Australian-born, London-based house producer Tristan Hallis, known as DJ Boring, went from a complete unknown to an international touring sensation when his 2016 track "Winona" achieved sudden viral success. Initially associated with the lo-fi house scene, he refined his sound with further releases such as 2020's Like Water, incorporating elements of trance and techno into his smooth, rolling productions.

Hallis began uploading tracks as DJ Boring around 2013, but his fuzzy, slightly melancholy take on deep house didn't reach a wider audience until his track "Winona" appeared in 2016. Characterized by its atmospheric synth pads, slightly jarring bass swoops, and most of all, a poignant sample of Winona Ryder recalling a casting director telling her she wasn't attractive enough to be an actress, the track was uploaded to YouTube in late September of that year, and quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views. It probably didn't hurt that the Ryder-starring sci-fi/horror series Stranger Things had just become a major pop culture phenomenon. All of a sudden, several journalists questioned the intentions of this unheard-of producer, as well as other ironically named, '90s-loving artists such as Ross from Friends and DJ Seinfeld, and lumped them together as part of a "lo-fi house" craze. Despite its detractors, the song gained an enthusiastic following, and was released on vinyl by E-Beamz at the close of the year.

Boring quickly became an in-demand DJ and live performer, regularly playing clubs and festivals across the globe. In 2017, he released the EPs Sunday Avenue (LPH White), Different Dates (Lost Palms), and Hidden Messages (E-Beamz). He collaborated with Frits Wentink on 2018's Wasted Years of Pumping Iron (Bobby Donny) and Stanley Schmidt on Vienna 001, and his solo EP For Tahn appeared on Shall Not Fade. Boring's remixes of tracks by Jacques Renault and Lee Scratch Perry were released in 2019, and his 2020 EP Like Water was issued by Ninja Tune's Technicolour imprint. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi