KASIA, Charles D, and Sarah De Warren recently joined forces for ‘PSYCHO‘, their thrilling new release on Drumcode — a darkly hypnotic blend of melodic intensity and emotional power. EDMTunes dives deep into the making of the track.
KASIA, the project first started with you. Take us through the early stages of its creation.
“I started working on ‘PSYCHO’ around eight months ago. From the very beginning, it was about exploring new ideas and sounds — pushing myself into a different energy than what I had shared before. The phrase “Let’s go psycho” had been in my head for a while. I used to say it jokingly to my friends before going out — “Let’s go psycho!” — meaning, let’s just go have fun, let go, and live fully in the moment. At some point I realized that this simple line perfectly captured the spirit I wanted the track to have.
“So for me, ‘PSYCHO’ isn’t about chaos or darkness — it’s about release. It’s about freedom on the dance floor, about losing yourself for a few minutes and feeling completely alive. I wanted to create something less serious and more physical, a track that feels like a trigger — that moment when everything around you disappears and you’re just in the music.
“The first version was more bass-driven, and I initially tested it with an AI vocal just to explore the idea. Around that time, Sara and I had been talking about doing something together, so I sent her the track. She recorded the vocal, and from the very first take I knew it was exactly what the record needed — her voice gave it that human spark that made it real.
“Not long after, I was also in touch with Charles about a possible collaboration, so I sent him my version of ‘PSYCHO’. He immediately connected with it and added his own touch — and that’s how the final version came together. It turned into this powerful dance-floor weapon that carries the exact energy I imagined when I first said, “Let’s go psycho.”
Charles, can you talk about the unique touches you gave Psycho once Kasia shared the file with you?
“When Kasia first shared the file with me, I immediately loved the vocal and how the track just exploded from the breakdown into the drop — that contrast really stood out. My main goal was to enhance that dynamic even further and give the record more of a techno edge. The original leaned a bit more toward the tech house side, which worked well, but I wanted to push it into a space that would hit harder in our sets — both mine and Adam’s — and sit naturally within the Drumcode world.
“I also wanted to give the main breakdown a true festival moment — with a stronger build-up, sirens, and room for Sarah’s vocal to really take over. When she says “I need that fix” leading into “so when it hits, I go psycho,” I wanted that to feel massive and emotional at the same time, with the energy constantly rising. Extending the arrangement and reshaping the structure around that section helped bring it firmly into the techno realm and give it that big-stage impact we were after.”
Sarah, how do you approach writing vocals for techno? Tell us about your work process generally and how it functioned with PSYCHO?
A lot of the time I write my techno hooks with no music, I just start repeating a phrase and manipulating it until I am happy with the flow. If it’s already catchy with no music to support it, once you add the beat and the bass it’s going to feel next level. I’m also big into vocal production so most of my writing is a relationship between my melodies, lyrics and my creative vocal processing. For ‘PSYCHO’, Kasia hit me up with the track idea and so I worked on top of that. The moment I cut the line before the drop: ‘I need that fix and when it hits, I go psycho” I knew it was gunna be a smash.
Talk us through the process of testing the track at clubs and festivals. How many versions did you come up with before you felt like the track was ready for release?
KASIA: “Before the final version of ‘PSYCHO’ came together, I went through quite a few stages with it. I had around three different versions of the track on my own before I even sent it out for collaboration. Each version had a slightly different focus — I was testing how it worked on different dance floors, adjusting the energy, the groove, and the dynamics until it really hit the way I wanted.
“Once Charles came on board, we created maybe two more versions together. Both of us were testing the track during our shows at clubs and festivals, seeing how different crowds reacted to it. After each weekend, we’d jump on a call and talk through the small tweaks — whether it was tightening the drop, pushing the vocal forward, or changing the structure to make the energy flow better.
“It was a real process of fine-tuning through experience — feeling how the track lived on a big system, how it connected with people — until we finally reached that point where we both knew: okay, now it’s ready.”
Charles D: “Honestly, we went through about two or three versions pretty quickly — all within a few weeks. Each version got tested over a couple of weekends at different shows to really see how it translated on big systems and how the crowd responded. From there, it was mostly minor tweaks — small adjustments to make it hit just right. Once we landed on the version that consistently worked in every setting, we knew that was the one.”
What’s been your favorite club or festival moment seeing Psycho demolish the dance floor?
KASIA: “I love playing PSYCHO — it always creates a special energy with the crowd, and that moment gives me so much joy. What’s even more rewarding is seeing DJs like Adam Beyer play it on major festival stages and watching the reaction it gets. That kind of support means a lot and makes all the work behind the track worth it.”
Charles D: There are two moments that really stand out for me. The first was at Silo in Dallas — about 3,000 people, opening for Eli Brown. That was the first big venue where I tested what would become the final version of ‘PSYCHO’, and the reaction confirmed it. I just knew right then that was the version.
A few weeks later, I played it at the legendary Stereo in Montreal. Phones aren’t allowed there, so it was one of those rare experiences you really had to be in the room for. Within that eight-hour set, it felt like everything was building toward that track — as cliché as that might sound — and when it dropped, it absolutely went off.
And to top it all off, seeing ‘PSYCHO’ getting played multiple times at Tomorrowland by Korolova, Miss Monique, Adam, and KASIA herself has been incredible. It’s amazing to see how long the track has had momentum — really owning the dance floor from early summer all the way through now.
Sarah De Warren: “Playing ‘PSYCHO’ during my 3 hour set at Club Space is something I’ll never forget. I was halfway through the set in a really good flow, and it felt like the perfect moment to drop this new ID, ‘PSYCHO’. As soon as the first drop hit, the floor went crazy. There’s no better feeling than when the crowd reflects my love for a new track.”
KASIA, Charles D & Sarah De Warren’s PSYCHO is out now on Drumcode: https://drumcode.ffm.to/dc336