sonic collage that fuses Vancouver melancholy with Balearic warmth, translating a cross-cultural life into pure groove. It’s no surprise that the track has landed features in YourEDM, This Song Is Sick, and La Belle Musique — or that Khoury is already carving out his own lane between the worlds of Melodic House and leftfield pop.
With over 2 million streams and co-signs from BBC Radio, CLASH Magazine, and NOTION, Nativalien is no longer a secret. He’s a stylistic shapeshifter making music that moves.
