Chaos in the CBD: Biography, Discography and More | EDM Encyclopedia

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Introduction

Chaos in the CBD is a deep house electronic music project formed by brothers Louis and Ben Helliker-Hales. The duo originated in Auckland, New Zealand, where they founded the project in 2011. During 2012, the siblings relocated to London, establishing themselves within the UK capital’s electronic music landscape. Active from 2011 to the present day, their career spans over a decade of consistent output and evolution within the deeper end of house music.

The project’s roots in New Zealand provided a starting point distinct from the European and American scenes that dominate house music. However, the move to London in 2012 placed the Helliker-Hales brothers directly within one of the world’s longest-running hubs for electronic dance music. This geographic shift coincided with a productive period of releases, as the duo began issuing records through various labels almost immediately upon their arrival in the UK. From their first appearance in 2011 through to their scheduled 2025 album release, Chaos in the CBD has maintained a steady presence in the global house music circuit, balancing production work with ongoing DJ performances.

Genre and Style

Chaos in the CBD operates primarily within deep house, though their productions frequently draw from a broader palette of rhythmic and atmospheric influences native to the UK dance music continuum. The Helliker-Hales brothers construct tracks around steady, rolling percussion frameworks, allowing individual rhythmic elements to shift and develop gradually across extended runtimes rather than relying on abrupt transitions or dramatic breakdowns.

The deep house Sound

Their approach to arrangement favors patience and layering. Basslines anchor each composition with a low-end pulse, while hi-hats, rimshots, and shaker patterns interlock to create a sense of continuous motion. Textural elements, including filtered pads and vocal samples, sit within the mix as atmospheric accents rather than focal points. This emphasis on texture over melody gives their records a functional quality suited for extended DJ sets, where tracks serve as building blocks within a longer mix rather than standalone songs with traditional verse-chorus structures.

The duo’s catalog demonstrates a preference for hardware-driven sound design, lending their productions a tactile, analog warmth. Individual elements retain a degree of imperfection and noise, avoiding the polished precision common in software-centric production. The result is a body of work that sits comfortably within the lineage of UK house and techno, prioritizing groove consistency and subtle atmospheric development over sudden shifts in dynamics or tempo.

Key Releases

The Chaos in the CBD discography spans studio albums and extended plays issued between 2011 and 2025.

  • albums:
  • fabric Presents Chaos in the CBD
  • A Deeper Life
  • EPs:
  • The Moving Image

Discography Highlights

Albums:

In 2023, the duo released fabric Presents Chaos in the CBD, a mix album affiliated with the long-running london dj nightclub series. Their studio album A Deeper Life is scheduled for release in 2025.

EPs:

The project’s first release, The Moving Image, arrived in 2011. The year proved productive: 2012 saw the release of Dusty Sundays, the three-track Rolling 84ʼs / Slab / Trunk Music, and Never Ending. In 2013, the duo issued the Never Again EP.

Famous Tracks

Chaos in the CBD emerged in 2011 with a run of EPs that quickly established their sound within the London house music scene after their relocation from Auckland. Their debut release, The Moving Image (2011), arrived just as brothers Louis and Ben Helliker-Hales were beginning to shape their production identity, offering a concise statement of intent rooted in deep, rhythmic percussion and warm low-end frequencies.

The year proved remarkably productive. Dusty Sundays (2012) showcased a looser, more sample-driven approach, while Rolling 84ʼs / Slab / Trunk club music (2012) demonstrated their ability to stretch ideas across distinct moods within a single release. The triplet of tracks on that EP remains a useful reference point for understanding how the duo balances club functionality with home-listening texture. Closing out 2012, Never Ending continued their steady creative output, refining the percussive density and spatial mixing techniques that had become hallmarks of their work.

In 2013, the Never Again EP marked a subtle shift toward more introspective arrangements, hinting at the longer-form thinking that would later define their album projects. A decade later, fabric Presents Chaos in the CBD (2023) captured their curatorial instincts through a DJ mix format, blending their own material with selections that contextualize their influences. Their most recent announcement, A Deeper Life (2025), represents their fullest artistic statement yet, consolidating years of studio refinement into a cohesive long-form work that reflects their journey from Auckland newcomers to established London producers.

Live Performances

Chaos in the CBD have built their reputation as much through DJ sets as through studio releases. Since relocating to London in 2012, Louis and Ben Helliker-Hales have become consistent presences in the European club circuit, performing extended sets that emphasize gradual sonic development over peak-time fireworks. Their approach favors long mix transitions, allowing percussion loops and basslines to overlap and create hybrid rhythmic patterns on the dancefloor.

Notable Shows

Their 2023 contribution to the fabric Presents mix series serves as documented evidence of their connection to London’s most influential club institution. That invitation places them within a lineage of selectors trusted to represent the venue’s musical values, a significant marker for any DJ operating in the capital. The mix itself demonstrates how their live sets function: layered, patient, and attentive to the physical realities of EDM sound systems and room acoustics.

As a duo behind the decks, the Helliker-Hales brothers divide responsibilities fluidly, often working four-deck configurations that allow for simultaneous manipulation of rhythmic and melodic elements. This twin-operator approach gives their sets an improvisational quality rare in house music performances, where single-DJ sets can sometimes feel predetermined. Their New Zealand origin also means they maintain touring connections in Australasia, giving them a genuinely international schedule that spans hemispheres and seasons. These dual geographic anchors have informed a flexible approach to reading crowds across very different cultural contexts.

Why They Matter

Chaos in the CBD represent a specific model of sustainable artistic development within electronic music. Founded in 2011 and active for over a decade, the duo has avoided the rapid hype-and-decline cycle that shortens many careers in the genre. Their move from Auckland to London in 2012 positioned them at the center of house music’s global infrastructure, but their discography reveals artists who took years to refine their craft rather than rushing toward maximum exposure.

Impact on deep house

The Helliker-Hales brothers have also demonstrated that deep house can support genuine long-form album thinking. While the genre often privileges single-track and EP releases suited to DJ sets, the progression from their early EPs through to A Deeper Life (2025) shows an evolving relationship with structure and pacing. The 2023 fabric Presents compilation further illustrates their dual role as both producers and curators, artists capable of contextualizing their own music within a broader historical narrative.

Their relative geographic isolation in New Zealand before relocating likely contributed to a production style that sounds connected to London house traditions without directly imitating them. That slight remove has allowed the duo to absorb influences with a critical distance, synthesizing percussion programming, low-end weight, and atmospheric detail into something identifiable as their own. In a genre often dominated by solo producers, the sibling partnership also provides built-in creative tension and shared workload, practical advantages that help explain both their longevity and their consistent release quality across more than a decade of activity.

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