After a successful re-launch in 2023, Alinka and Shaun J. Wright’s Twirl imprint starts the new year with intention. Marked by a future-focused ethos, while always linking back to their Chicago roots, Twirl is passion-led, BS-free and driven by a distinct attitude and energy that permeates all their releases going back to the label’s inception in 2014.

Encapsulating this timeless spirit is Alinka’s latest three-track work ‘Edgewater’, named after her old neighbourhood in Chicago, where she grew up after arriving from Ukraine as a refugee in the late ‘80s.

The EP opens with ‘Lake Shore Drive’, a fleet-footed jam, mixing up silky chords with a low-slung acid line that builds to a thrilling crescendo. ‘Weather the Storm’ first appeared in Alinka’s well-received/ Beats in Space mix last November, and is a punchy slice of house, driven by deep melodic synths and personality-packed stabs. ‘Red Line’ is five minutes of pure key-laden joy and has future classic written all over it.

“The ‘Edgewater’ EP is an ode to Chicago and the music that changed my life forever. Edgewater is the neighbourhood I grew up in, and the last place I lived in Chicago. We used to ride the Red Line train and drive down Lake Shore Drive at night listening to music and soaking in the city lights. Those experiences shaped me. I want to create that timeless energy on the dancefloor that Chicago House is to me.” – Alinka

‘Edgewater’ follows an outstanding few months for Alinka, highlighted by the ‘Day Dreamer’ and ‘Sorry for Not Trending’ EPs on Twirl, and her ‘Teachers’ four-tracker on Rekids, which was a Bandcamp Best Electronic Music pick. She also enjoyed a pair of career highlights, returning to play K41 in Kyiv in September and November respectively for the crew’s birthday. The former was made RA Mix of the Day.