From: France

DJ style: “Dark and hard-hitting EDM.”

Best known for: His undead persona
 

Naeleck has managed to pack in a lot over the past 12 months. Tours in Europe and Asia have kept him busy for the best part of the year, as well as music releases ‘Kabuki’, ‘I Feel The Magic’, and ‘Dom Dom Yes Yes’. He’s stepped up collabs too, having worked with R3HAB, Timmy Trumpet, Marnik and VINAI this year alone. But perhaps his standout moment was the release of ‘Boyz In Paris’, inspired by Jay-Z and Kanye’s 2011 efforts. Having held the top spot in French radio for weeks and even made it into the top ten Dance Shazam charts, this track is now closing in on 20 million streams on Spotify. 

But that’s not all — this year the French DJ began a new musical journey under his NLCK alias, an outlet for his take on hardstyle. So far, he’s released tracks on Q Dance (‘The Universe’) and Dirty Workz (‘Cassiel’). ‘Can Can’, which came out on Spinnin' Records, was another hardstyle tribute to the hi-energy song made famous in 19th century cabaret halls, and it now sits among his top ten tracks on Spotify. Stay tuned for NLCK shows early next year, where Naeleck will be upping the hardcore for many dancefloors to come. 
 

Hero of 2023: “Levi Ackerman.”
 

Fave tune of 2023: “Cartoon ‘Flashback’.”
 

Best DJ set you’ve seen in 2023: “Kayzo at Ultra Miami.”
 

What was the most exciting tech development of 2023? “Def the rise of AI, because it will change the way people are currently working in a lot of industries, including music.”
 

Rising star DJ/producer of 2023: “Marie Vaunt.”
 

What gives you hope for 2024? “I hope to improve my skills and ranking so the demon won't have my soul.”