Soulaar & XtremeTheProducer On Finding Their Wave and Building a Community

Before there was Soulaar System, there were just two friends, a shared studio session, and a genre neither of them had started to love out loud. Soulaar and XtremeTheProducer met in Lagos in December 2020, introduced by a mutual friend. What started as a casual link-up turned into years of quietly working through R&B and Afrobeats before both of them landed, almost inevitably, on House.

That instinct has become Soulaar System: part music duo, part dance music collective, part community project. It is Soulaar’s vocals and Xtreme’s production, but it is also the events, the unreleased-music nights, the plan to pull other artists and DJs into a genre that Nigerian audiences are still warming up to. Their first event edition drew over 200 people on a free-entry run, technical hiccups and all, and confirmed what they’d already suspected: they love it here.

In this conversation, Soulaar and Xtreme talk through how they found their way to House music from opposite entry points, how they split creative labour, what went right and wrong at their first event, and what’s next.

Before Soulaar System existed, what were you guys doing individually, and how did your paths cross?

Soulaar: We’ve been friends, brothers really, for a while now. Back in 2020, I was living in Abuja and doing something else entirely, apart from music. I had a 9-to-5, but I started drifting away from it because I realised I wanted to try this music thing properly. I moved to Lagos in December 2020 for the holidays, and a friend introduced us. We connected immediately, started making music, and that’s what brought us together.

Xtreme: Before I met Soulaar, I was already making music with a bunch of other people, had been for roughly five or six years at that point. A mutual friend brought Soulaar to my place, and the first song we made together was called “Fire.” Since then, we’ve just locked in. We’ve grown together to the point where we understand what we’re going for and what we’re trying to make, and that’s ultimately what became Soulaar System, if I’m honest.

Soulaar, what would you say pulled you toward House music specifically? And you, Xtreme, from the producer angle? 

Soulaar: I’m someone who likes to try different things, different sounds, different genres. I’ve never wanted to stick to one box, and I decided I was going to reflect that in my music. I’ve also been listening to a lot of House music for the last two years, consistently getting the hang of it, and I thought, I need to find a way to create something that sounds similar to this, or even better. That’s what led me into making House music. After we made two songs, we went to an unreleased-music event and played them there. The reaction was crazy, and it felt like we were on to something. We took it from there, and that’s where Soulaar System started.

Xtreme: As a DJ, I actually started off spinning back in 2010, when House music wasn’t really a thing in Nigeria yet. It was either street music or Afrobeats. I was already into guys like Avicii, and it was strange to a lot of people at the time, so I laid off it for a while. Then I started making my own music, because I realised a lot of EDM guys make their own music and then play it, so I figured I’d learn to make it and then come back to DJing. House music has always been something I loved, but I think I found the right time to actually pursue it. There’s a gap in the industry: this Afro-House space where you can actually get a proper artist to sing on the record, because I feel like that’s one genre that really lets you sing. With Afrobeats, let’s be honest, people don’t always care whether you have a good voice or not. So subconsciously we’d been experimenting. There was a song called “Feel” we made around 2021 or 2022 that we never released, but that was our first real attempt at House. Since then, we tried a bunch of other things until last year, when we felt ready. We’ve got one out now, and a couple more rolling out over the next few months.

Soulaar: There’s also the song I did with Kevin LNDN, ‘Bounce It O’.

How would you describe your specific sound to someone who’s never heard your music before?

Soulaar: Dynamic. Before we made the Afro-House songs that are out now, we were on different waves. When Xtreme and I started making music, we started with pure R&B, then moved into Afrobeats, and now we’re deep into House. So our sound is just very dynamic, with a lot of emotion in it, especially in the singing. That’s what I’d call our style: dynamic. We can switch it up at any time.

Is there a particular song, DJ, or music era that changed how you think about music?

Xtreme: There were different eras for me, honestly, but in terms of House and electronic music, it was Avicii. Even though he’s passed, I still think he’s one of the greatest House producers. I think it was one of his last songs before he died, Forever Yours, that really turned things around for me, made me think, do I really want to do this? I can make the music, I can play the music, I might as well just do it. 

Right now, is there something going on in Nigerian music that excites you, and something else that frustrates you?

