Byline: Malana VanTyler
What happens when someone who’s spent years behind the velvet rope decides to step into the recording booth? After years in A&R and artist management at Universal, helping steer Grammy-winning projects like Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, Connor Treacy’s move into executive production is a reinvention that is as unorthodox as it is successful.
Released this past summer, “Contactee,” his latest EP, runs just three tracks. It is short, sweet, and entirely deliberate, showing what happens when you know exactly what you want to hear and who you want to hear it from. Maxine Ashley opens with “Give It Away,” a pop-house track that’s emotionally precise without being heavy. “Believe in Love” follows with HAWA caught between doubt and desire, her vocals stretched across lounge organ and a driving house rhythm. Sonyaé closes with “EAT,” a hip-hop track built on pure momentum and bravado.
Connor Treacy wanted this record to exist, creating reference playlists, defining BPM ranges, selecting vocalists, and setting mix standards. Every part of “Contactee” reflects a sound he’d been waiting to hear, shaped by years of watching what moves heads in a car and bodies on the dance floor, and what lingers after. It’s rare to see someone shift from curating the space to curating the sound, and Treacy’s worked closely with producer RocMan to get the feel right. That’s where the club experience comes in. OffSunset, the West Hollywood venue he co-founded, wasn’t just a hotspot. It was a testing ground. You learn fast what works when you’re watching the room respond in real time. That instinct shows up in the EP’s pacing and polish.
The rollout followed a tight calendar with playlist pitching, DJ servicing, and early club spins. It’s already picking up traction, stream counts, adds, and support from selectors who know to recognize gold when it lands on their lap.
Right now, Connor Treacy continues to build his bespoke catalog. The next phase includes talent-backed remixes and genre-crossing records that thread hip-hop, dance, and pop without forcing the blend.