MALIK BEY Celebrates the Black Roots of House Music on Debut EP “SCOOBIE”

New Jersey-born, San Francisco-based DJ and producer MALIK BEY is paying homage to the cultural foundations of house music with his debut EP, SCOOBIE. Blending old-school soul, gospel, Jersey Club, and Detroit techno, the five-track project celebrates the Black musical traditions that shaped dance music while introducing MALIK BEY's own forward-thinking approach to club production.

More than an introduction to his sound, SCOOBIE is an incredibly personal release. Named in honor of his mother, the EP draws inspiration from the music she introduced him to growing up, transforming childhood influences into a celebration of family, identity, and musical heritage.

Opening with “BEGINNING!,” the project establishes a sense of arrival before moving into “BOSS!,” “ONE NIGHT! (INTERLUDE),” “IT'S TIME!,” and “FIRED UP!” Throughout SCOOBIE, MALIK BEY brings together the soulful foundations of traditional house with the rhythmic intensity associated with Jersey Club and Detroit techno. It's a combination that reflects both his East Coast upbringing and his evolution as an artist within San Francisco's electronic music landscape.

What makes the project particularly meaningful is its emphasis on remembering where dance music comes from. Long before house became a global phenomenon, Black communities were building the sounds, spaces, and cultural movements that would influence generations of electronic artists.

For MALIK BEY, preserving that history is just as important as pushing the genre forward.

“I've always found that the greatest music not only moves us physically but also moves us spiritually,” he shares.

With SCOOBIE, MALIK BEY delivers a debut rooted in gratitude, cultural pride, and creative ambition. It's a reminder that the best dance music doesn't just make people move. It brings them together.

“SCOOBIE” is named in honor of your mother and the music she introduced you to growing up. What are some of your earliest musical memories with her, and how did those experiences influence the producer you've become today?

Some of my earliest musical memories with my mom were of cleaning the house on the weekends. The day would be filled with Pine-Sol in the bathroom, the smell of pancakes and bacon cooking in the kitchen, my siblings running up and down the stairs, and my mom playing her favorite tracks, dancing through the house while using her hairbrush as a microphone. When I think of home, im always met with these memories: the warmth, the love, and the energy that filled and circulated through our house throughout the day. My mom’s music was always the soundtrack to that feeling; well before I even knew what the sound was called, I only knew it as my mom’s music, hahaha. But one thing I did know for certain was the feeling, the essence, and the freedom embedded in every song she played. I think that’s something I always want to carry into everything I produce: a sense of freedom and the ability to let go of anything holding you back. The feeling that, even if it’s just for five minutes, you can fully exist and be yourself without restraint.

House music has deep roots in Black culture, yet its history is often overlooked in mainstream electronic music. As a Black producer, what responsibility do you feel to preserve that legacy while introducing the genre to new audiences?

I think the history of house music can only be preserved if we take responsibility for carrying it forward. There was so much I didn’t know about the genre until I made the effort to seek out its history for myself. I love hearing the stories of the DJs who came before us and learning what house music meant to them; not just as a sound of rebellion, but as a space for communal healing, freedom, and connection.

The history of house music is really rich, and those stories deserve to live on as the genre continues to grow. To me, honoring that legacy means more than paying homage; it means understanding our history, playing the music that built the culture, and making sure those who came before us are never forgotten. We have a responsibility to carry these stories forward, even long after the legends who lived them are no longer here to tell them themselves.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is that house music has always been evolving, shaped by different people, places, and moments in time. Preserving its history doesn’t mean keeping it frozen in the past. It means carrying the rebellious, free-spirited energy that gave birth to the culture into everything we do as DJs, producers, and community builders. For me, that’s how we keep house music’s essence alive: by understanding where it came from, honoring the people who built it, and continuing to push it forward without losing sight of its roots.

Your sound brings together Jersey Club, Detroit techno, gospel, and old-school soul. How do you approach combining these distinct musical traditions without losing the cultural identity and authenticity behind each one?

One of the biggest things I learned from producing this EP is that all the genres that influence me are interconnected in some way. You can find traces of one genre in another, almost as if they’re all distant cousins. Understanding the history behind each genre represented on the project gave me the freedom to experiment without feeling like I had to fit into a particular box. My goal was to create a feeling that brought together everything I love, leading with that feeling rather than focusing on genre. I think that approach made it natural to weave all these different sounds together into one cohesive project.

For me, authenticity comes from understanding the history of these genres, having my own personal experiences with them, and pulling directly from those experiences. Each has inspired me at different points in my life, in different places, and at different times. By tapping into those experiences and the emotions attached to them, I was able to create something that feels genuine to who I am. & I think that connection between personal experience, inspiration, and history is what makes the project feel authentic; not just to me, but to the people listening, too.

You've described “SCOOBIE” as an evolving body of work rather than simply a debut EP. What does that evolution look like to you, and how do you envision the project growing alongside your career?

My vision for the future of SCOOBIE is to travel the world, immerse myself in different cultures, and explore how those experiences can shape my sound. One of the most beautiful things about music is how transient it can be and how it transforms as it encounters different cultures, local scenes, and communities. I think it's beautiful how the same sound can take on an entirely new identity depending on where it lands and who embraces it.

That’s the feeling I want to capture through this project: the global diaspora of house and club music, and the ways these sounds continue to evolve as they move through different places and people. Each iteration of SCOOBIE will feel like a snapshot in time, capturing a particular feeling, influence, or moment in my life. 

Next, I'd love to spend time in Europe next year, traveling, experiencing the music firsthand, and allowing those environments to influence where the project goes next. What excites me most is documenting that evolution in real time: tracing how my sound changes, when those changes happen, and where in the world those new inspirations come from, all while keeping the core of SCOOBIE intact.

You believe the greatest music moves people both physically and spiritually. Was there a particular moment, performance, or record that made you understand the deeper power of dance music, and how are you trying to recreate that feeling through your own work?

One record that fundamentally shaped my understanding of the deeper power of dance music is “Fired Up” by Funky Dogs. It was one of my mom’s favorite tracks growing up, and to this day, I’m in complete awe every time I hear it. The gritty vocals, the bass that instantly grabs your attention, the builds, the drops- it all comes together in a way that feels raw, unapologetic, and completely liberating. There’s an energy in that record that feels like it’s shouting, “LET ALL OF IT GO RIGHT NOW!”

That feeling of freedom and release is something I’ll always hold close to my heart. You can hear me sampling different parts of the track throughout SCOOBIE, and honestly, it became a guiding light for the entire project. Whenever I create, I want to capture even a fraction of what that record makes me feel: the freedom to let go, lose yourself in the music, and exist without restraint. If my music can give someone even a few minutes of that feeling, then I’ve done what I set out to do.