Music
01 Jul 25

Longitude 2025 – blk.: "I’m buzzing to bring a proper heavy blk. set to the main stage – it’s going to be something special."

blk. / Photo: Amy Walsh

As he revs up for Longitude, the superstar Irish DJ gives his personal guide to the bassbin thumping Marlay Park weekender. Plus, we look back on a groundbreaking twelve months for the Tipperary Artist Also Known As Zack Coughlan.

Hitting the stage on Sunday night at Longitude – he’s promising fans “big and fast kick tracks, a few unexpected moments, and that heavy energy I always bring” – will be yet another landmark moment for one of Ireland’s electronic music superstars, blk.

Appearing as part of a main stage quadruple-whammy that also includes Hannah Laing, Sonny Fodera and 50 Cent, it’s the second year in a row that the Tipperary DJ and producer has performed in front of the Marlay Park masses.

In 2024, he joined Doja Cat and Becky Hill as part of our Longitude 3 Cover Special and adorns our festival blowout again this year with fellow heavy-hitters Fiddy, Hannah Laing and David Guetta.

In his first sit-down with Hot Press, Zack told us: “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.

“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!”

That cult fan base turned out en masse on March 17 when Zack threw the mother of all St. Patrick’s Day parties in the 3Arena with another of Longitude’s 2025 star turns, Hannah Laing, warming up the giant crowd.

The first solo Irish DJ to headline the famous Northside venue, he well and truly rocked the gaff with bangers like ‘I Need A Boiler Room’ which has amassed a whopping twelve million-plus Spotify plays and ‘Enter The Dragon’ which is nudging towards nine million streams.

blk.’s DJ-ing exploits weren’t confined to this continent with a debut Australian tour that saw him play 2,000-10,000 capacity venues; packed gigs in New York, Miami and Chicago; and an 8,000 sell-out in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Before his latest Dublin spectacular, blk. journeyed to Belfast for a sold-out Belsonic headliner.

“Some of my most unforgettable shows and moments have been in Belfast so I’m beyond excited to announce that I’ll be hosting my very own Belsonic at Ormeau Park,” he enthused last November when news of the gig dropped. “With this being my biggest Belfast show yet you know it’s going to be special – a killer lineup and more to come...”

The lineup was indeed killer with Ben Hemsley, Black Traffic, Reboot DJs and K.A.D. also doing their respective EDM things.

Belsonic and Longitude well and truly conquered, blk. is off to the Balearics where he’s part of the same July 30 NRG Ibiza bill as Jazzy B2B Jowi, Jezza and Jod, Restricted, Toxic Machinery B2B Vieze Asbak and a mystery guest.

If I were you I’d be Ryanairing flights to the island promo!

blk.'s guide to Longitude 2025:

I’m really looking forward to being back at Longitude this year. The energy at Marlay Park is always unreal, and this time I’m buzzing to bring a proper heavy blk. set to the main stage – it’s going to be something special.

I’ve been locked in the studio lately, working on loads of new material – pushing into darker, rawer territory. You can expect a proper blk. set: big and fast kick tracks, a few unexpected moments, and that heavy energy I always bring. Always trying to keep it evolving.

The line-up this year is serious – especially for dance music – and I’m hyped to catch a few close mates and artists I’ve got a lot of respect for:

Black Traffic – One of my good friends and someone I’ve come up alongside in the scene. He’s been killing it lately, both on the decks and in the studio. We’re with the same agency too, so seeing him hit this stage means a lot – definitely don’t miss his set.

CamrinWatsin – Has been killing it recently, releasing some top-class music. He is doing serious bits and is definitely one to watch.

50 Cent – Sharing the main stage with 50 is honestly surreal. This man’s a legend – an actual icon I grew up listening to – and I’m beyond excited to see him live.

Hannah Laing – One of the best and nicest people in the music scene. She’s been doing amazing things recently, dropping quality releases on her DOOF label and always bringing unreal energy to every set she plays.