blk.: "I always wanted to make harder, faster music with more emotion"

Over the past few years, Tipperary native blk. has become one of the biggest stars of the Irish dance scene. His irresistible grooves have attracted an enormous audience, with plays in the tens of millions and a monthly following of over 200,000 on Spotify. Along the way, there have been numerous landmark live moments, with blk. headlining festivals, playing a Boiler Room Berlin slot and touring around the globe.

There was yet another huge milestone earlier this year, when he became the first solo Irish DJ to headline Dublin’s 3Arena, playing a rapturously received set on St. Patrick’s Day. Of late, the decks supremo has enjoyed a further hit with ‘Parasomnia’, a thumping hard techno workout created in collaboration with Circo.

Naturally, a highlight this summer will be a hotly anticipated homecoming date at Longitude, where fans can expect an electrifying set of killer dance anthems. All of this and more was on the agenda when we recently caught up for a chat with the high-flying dance maestro.

I read that your dad owned a record shop – was there a “eureka!” moment when you decided you wanted to be a DJ?

Yes, my dad used to own a record store in Limerick years ago, so I was always surrounded by music, and especially dance music growing up. I think this has definitely contributed towards music becoming a career for me. I also started producing in my early teens and used to make a lot of different styles of music, including house. But deep down, I always wanted to make harder, faster music with more emotion. I’m glad I chose to go down that road, as I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t.

It’s fascinating how a 13-year-old has gone from his bedroom to the 3Arena without the backing of a major label. Is it down to gigging, Spotify, TikTok – or a combination of all three?

The journey so far has honestly been insane, and the last couple of years have been a bit of a blur. But there has been a serious amount of work put in behind the scenes by myself and my team to get things to where they are today. But to answer your question, a mixture of certain records I have made, and show footage going viral, has definitely contributed to my amazing journey so far.

But I feel like my music has also had a huge influence over my fanbase. Everything really just fell into place like it was meant to be, and this is something I appreciate every day. I am so thankful, and I owe a lot to the people who support me and stream my music daily, and have done for years. There’s definitely a cult blk. fan base out there!

Since your rise to prominence, have there been particularly inspirational people you’ve encountered?

I’ve been so lucky to meet many big inspirations along the way, but for sure, I was starstruck meeting Amelie Lens.

What were the first gigs you played starting out?

The first gig I played was in Sligo in Kilgallen’s Bar, after we came out from Covid. The event hosted 200 people, and to this day, that show still means so much to me. Tipperary doesn’t have many clubs, and as such not a major techno scene, so I had to branch out to Limerick to get a taste.

There’s been a revival in the underground, word-of-mouth party scene in Dublin. Is that something you’ve tapped into?

I’m hearing some great things about underground parties taking place in Dublin and across Ireland. Many of my close friends are quite involved in the scene, and it’s great to see the resurgence of the underground. I look forward to seeing it grow even more over the coming years.

What are some of the wildest gigs you’ve played?

All of the Australian gigs hold a big place in my heart, it’s one of my favourite places to play. But others would include Creamfields, 3Arena, Emerge, and Electric Picnic.  There are so many to be honest, it would be impossible to list them all.

What fuels the intensity of your music?

The dancefloor, for sure. Going on tour always gives me inspiration and massively influences ideas for tracks I want to make.

The Irish dance explosion has seen the likes of yourself, Belters Only and Jazzy become headline acts. Who’s going to be in the next wave?

There are so many amazing Irish artists. A couple right now I’m really digging are Datsko and Revoxx.

How did the likes of Goldie and Richie Hawtin pick up on you?

How , I couldn’t actually tell you. But it really is insane to me that some of my biggest influences, and more so my parents’ favourite artists, know who I am or have heard my music. It blows my mind any time I have some kind of interaction with any of these iconic people, and all I can say is that I truly am grateful for this journey.

Dublin is about to introduce 24-hour licensing – do you think that’s going to lead to a renaissance in the club scene here?

Honestly, I hope to see this go ahead sooner rather than later. Playing around Europe quite frequently opens your eyes to the greater benefits of longer opening hours. It’s quite sad to see that Ireland is so late to follow suit, but the work that Sunil Sharpe and the team behind Give Us The Night have been doing over the last few years really is amazing. I hope that more people can get behind the movement.

Your tats are amazing – do you have a go-to place?

Thank you! My go-to guy, Eric, who has done most of my tattoos, is based in a shop called Third Eye Tattoo in Clare. Give him a follow on instagram @ericjvrtattoos – he’s the GOAT.

Having travelled extensively, is there any city you’ve been to and thought, ‘Wow, they’ve got it right’?

There are so many amazing cities all over the world that I have been lucky enough to visit over the last couple of years. But among the standouts would be Italian cities, which really do it for me. There is such beauty in the buildings and landscape, the food is incredible, and the people are hospitable. Plus there’s amazing energy on the dancefloor.

In Melbourne and Sydney, again the people are brilliant, and the love in Australia really makes it feel like a second home when I visit. It’s so beautiful. I would also like to give a shoutout to Colombia – my last few shows in South America have been insane. They truly have some of the friendliest and most welcoming people in the world, and I look forward to exploring more parts of South America soon... CHIMBA.

What’s your advice for the next wave of young artists?

Follow your heart when it comes to the style of music that you are making. Don’t be afraid to release music that you love with the fear of what others will think – I feel like this is something super-common amongst up-and-coming producers. All feedback is good feedback. I advise to let it out to the world, and I promise you someone is going to like it.

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s lots of big things coming, including a hybrid live set I hope to debut sometime soon. I’ve also been grinding, making some music for my alias, DJ 2QWIK2GRUV, and of course, some dancefloor destroyers from blk.

Finally, how are you feeling about playing Longitude?

Super-buzzed to be back. I played at last year’s edition and it went off. Funnily enough, that was my first time attending and it was hype. There’s literally no better feeling than playing to a home crowd, but I’m even more intrigued to see what it’s like playing on the main stage this year.

blk. plays Longitude on Saturday, June 29

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