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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
44
Amelie Lens
15
Rising star DJ/producer of 2021: “Milo Spykers.”
 
After a tumultuous year personally with her father passing away and her boyfriend hospitalised, Amelie Lens would be forgiven for taking her foot off the gas a little in 2021. As it turns out, the opposite is true. This past year has seen a further slew of weapons-grade sawtooth techno come from her Lenske imprint from both Lens and the rest of the crew. She has also just seen out a year’s residency with BBC 1 alongside Joy Orbison, DJ EZ and Sherelle, while her long-time fans over at Tomorrowland hosted her for an animated show for their online festival, Around The World. The past year also saw her pair up with techno royalty in Slam for a collaborative EP on the Scottish duo’s Soma Records label, and remix Detroit originator Kevin Saunderson for Drumcode.
 
With shows starting up in earnest and high-profile gigs at ADE x Awakenings and Edinburgh’s Terminal V festival, expect Amelie Lens’ reputation to just keep growing. 
 
 
How was your first gig back after lockdown?
 
“Insane! I think we all appreciate everything even more after the break.”

How have the last 18 months changed how you view your work/life balance? 
 
“It’s been a difficult few months in my personal life with my father passing away and my boyfriend being hospitalised and in recovery for over one year. I realised I worked too much and spent too little time with my family.”

What further steps should the industry take to combat climate change? 
 
“A new study by the University of Oxford has found that switching towards a plant-based diet is vital to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Eating vegan could reduce our carbon footprint by 73%.”
 
 
What’s the best bit of tech you’ve added to your studio or DJ setup this year? 
 
"The best thing I did was delete most of my plug-ins and just dig deeper into Ableton. I feel like all my gear and plug-ins, that I never used, were distracting me a lot!”