The Benefits of Limiting Phone Use: My Experience at System Overload
March 17, 2026
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The bass was still humming through the snow when I caught up with Ekonovah at the bottom of the mountain. Ski boots crunched against packed ice. Goggles were pushed up onto beanies. A cluster of snowboarders who had traded poles for pints were still swaying, reluctant to let the moment end. He had just stepped off a stage carved into the edge of Snowbowl’s Hart Prairie Lodge — a setting more used to lift lines and après-ski playlists than a full-scale electronic lineup. In the sunlight, skiers drifted toward the dance floor. It all made complete sense, as if the mountain had been waiting for this day all along.
“Great set,” I told him, as another group drifted down from the slopes, still buzzing. “Was there a track you were especially excited to play up here today?” He laughed. “Everything was on the fly. I’ve never played at a ski resort before.” Something was fitting about that, the spontaneity of it all. “I played a lot of my remixes, and those had really good reactions. So that was really fun to see that. I saw people coming down from the slopes to come to the dance floor.”
That was the magic of it. Riders carving down the mountain, then peeling off toward the decks instead of the lodge. Snow gear meeting sound system. CO2 cannons blasting white plumes into the cold air.
Ekonovah has said before that Northern Arizona holds some of his favorite crowds. So I asked him what it was about this setting — this altitude, this town — that makes the energy hit differently.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said, glancing back toward the stage. “But people in Flagstaff are so down to earth. They know how to dance, and they’re down to be themselves.” He paused, then smiled at the thought of taking the stage later that night at Flagstaff’s historic Orpheum Theatre. “My favorite sets that I’ve ever played have been at the Orpheum. I’ve played there two or three times before. I’m playing there later tonight, and every time I’m like, wow — this crowd. This is why I do what I do.”
From snow-dusted decks to a packed theater floor, the transition would be swift. After the mountain set, he was set to headline Winter Laserland downtown. Two environments. Two completely different energies. One day. So how does he shift his mindset between the two?
“This set was a little more laid back and sunshine vibes,” he explained. “But tonight it’s a little harder, a little edgier, faster tempos. I’m playing some bass music tonight as well. It’ll be more multi-genre rather than a simple house vibe the whole time.”
The mountain called for something playful — bright, buoyant, easy to move to between runs — while the theater would demand something heavier, darker, more layered. Still, both would carry the same Ekonovah DNA. “They definitely have the same DNA, but they’re very different still,” he said. “Tonight, there are more different flavors in the recipe. But here on the mountain, where it’s all fun and sunshine, everyone’s having a good time skiing, I like to keep it a little more digestible. I like to keep my signature sound across the board in all of my sets. I try to approach everything with the same mindset, the same musical direction — even if I am changing genres.”
If someone were to follow him from the ski slopes to the laser-lit theater floor, what would he hope they’d notice? “I just hope people get an escape,” he said simply. “And that they feel like they can be themselves and have fun.” That word — escape — lingered. On the mountain, it looked like snowboarders trading gravity for groove. Later, it would look like a packed floor surrendering to strobe lights.
Playing twice in one day might sound like a marathon, but for him, it’s shifted from anxiety to fuel. “Now it’s an adrenaline boost,” he said. “It used to be a little anxiety-inducing. When I first played Miami Music Week, I think I played seven or eight sets in four days. So that really gave me the experience for something like this. Two in one day? That’s no big deal. But eight in four days — that takes some prep for sure.” Experience has softened the edges. It’s sharpened them, too.
When I asked what feels different at this stage of his career compared to when he first started, he paused, genuinely considering it. “That’s a really good question,” he said. “In some ways, everything feels the same. But at the same time, I know myself better. I know myself more intimately as an artist. And my focus is more honed in on what I want to do.”
Before we wrapped, I asked if there was anything new he was working on, anything the crowd should have on their radar. “I’ve got a remix coming of one of my favorite Tchami songs of all time — Adieu,” he said, smiling at the full-circle weight of it. The original, Adieu by Tchami, has long been a staple in the world of future house — a track that helped shape a generation of producers. For Ekonovah, remixing it wasn’t just another release; it was a nod to the sounds that first influenced him. Now that the remix is officially out, it feels symbolic. An artist once inspired by that record is now reimagining it in his own voice.
The ski lifts continued turning overhead as we wrapped up. Another group clipped into their bindings. The sun dipped just enough to make the snow glow. Earlier, I’d watched people ride down a mountain and choose bass over the warmth of the lodge. Later, they’d choose lasers over sleep. Two stages. One day. A remix of a classic, now out in the world.
On the mountain, Ekonovah proved something simple but powerful — no matter the setting, the goal is the same: give people an escape, and meet them there. Different settings. Same DNA. And somewhere between sunshine house and late-night bass, Ekonovah was doing exactly what he said he hopes for everyone else — finding the freedom to be himself.
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