Xtreme: What excites me is that we’re diversifying. It’s no longer just Afrobeats as the umbrella for everything. You’ve got the underground scene, which is stronger than it used to be, and the House scene coming up. I think this is one of the best times in the industry, honestly, even if it’s still trying to catch up to itself. I think in the next year or two it’ll be structured enough that you won’t have to be forced into a box just so people can identify with you. You can say “I’m an R&B artist” and people will actually see you as that. 

What frustrates me is that we’re still too focused on numbers over craft. A lot of creatives are stuck thinking they need to make songs for the numbers, when really you just need to make a song you find great and put it out. I think that’s something we need to break away from.

Soulaar: Similar frustration, honestly. It’s hard to make a different kind of music and break out, because some people are so locked into the Afrobeats sound that they’re not open enough yet to accept something entirely different. We’re not quite there yet, but I hope it gets better. What excites me is the underground scene, though I’d hesitate to even call it underground anymore since the numbers aren’t small. It’s starting to get accepted into the mainstream little by little, more people are coming out with different styles, and it’s fun to watch. I can’t wait to see what happens in the industry over the next few years.

Before my next question, I’m curious as to how you both picked your stage names.

Soulaar: I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi movies, things to do with the solar system, like Interstellar and other space movies. When I started my career, I was calling myself Solar, s-o-l-a-r. But I ran into SEO and Spotify issues, so I changed it to Soulaar, s-o-u-l-a-a-r. Some people assume it comes from my government name, Sola, but that’s a coincidence, not where it actually came from. That’s true, Xtreme; I don’t even know where yours came from.

Xtreme: I’d been into electronic music as far back as 2011, 2012, and when I was DJing, school friends would always say my sound was too hard, “extreme” or whatever. It stuck; people started calling me Xtreme Sound, but that didn’t sound great, so I just kept Xtreme. When I started producing it became Xtreme the Producer. It’s something that stuck from my school days.

How about Soulaar System? What was the conversation like around naming it?

Soulaar: The idea of Soulaar System has existed for about two years now. I actually had another page before it got taken down that was called Soulaar System. I was still figuring out what I wanted it to be back then, whether it was merch, a fan base, or something else. Earlier this year, once I started making House music, it clicked: what if we created a dance music collective and called it Soulaar System? So Soulaar System isn’t just a type of event or rave, it’s a project. Beyond events, we want to collaborate with DJs and artists too, since House music hasn’t been fully embraced yet and I haven’t seen a lot of artists jumping on House songs. That’s one of the major things we’re building toward.

While working together, how do you divide the creative labour? It seems clear that one of you produces and the other sings, but how much input does each of you have on the other’s side of things?

Xtreme: It’s pretty straightforward for us. I make the beats. Sometimes we’re in the same space and bounce ideas off each other, and it works out. Other times, when Soulaar’s not around, I’ll send the beat over, and he’ll write and record himself, which cuts out a lot of back-and-forth for me since I don’t need to be there for every recording session. I’d say it’s a 50/50 thing, honestly.

Soulaar: When we’re in session together, building something from scratch, while he’s making the beat, I’ll try to add melodies with my mouth that we can build on. That’s where I contribute a bit to the production, even though I’m not the one making the beat. We just try things and see how the melody should sound, and the magic happens from there.

What is something each of you can do that the other genuinely can’t, apart from producing and singing?

Soulaar: I play guitar. I draw, I do some art, I design. I’m also good at styling.

Xtreme: Honestly, everything I do feeds back into making music. I DJ, I mix and master, which is a pretty key skill.

Soulaar: Yeah, exactly.

Have you two ever had a serious disagreement over a creative decision?

Xtreme: Not really, because the goal is always what’s best for the song, not what works for me personally versus what works for him. There have been times we’ve had to change the arrangement of a song because something didn’t feel right, or add ad-libs or automated sounds. It’s more like: once one of us isn’t comfortable with something, we figure out how to fix it together. We’ve never really had a rift over “it has to be this way.”

Soulaar: Exactly, we always try to think creatively about it.

So you find it easy operating as a duo?

Soulaar: Yeah.

Xtreme: Very easy.

For the first edition of Soulaar System (the event), what worked out the way you’d planned, and what didn’t?

