Buy / Stream Gran Amigo (https://orcd.co/granamigo)

The Sydney-to-Los Angeles duo Double Touch return to All Day I Dream with their newest offering, Gran Amigo — a four-track EP that folds classical training, live instrumentation, and electronic architecture into a single breath. Out now, the project is a study in tension and release, where piano chords shimmer against lush synths and organic percussion drives the body forward even as the melodies ask you to stay still and listen.

A Sonic Journey in Four Movements

Gran Amigo plays like a suite, unfolding over 23 minutes with measured elegance:

    •    “Come With Me” – a slow-burning opener, seven minutes of rhythmic persuasion and luminous layering.

    •    “Desire” – intricate drumwork, pulsing like a heartbeat just below the surface.

    •    “Gran Amigo” – the title track, all atmosphere and absorption, melodies expanding into panoramic view.

    •    “Amour” – a deep, meditative closer, shimmering with restraint, built for twilight hours.

The set is both intimate and expansive, sculpted with the duo’s signature clarity and control — music designed for both the dancefloor and the inner world.

Who Are Double Touch?

Formed by Van-Anh Nguyen (classical pianist, composer) and Mark Olsen (DJ, drummer, producer), Double Touch embody the global, genre-agnostic ethos of All Day I Dream. Since their 2019 debut with Adagio, they’ve become a fixture in the label’s orbit, appearing on Greatest Day (2020), Storm (2022), and contributing annually to the cult-loved Summer Sampler compilations. Live, they blur the line between set and symphony, translating studio precision into something fluid, hypnotic, and human.

The Mood

Gran Amigo is not just another EP; it’s a meditation in movement, an elegant balance of improvisation and intention. It’s the sound of sunlit afternoons drifting into dusk, of shadows lengthening on the dancefloor, of a moment stretched into forever.

An elegant addition to Double Touch’s growing catalog, Gran Amigo reminds us why All Day I Dream has become a sanctuary for those who crave emotional resonance in electronic music.

Gran Amigo feels like a meeting point between precision and pulse, intellect and instinct. How do you navigate the balance between classical formality and club-ready spontaneity?

We’ve always seen our music as a conversation between those worlds. One of us is trained in the melody, lush harmonies, orchestration and discipline; the other grew up in clubs, learning how rhythm moves people at 2 a.m. When we write, we let those instincts push against each other until they find common ground. It’s less about compromise and more about creating a third voice that neither of us could reach alone.

The EP leans heavily on layered pianos, strings, and organic percussion—textures that feel tactile even in digital spaces. What role does “touch” play in how you both approach electronic music?

Touch is everything for us. Even in an age of endless plugins, we’re drawn to the humanity in an instrument—the weight of a piano key, the resonance of a drum skin, the imperfections that come with performance. When we sculpt sound, we want the listener to feel that physicality, that sense that someone’s hands were behind the music, not just a mouse click.

You’ve lived between Sydney and Los Angeles, absorbing two very different cultural soundscapes. How do those environments feed into the Double Touch identity?

Sydney gave us the openness of space, the feeling of nature & beach into music. Los Angeles sharpened our sense of scale and ambition—its endless studios, its nightlife energy. Between the two cities, we carry both expansiveness and intensity. That duality feels central to our identity: grounded but also cinematic.

Dance music often prioritizes the body, while classical composition speaks more to the mind. With Gran Amigo, were you consciously trying to collapse that divide?

Definitely. We’re fascinated by music that doesn’t make you choose between thinking and feeling. Gran Amigo was our way of saying: you can lose yourself on a dance floor and still be moved by a harmonic progression that tugs at your memory or heart. For us, that’s the sweet spot—where intellect and instinct don’t cancel each other but amplify each other.

Your partnership brings together a classical pianist/composer and a DJ/drummer. What have you each had to unlearn in order to create a shared language?

I (Van-Anh) has to unlearn perfection and be less rigid – learning that less is more and breaking down complex melodies and harmonies. For Mark, he had to unlearn the habit of thinking only in terms of immediate impact. Meeting halfway meant embracing patience, nuance, and imperfection. We’ve built trust in each other’s instincts, and that’s become the foundation of our shared language.

Since debuting on All Day I Dream with Adagio in 2019, your sound has consistently evolved within that ethereal house universe. How do you keep refining without losing the essence of what drew people in?

For us, the essence isn’t a sound—it’s a feeling. It’s the sense of uplift, intimacy, and escape. As long as we stay true to that emotional core, the textures and techniques can evolve. We let our own growth as musicians shape the sound, but we always come back to that central promise: music that feels dreamy, uplifting and deeply human.  Our music has evolved over the years to more of a ‘Dance’ vibe as we are now playing less warm-up sets for other headline DJs, and playing later in the lineups.  We needed to add more energy into our music, so we began to write more “Club” style music.

You’ve contributed to ADID’s Summer Sampler compilations and toured with Lee Burridge. What’s the most important lesson you’ve absorbed from being part of that community?

That longevity comes from sincerity. Lee has built a family around authenticity—people making music not because it’s trendy, but because it’s true to them. Being in that orbit taught us that if you stay honest, the right audience will find you. It’s a long game, and it’s worth it.

With Gran Amigo, the title suggests intimacy and companionship. Who or what was the “great friend” guiding this project?

Our Gran Amigo track was finished when we were in Argentina for the first time earlier this year.  Our studio fuel was a wine called Gran Enemigo from Mendoza which we loved but Mark actually thought it was called Gran Amigo. We decided to name the track after our Argentinian trip as we had so many amazing memories with the food, wine, and meeting some amazing new friends.

Your live sets are known for bridging improvisation with structure. How much of Double Touch is rehearsed precision versus on-the-spot intuition?

We like to think of it as architecture and weather. The architecture is rehearsed—we build the framework, the harmonic journey, the key moments. But the weather—the storms, the sunlight, the unexpected shifts—that’s the improvisation. Every crowd, every night, gives us a different forecast, and we thrive on that interplay.

Looking forward, do you imagine Double Touch expanding further into orchestral worlds, or is the pull of the dance floor still your strongest anchor?

We have plans to do both. We are going to work on some ambient Classical re-works which will be very orchestral. Then we will continue on the dance-floor path with our House Music. We will always write a variety of musical styles as we enjoy so many different influences.