Naeleck

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 Ackerma

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Le Shuuk

From: Stuttgart, Germany

DJ style:“Hard dance / electro / hardstyle / techno / EDM.”

Best known for: “The tracks ‘Sandmann’, ‘Toast Hawaii’ and ‘Konje’, as well as being a resident and face of WORLD CLUB DOME Festival.”

A mainstay of the electronic scene for almost 20 years now, Stuttgart native Le Shuuk is no stranger to the rigours of touring. In the last 12 months, he decided to overhaul his lifestyle, committing to exercising regularly and abstaining from drinking during his shows. As a result, the DJ and producer, who is a favourite of the German festival circuit, says that he is having more fun on stage than ever. He credits these changes with allowing him to connect on a deeper level with his audiences, as well as redefine his career goals and look with renewed focus to the future.

The new healthy habits clearly agree with him. As well as recently performing at festivals and clubs across Europe, and holding his own Le Shuuk & Friends parties in his home city, he continues to build on the momentum of tracks like 2020’s peak-rave, German language tune ‘Sandmann’ and 2021’s hypnotic ‘Goodbye’ (featuring Xillions). This year he had another star turn with the explosive ‘Konje’, a collaboration with B-Stylezz that combined modern techno and EDM with the traditional elements of Bulgarian folk songs, with the track receiving big support from the likes of Armin van Buuren, Amelie Lens, and Joyhauser.