FAST emerging House and Techno headliner Christian Nielsen is an artist whose career trajectory has been high speed and steep. Emerging as a major name on the international scene in a very short amount of time.
The Danish DJ and Producer still works a 9-5, spending every spare moment he has creating music. Viewed as a refreshing producer his distinctive sound of dancefloor-ready house is one which has already made him popular with DJs and clubbers alike. With a number of outstanding releases on labels such as Michael Mayer’s Kompakt, Skream’s Of Unsound Mind, Jesse Rose’s Play It Town and Mark Knight’s Toolroom, he’s not short of industry tastemakers who are firm believers in his sound. Now with a recent release on the legendary label FFRR with ‘Talking To Myself’, support by further industry heavyweights including BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Hannah Wants, Huxley, Claptone and Camelphat, he proves himself to be a future ‘artist to watch’.
How has 2018 been for you? What have been your highlights of the year?
Hi and thanks for having me! As a producer, the highlight has definitely been signing to FFRR. It really was an eye opener to work with the “majors” and I’ve learned so much in a very short amount of time. As a DJ it must have been a weekend a few weeks ago where I went to Beirut first and then Berlin for Katerblau. Nearly all my flights were cancelled but my team stepped up and I got to all my gigs, which were amazing! What a weekend!
When did you first discover electronic music and how did you get into DJing? Who are some of your early inspirations?
I first heard electronic music on the radio. I remember listening to Cassius – 1999 and Basement Jaxx – Red Alert and was just blown away. At the time I didn’t really recognise it as electronic music or house, just really fast disco! It wasn’t until 2006 or something a DJ friend introduced me to Kerri Chandler and Charles Webster that I really got into it. He was the same guy who also got me into DJing.
What predominantly is your sound when DJing? What are the big tracks that are getting great reactions in your sets at the moment?
I started as a DJ, so my focus is always the dancefloor. I’m not that kind of DJ that will play one sound or refuse to play a classic. I start in one place and where ever the vibe takes me, I will go. There are some tracks that I always find myself playing for some reason. Tom Trago – Use Me Again (Carl Craig Rework) always goes down like a charm, and is a great track to break the vibe a bit. I love vocal tracks! Midland – Surrender is also one of those that never gets old for me.
What labels have you previously released on?
I’ve released on Michael Mayer’s Kompakt, Skream’s Of Unsound Mind, Jesse Rose’s Play It Down and Toolroom just to name a few 😊
The electronic music scene in Denmark is vibrant, tell me a little about it, what are the clubs that really stand out?
So Denmark is a bit strange when it comes to electronic music. We have massive names such as Trentemøller, Kölsch and Noir, and we also have massive young talent such as Denis Horvat, Nandu, Courtesy and many many more. However, the scene itself isn’t very strong. KB18 just closed down, so we only have 2 dedicated clubs for House/Techno that is Culture Box and Jolene. We have the talent, but we lack the hype.
You work a 9-5 office job, how do you manage to balance a full-time job and music? Do you think there will be a point that you dedicate yourself just to music?
Yes, I still have my 9-5 job and my little family too. Well, it’s all about spending every spare moment to create some music. I’ve also kept my studio really small and compact, so I can make music anywhere. I sometimes even make tracks in my lunchbreak. It’s hard to say at the moment. I kind of like the fact that I can make whatever music I want without feeling pressured financially. Obviously, the dream is to do it full time, but no rush. I want to create a platform that works 100%.
Your track ‘Talking To Myself’ has recently been released on FFRR. How did the release come about on the legendary label? What does FFRR stand for you?
Well, I had produced the track early 2018 and sent it out to different DJ’s. One of them was Annie Mac who played the track twice. After that FFRR contacted me, and the rest is history. For me, FFRR is Pete Tong. Legacy if you will. So when they approached me I was all in.
Who is currently supporting your record – are any other major DJs playing it?
What I’ve been told the record is/has been supported by Hannah Wants, Annie Mac, Huxley, Claptone, Weiss, Pete Tong and Camelphat.
Who are your other DJ contemporaries, who should we be looking out for?
There are so many amazing producers out there but I think I will go with some local dudes such as Denis Horvat, Nandu and Radeckt.
What can we expect from Christian Nielsen in the near future? Where will you be playing and what’s in the pipeline for you?
So gigs are always something in the works, so keep an eye on my Facebook page for updates! Release wise I have EP’s coming out on Exploited Ghetto and on Skream’s Of Unsound Mind. Hopefully also more music on FFRR and Kompakt!
Is there anything that you can tell us about yourself that we haven’t already asked you about?
I hate spiders and I’m addicted to donuts!!!!
