Naeleck

“Join the Dark Side of EDM,” reads the tagline on Naeleck's Instagram page, and while that invitation certainly meshes well with the French DJ and producer's visage — often hooded and masked, he can project a slightly ominous vibe — much of his music fits squarely in the plus-size party-time mode. Take the massive 'Boys In Paris’, his collaboration with the Marnik duo that burned its way through the festival universe just over a year ago — it's majestically catchy, the kind of tune that practically demands jumping around like a maniac. But he's also capable of dishing out heavier material, like the recent ‘Kotodama', “that can't be aired on radio but destroys the dancefloor every time I play it live,” as he puts it.

'Boys In Paris' and 'Kotodama' were just two of the highlights of Naeleck's recent output — tracks like his release with Timmy Trumpet, 'Like A G6’, and his collaboration with Vini Vici, 'Home Alone’, have been doing serious business as well. He's had a stacked year of touring, but he makes good use of whatever downtime he can eke out, “working on the visual aspect of my shows,” he says, “and on an animation music video for ‘Never Thought That I Could Die’, of which I'm very proud.” Add a string of big signings on his two labels, Dancing Dead and Den Haku Records, and Naeleck's had a hell of a year.

Fave tune of 2024? “Gammer ‘Freaks’.”

Rising star DJ/producer of 2024?

Should phones be banned on the dancefloor?

“People go to festivals and clubs for many reasons but often to escape the monotony of everyday life. I think they should be allowed to do whatever they want — drink, use their phones or just rave all night.”

A.I. - friend or foe?

“As it is today, it's stealing art from artists to then steal the job from other artists. I work with a lot of illustrators and try to stay away from A.I out of respect for their work.”