DJ W!LD’s rise to prominence was no overnight phenomenon. Without hype or fanfare, he has grown from hero of the Parisian underground to resident at some of the world’s most acclaimed clubs, with an expansive discography backing up his formidable DJing skills. Born in Dijon, he grew up under the heady influence of the formative hip-hop movement, taking his name from the nascent genre’s defining film, Wild Style, before discovering electronic dance music and finding an early idol in Laurent Garnier. Having caught the DJing bug, he moved to Paris in 1996 to further his skills, immerse himself in the scene and continue his electronic education. He soon found himself playing at landmark clubs like Rex, Palace and Queen and making his first movements into the world of production. During the French Touch explosion of the 1990s, he focused his energies on the Parisian scene rather than trying to grab some of the international limelight, expanding his horizons overseas once the hype had died down. This period of progression saw him play at New York’s legendary Twilo, tour Brazil and bag a residency at Brussels’ legendary techno haven Fuse. “I still have many ambitions” he says of the future. “To produce new albums in different genres and music for movies. To keep growing slowly but constantly until I die. To help some artists to grow and push them to the top. To create a place where you have a label, recording studio, private club and restaurant combined for artists of all types to mix up all sources of creativity. To set up a workshop for kids to open their ears and eyes as soon as possible.” He’s an artist in it for all the right reasons: for art’s sake; to help foster scenes and communities; to educate the next generation. With more characters like him and less publicity-hungry hyperbole merchants, dance music could be a much more positive place.