Some records get released. Others get road tested for a year first. Marlon Hoffstadt Water, his new single with Los Angeles singer and songwriter Niko Rubio, belongs firmly in the second group. The track came out on November 6, 2026 through Capitol Records, after more than a year as one of the most asked about IDs in Hoffstadt’s sets, including a stop on the Tomorrowland mainstage in July.
Marlon Hoffstadt Water: a year in the making
Hoffstadt has said he played the song in his sets for more than a year before it was finally released, and the paper trail backs him up. On July 17, during his Weekend 1 mainstage set at Tomorrowland Belgium, the track was logged by 1001Tracklists as “Marlon Hoffstadt & Niko Rubio, Water” on Capitol, months before any release date was public. Fans who had been chasing the ID through set recordings and phone clips finally have the official version.
That slow burn approach is how a lot of club records now earn their release. A track gets dropped in a few big sets, the clips circulate, the comments fill up with “ID?”, and by the time the single lands there is already an audience waiting for it.
A different side of DJ Daddy Trance
The Berlin DJ, who also performs as DJ Daddy Trance, has built his recent run on high tempo rave energy. “Water” goes somewhere else. It was written around Rubio’s vocal, and according to uDiscover Music, Hoffstadt described the song as a departure from what listeners might expect from his dance music. Rubio sings about becoming a source of comfort as night falls, and the production leaves room for that topline instead of burying it.
The credits are tight. Hoffstadt and Rubio wrote “Water” with BURNS, Pablo Bowman and CASTLE, while Hoffstadt and BURNS handled production. Hoffstadt said the song took shape during a writing session in Los Angeles. On Beatport, the extended mix is listed at 146 BPM, right in the pocket of his current club sound even if the mood is softer.
Who is Niko Rubio?
Rubio is a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, and “Water” is not her first meeting with Hoffstadt. She already appears on “On My Mind” from his debut album Das Ist Daddy, the eight track record Capitol released on August 7. She has described the new single as a natural extension of her own debut album, late night swim, which makes “Water” one of the rare dance collaborations that sits comfortably in both artists’ catalogs.
The pair first performed “Water” together at Portola Festival 2026 in San Francisco, a moment one fan pointed to under the House Music US post as the clip they remembered most.
Part of a busy Capitol run
“Water” is out through Capitol in partnership with Goodlife Management and MC3, and it caps a heavy autumn for Hoffstadt. In October he released “Caught Up” with David Guetta, followed by a remix of Petite Meller’s “High Forever” for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2. It all traces back to the deal covered in our piece on how Marlon Hoffstadt signed with Capitol Records.
The release also lands right before a big weekend on the road. Hoffstadt is scheduled to play Ultra in Mexico City on November 7 and EDC Orlando on November 8, so expect the finished version to replace the old ID in those sets. Rubio has a run of California headline shows in December, with dates in San Francisco, Felton, Ventura, West Hollywood, Santa Ana and San Diego.
Where to listen
“Water” by Marlon Hoffstadt and Niko Rubio is available now on all major platforms, including Apple Music, with the extended mix on Beatport. After a year of chasing it through set recordings, it is finally a record you can press play on.
Source: House Music US on Instagram.
