Available August 1 on HILOMATIK

More than a decade after it first lit up global dancefloors, ‘Koala’ returns, reimagined by its original creator, Oliver Heldens, under his techno alias HI-LO. Out August 1 via HILOMATIK, ‘KOALA’ offers a darker, more driving take on the breakout hit that helped launch Heldens’ career. Stripping back the playful energy of the original and layering in the raw power of modern techno, HI-LO reshapes ‘Koala’ into a peak-time weapon built for today’s underground.

HI-LO’s version keeps the soul of the original alive but pivots firmly into new territory: where “Koala” once danced with upbeat house textures, “KOALA” surges with hypnotic builds, punchy low-end, and a moody intensity tailored for darker club environments and big-room stages alike. It’s a release that bridges past and present, a personal creative loop closed in real time.

“The original ‘Koala’ holds a special place in my journey, so flipping it into something rawer and more HI-LO just made sense. It’s been going off in my sets — the response has been insane,” says HI-LO.

Already road-tested to explosive effect in HI-LO and Oliver Heldens’ recent global sets, the track has built momentum across festival mainstages and intimate warehouse sessions. Like much of HI-LO’s catalogue, ‘KOALA’ reflects a producer who’s mastered the art of transformation, fusing the melodic instincts of his earlier work with a deeper, harder-hitting sonic signature.

The release follows a prolific run of 2025 material from HI-LO, including “United In Trance” and collaborations with KASABLANCA, Sarah de Warren, Tai Woffinden, and Temper, continuing to push his HILOMATIK imprint into the spotlight as a home for cutting-edge, genre-blurring techno.

‘KOALA’ is out August 1 on HILOMATIK.