Soulaar: I’ve learned that running events can be very stressful, financially, physically, and mentally. It was a great experience, one that taught me a lot. The tickets were free, and over 200 people got them, which to me was already a huge success. People genuinely turned up, DJs like Tobi Peter and Axara came through and performed. I was worried and skeptical going in, wondering if people would actually show up, but they did, and it made me want to do more Soulaar System editions. What I took away is that House still needs to be accepted by more people, but overall it was a successful first edition, and it taught me things I’ll do differently next time, like getting a better venue. The one real problem was technical issues with the DJ deck at the venue.

Xtreme: Yeah, we literally had to work around that.

Soulaar: It was the first time dealing with something like that, and I think it was obvious I was under pressure, but we figured it out quickly, and the event went on well. The videos are online already if people want to see how it went. Onto the next edition.

Happy it went well. Why did you decide that making music wasn’t enough, that you wanted to build an event around it too?

Xtreme: We talked about how, as an artist, there’s this set pattern: make songs, do promo, try to get booked for a show. Rather than waiting to get called, why not create your own shows, your own community? I think the ultimate goal of being an artist is building a community where, if you release a song today, you know at least a thousand to five thousand people will hear it that same day, and it grows from there. That was the idea: build a community for ourselves. That was the real goal, honestly.

Soulaar: And not just a community for us, but for other artists too. At the event, I brought in artists who make House music and ones who just know about it, to let everyone perform and connect and build something together. At the end of the day, whether you’re an artist, whether you have merch, whatever else you’re building, it all connects back to the brand as a whole.

If you had to describe Soulaar System’s objective in one sentence, what would it be?

Xtreme: Building a community for artists, producers and DJs too. We’re trying to build something where everyone can come together, network, make music together. From that one event alone, a bunch of people have linked up and made songs, which tells you it’s working.

Soulaar: I’d say it’s expanding the dance music community, bringing people together, the same way events like House of Assembly and others are spreading the gospel of dance music.

What’s the best part about operating as a duo instead of on your own?

Xtreme: Less burden. If you’re working alone, you have to figure everything out yourself, the beat, the writing, all of it. As a duo, we complement each other. Wherever I’m lacking, he’s there, and vice versa. It just works.

If you had to pick one song to remix into a House track, what would it be?

Xtreme: Funny you ask, I have a show coming up next weekend and I make remixes for songs before every set, that’s part of being a House DJ, you’re not just supposed to play what’s already out there. It’ll be “Royals,” by Lorde. I really want to remix that one and see how people react to it.

Soulaar: I can’t wait to hear that. When you said “Royals” I thought, how is he going to pull that off? Two things that shouldn’t go together.

Xtreme: Exactly, they shouldn’t.

Who’s an artist, dead or alive, you’d want on a B2B set with you as a DJ?

Xtreme: Honestly, Avicii stands out for me. I’d go with him.

If you had to describe your sound as a colour, what would it be?

Soulaar: Yellow.

Xtreme: Why are you reading my mind? Yellow came to mind.

Why yellow?

Soulaar: Soulaar, there’s a sun in the solar system. The sun is yellow.

Xtreme: Yellow and orange.

What’s one thing people always assume about you guys that’s wrong?

Soulaar: Some people think I’m the quiet one. 

Xtreme: Our looks kind of deceive people; our personalities are actually pretty opposite to how we come across. People expect me to be the intense one, but I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’m actually very laid back. It’s just the way I look that throws people off.

What’s next? What should we look out for from you two?

Soulaar: A project. More artists should be doing this, honestly, collaborating with dance music and doing something different with it, which is exactly what we’re about to do. We’re still recording, still picking songs, but I can’t wait for people to hear it. That’s the next thing on our agenda.

Do you have a name for it yet?

Soulaar: Not yet. I’m fully immersed in the creative process, still looking for something that fits. I’d also love to involve other artists whose style blends well with ours, rather than it just being the two of us.

When’s the next Soulaar System?

Soulaar: Right now we’re working on the venue and partnerships. Running events has taught me it’s not easy at all; shout out to WeTalkSound and everyone else doing this consistently because it’s a lot of work. No confirmed date yet, but we’re hoping to have something before December.

So, should we just look out for the announcement?

Soulaar: Yeah, for sure.