Geelong DJ duo has Miami in its sights

ISAAC Ayres swapped surfboards and school bands for DJ decks, and a decade later the Geelong musician is building a name in Australia’s house music scene.

Performing alongside Riley Harman as Coco and Ayres, the 24-year-old has launched a record label, released a string of successful tracks and is now eyeing international audiences.

Ayres first discovered house music in his late teens after being introduced to the genre by a group of older friends.

Before long, he was spending hours watching DJ sets, teaching himself the craft and producing his own music.

“I was influenced by mates that were a few years older than me that were listening to house,” he said. “It became a gateway for me to the scene.

“I fell down the rabbit hole straight away. I’d be sitting in class at school watching DJ sessions and I knew I wanted to give it a go.

“I had a passion for music from the outset, having played in bands at school, and I guess this was another way of expressing myself.”

Ayres began producing his own tracks by the age of 18, although he initially lacked the confidence to release them publicly.

 

That changed when he met Harman, whose enthusiasm encouraged him to take the project more seriously.

“I partnered up with Riley a few years into the process, and his love of it really got me convinced into making something of it,” Ayres said.

“You let go at some point, and just go for it.”

The pair met during Victoria’s 2021 lockdowns and spent the months that followed working together in the studio, developing the sound that would become Coco and Ayres.

The time spent refining their sound paid off with the release of Giddy Up in May 2024, a track that introduced Coco and Ayres to a much wider audience.

“That’s got us the most exposure to different people in the scene, and I think a lot of our better gigs have come from the release of that track,” Ayres said.

“We’d walk into venues in Chapel Street and you could hear it blasting through the speakers. It was quite surreal really.”

 

The duo have since followed up with Hard Yakka and Mabody, with Harman also lending his vocals to the pair’s original tracks.

“Hearing DJ’s play your song because they think its cool is just incredible,” Ayres said.

“Riley sings all the vocals on our songs, which is super cool.

“We try and do most of our own vocals to just bring it home.

With interstate travel on the immediate agenda, Ayres and Harman are determined to take their sound global.

Alongside a growing run of interstate shows, Coco and Ayres have also launched their own record label, Paradice Records, to support emerging artists.

“We want to partner up and sign DJs who bring their own unique sounds to the table,” Ayres said.

“The US market is a really interesting one for us – it’s actually where the majority of our listeners are based. Miami is the ultimate destination. We’d love to link up with some DJs over there and give it a real crack.”