In an era where algorithms make the present feel endless and musical trends constantly circle back through waves of nostalgia, Boys Noize has spent his career challenging the boundaries of electronic music. Now, German-Iraqi artist, DJ, producer, and composer Alex Ridha returns with his eighth studio album, 7LLVSION, a twelve-track release that collides the past with the future while refusing to settle into the familiar.
Out now, 7LLVSION arrives via Boysnoize Records following a landmark period of collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Ridha joined Nine Inch Nails on its Peel It Back world tour, co-produced the group’s TRON: Ares soundtrack, and helped establish the collaborative project NINE INCH NOIZE. Amid those accomplishments, he continued developing the uncompromising sound that defines his latest solo album.
The record opens with “Illusion,” introducing its title through Ridha’s signature vocoder before a booming kick-snare rhythm gives way to buzzing, detuned oscillators. Despite its 140 BPM tempo, the track avoids conventional techno structures, bringing a raw rock ’n’ roll energy back into the club. It’s a familiar territory for Boys Noize, who has consistently challenged electronic music’s established rules.
That rebellious spirit continues on “1+1+1,” featuring Dutch artist ZEP’s punk-inflected vocals over a relentless, step-sequenced bassline. Throughout 7LLVSION, Ridha draws inspiration from electronic body music pioneers DAF, incorporating what he calls “arp storms” into tracks including “Nächstenliebe,” his collaboration with Brutalismus 3000.
The album moves beyond conventional four-on-the-floor rhythms, incorporating New Wave drumming, mid-tempo D-beats, and half-time passages that erupt into full-speed intensity. On “Nächstenliebe,” German vocals from Brutalismus 3000’s frontwoman drive the track toward a chaotic, high-energy climax.
For Ridha, the album’s tracks needed to translate directly into live performance. He insisted that every song should be playable in a live set, a principle that has already been tested through the record’s intense reception onstage.
“Take Me Out” stands apart with its Mississippi blues shuffle, bringing an unexpected twist to the dancefloor. Its combination of familiar rhythms and distorted synths creates an atmosphere that feels simultaneously recognizable and completely disorienting, transforming conventional club energy into something closer to a hedonistic rock ’n’ roll gathering.
Across the album, international collaborators push the sound in unexpected directions. Brazilian avant-garde funkeiro Adame DJ contributes to the Volt Mix-inspired “Baile DF,” while post-Soviet electro-punk duo Locked Club bring a high-pressure blast of sub-bass to “Wake Me Up.”
Returning collaborators Abra and Venezuelan artist Safety Trance join forces on “I Need Luv,” an accelerated track blending dembow with industrial textures. Argentine alternative star TAICHU adds vocals to “Shut it Down,” a distorted analog production that moves between trash-can percussion, Latin Tec, and Wavecore.
On “Sh5b0mb,” the album’s experimental approach takes a more unconventional turn. Ridha incorporates the unpredictable behavior of a half-century-old synthesizer, whose heating transistors produce warped, animal-like sounds. Rather than correcting these imperfections, he embraces them as part of the composition, allowing the machine’s unpredictable character to shape the music.
The penultimate track, “Ycore,” brings the album’s genre-defying vision into particularly striking focus. Arabic vocals from Mayah Alkhateri float above a Coldwave bassline and guitar strums reminiscent of Robin Guthrie, while accelerated percussion and melancholic synthesizers create an atmosphere that feels simultaneously euphoric and apocalyptic.
The combination is deliberately unexpected, yet the result is exhilarating. Instead of chasing the fleeting dopamine hits of an increasingly optimized digital culture, Boys Noize builds toward something more physical and emotionally immediate. 7LLVSION rejects the idea that music must reflect the moment it arrives in, instead drawing from multiple eras to imagine what comes next.
That approach has defined Ridha’s career. As Boys Noize, he has collaborated with artists including A$AP Rocky, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, Arca, Virgil Abloh, Lady Gaga, and Brutalismus 3000. His remix work spans Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Miley Cyrus, Tame Impala, The Chemical Brothers, and A.G. Cook.
Beyond his solo work, Ridha co-founded Octave Minds with Chilly Gonzales and continues performing and producing with Skrillex as Dog Blood. His film-scoring credits include the German hacker film Who Am I (2014), Oliver Stone’s Snowden (2016), and the forthcoming Replacer, starring Halsey.
His recent work with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross has further expanded his reach. During 2025 and 2026, Boys Noize performed alongside the pair throughout Nine Inch Nails’ Peel It Back tour and co-produced nearly the entirety of the TRON: Ares soundtrack, including the GRAMMY Award-winning single “As Alive As You Need Me To Be.”
Their collaboration became Nine Inch Noize, which made its debut with a top-billed performance at Coachella. SF Gate called the set “one of the festival’s greatest performances of all time,” while Pitchfork praised the group’s collaborative album, declaring, “Every song on the album slaps.”
Through his independent labels Boysnoize Records and ONES and ZEROS, Ridha continues supporting underground music and emerging talent from across the Global North and Global South. His punk ethos, creative independence, and willingness to embrace musical contradictions have kept him connected to underground culture while reaching audiences across clubs, festivals, and stadiums.
With 7LLVSION, Boys Noize once again refuses to compromise or settle into a single musical identity. The album embraces everything from punk and industrial rave to trance, techno, and experimental electronics, creating a sound that looks backward and forward simultaneously.
Rather than offering another soundtrack for the endless present, 7LLVSION challenges listeners to imagine what comes after it. And if Ridha’s career is any indication, the next musical paradigm may already be taking shape.
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