From: Paris, France
DJ style: Trap, and beyond.

Last year saw DJ Snake set entirely new benchmarks when he became the first DJ to play on top of the Arc de Triomphe and stream his performance to over 1.5 million people. How could he possibly continue such a trajectory? Don’t worry; he has... and by the end of the year it could be even higher.

Yes, 2018 has been another banger for the Paris-born-and-based DJ. Schedule-wise he’s reduced his shows to a more manageable and healthy 50 headline gigs and has clearly invested the time in his studio creations. Snake, real name William Sami Etienne Grigahcine, has gradually dropped a series of tracks that have been progressively more high-profile as the year has gone by. First came ‘Magenta Riddim’, a tribute to India, a country he’s praised and celebrated in a number of interviews over the years (and shot the video for his and Major Lazer’s hit ‘Lean On’ in a few years back). Then came a Latin-tipped homage to a handy Argentinian football legend during the peak of World Cup tension with the sun-kissed ‘Maradona Riddim’. Then, just last month, he returned to his premium pop mode with his biggest track since his collaboration with Justin Bieber (‘Let Me Love You’ in 2016) with ‘Taki Taki’, a supersized collaboration with Selina Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B. The track scored over 20 million views within a week of being uploaded, making it the most successful Latin/EDM crossover hit to date.

Having hinted at a new album in the pipeline, we wouldn’t be surprised if more major league mainstream collaborations from Snake dent charts and hearts very soon...

Words: DAVE JENKINS