From: Ghent, Belgium
DJ Style: “Techno.”
Best known for: Her KNTXT parties and label.
Fave tune 2020: “I’ve been playing ‘Trave’ by Jacidorex towards the end of my set. It’s fast-paced acid psy-techno.”
Who is your number one rising DJ of 2020: “Alignment. He’s an Italian guy living in Germany, he makes very fast-paced techno with very strong trance influences.”
In September 2017, Charlotte de Witte featured on the front of DJ Mag’s flagship UK magazine with the tagline “techno’s next-gen superstar”. Just three years on, she has come out on top of the Alternative Top 100 DJs poll, as well as claiming the Highest Techno and Highest Climber awards in the original Top 100 DJs poll. The Belgian techno star shot up from the No.7 spot in the Alternative Top 100 DJs to dethrone Carl Cox, who has claimed the No.1 title each year since the poll launched in 2018.
“It’s probably the strangest year to become No.1 DJ since no one has really been DJing,” she says of her win. “But yeah, it does mean a lot. It’s a big, big, big milestone.”
De Witte’s built herself up over the past five years, after first appearing under her real name on Tiga’s Turbo label in 2015. She launched her own KNTXT clubnight, which ran at Brussels institution Fuse, and this January celebrated its fifth anniversary at Kompass club in her hometown of Ghent. Last year, KNTXT became a label; so far it’s put out seven releases, including two by de Witte this year: the stripped-back ‘Return To Nowhere’ EP in June and four- track thumper ‘Rave On Time’ in September. She’s also launched a new solo stream series on YouTube that saw her play at a medieval castle in Ghent and a fortress in Montenegro.
While much of the music she has released this year was produced at the tail end of 2019, de Witte has been using the extra time during lockdown to get back in the studio too. “I have some ideas for future [techno] EPs, but also besides that I’m leaning a bit more towards other electronic music, like more ambient or just something more experimental,” she says, “because we cannot go clubbing [so] I don’t fully experience this techno vibe anymore… It’s a nice experimental phase.”
These days, de Witte’s most pressing worry is the club scene getting the financial support it needs to make it through the COVID-19 crisis. She’s appalled in particular by the labelling of the sector as ‘unviable’ by the UK government. “So many clubs are gonna go bankrupt, and these are very difficult times for all of us, not only DJs and artists but stage builders, everyone involved,” she says.
For now, she finds hope where she can. With her Alternative Top 100 DJs win, de Witte is at least heading into 2021 on a relative high. “I hope going into spring 2021, times will change,” she tells DJ Mag. “And if they do, I’m sure that it will be crazy, people will be so happy.”
What lessons should the industry learn from this crisis?
“I think that we should be given a voice, we should be heard in general. We are way too important to be neglected like this. We should really talk about the importance of nightlife and about the fact that people need a place where they can be free to express themselves. It’s incredibly important and too easily forgotten.”
What steps need to be taken to address racism in the dance music scene?
“This entire scene, and music culture, should be a place where you should be free to express yourself, to be whoever you want to be no matter what your gender, your age, your sexual preference, your race, it really shouldn’t matter, and I think that’s something that we should continuously put out there and continuously repeat to everyone. It’s a thing that should not be forgotten. And we should keep on educating ourselves, and work on establishing a better scene for everyone. It’s important to not leave anyone out, everyone’s included.”
What industry changes are you personally pushing for to make the dance music scene more inclusive?
“Well, just repeating the fact that there should be more equality and everyone should feel more included. I think it’s also important to keep an open mind and to be able to have an open conversation and discussion about how to improve our scene. I would like to underline the importance of having the possibilities to talk about how this crisis has been affecting us and our mental health. We’re all in this together. Everyone. Artists, stagehands, DJs, suppliers, managers, tourmanager, booking agents, VJs, club and festival owners… We’re all struggling. It pains me to see how people so easily jump to conclusions and start judging others on incomplete information and prejudices. There’s a serious lack of support, coming from the government but also coming from peers. Talk about it, keep your mind open and be understanding and respectful towards others or I’m afraid that the long-term mental effects of this crisis will be visible even after we’ve somehow restrained this virus.
What is the greatest dance music track of all time?
“Tough one, but Age Of Love ‘The Age Of Love (Jam & Spoon Watch Out For Stella Club Mix)’.
