Rise & Rise

It’s been a meteoric rise to the upper echelons of the global drum & bass scene for Belgian DJ-producer Netsky.

A relative unknown just two years ago, Boris Daenen is now one of the scene's hottest names. Early singles released on labels including Liq-Weed Ganja, Spearhead and Talkin Beatz got the European scene talking - and dancing - before his vocal-heavy, soulful take on drum & bass caught the attention of UK powerhouse imprint Hospital Records late last year.

Hospital signed him exclusively and released his debut self-titled album earlier this year to critical acclaim; the plaudits haven't stopped since, with the Belgian most recently picking up five nominations in the annual Drum & Bass Arena Awards, including ones for Best Newcomer producer, DJ and for Best Album.

“I haven't got a day of rest yet,” he says from his home in Antwerp. “It's all so exciting for me and I'm still not used to it so it's really cool.”

Following an exhaustive European summer festival season, Netsky is now primed for his first visit to Australia. “I can't wait to see the warmer side of the world,” he says laughing. “I've never been further than Indonesia.”

That trip to Indonesia - as part of the Paradise In Bali festival in mid-November - exposed Netsky to Australia's own drum & bass scene for the first time, and the young Belgian liked what he saw and heard.

“Over the last year, the gig I did in Bali was the best one,” he says. “It's the first time I've played for an all-Australian and New Zealand crowd. I've gotta say it's such a different crowd man. They're so jumping around all the time and so active. It's so great to play for them. That's one of the things I'm really looking forward to when I'm in Australia, the crowd.”

In between touring, Netsky reveals the coming months will see him return to the studio to work on his second album. He admits it's going to be a different process second time around with the weight of expectation on him.

“I'm working on the second album right now [but] it takes a little bit more time because I got all the tours and all the DJing now which I didn't have with my first album,” he says. “I'm not going to rush it; I'm going to take my time.”

Netsky plays Blah Blah Blah at Riverlife, Tuesday December 28.