Netsky

Netsky, born Boris Daenen and counted among Belgium’s leading drum’n’bass producers, first earned recognition by crafting deep, fluid liquid-funk tracks before later securing mainstream chart traction across Europe and the U.K. through more pop-oriented singles and albums. After issuing several buzzed-about 2009 releases, he joined Hospital Records—the imprint run by London Elektricity—and delivered his self-titled debut the next year. From 2012 onward he has performed live with a complete band while issuing two numbered full-lengths that both reached number one on the Belgian albums chart; over the same period his style broadened to incorporate dubstep, hip-hop, and electro-house elements.

Daenen borrowed his alias from a Microsoft Windows computer worm. His earliest Netsky material surfaced in 2009 on the small drum’n’bass imprints Talkin Beatz and Liq-weed Ganja. The melodic yet high-energy approach fit seamlessly with Hospital Records, which added him to its roster late that year. The 2010 album Netsky demonstrated his range by alternating between tightly focused club cuts and vocal-driven songs featuring guest singers. Following a 2011 collaboration with labelmate Danny Byrd on the single “Tonight,” he issued the sophomore set 2 in 2012. That record topped the Belgian chart, registered strong placements in New Zealand and the U.K., yielded four Belgian Top 20 singles, and included vocal contributions from Diane Charlemagne and Billie, both of whom later joined the Netsky touring band. By this stage he had also become a sought-after remixer, reworking tracks for Swedish House Mafia, Miike Snow, Jessie J, and additional artists.

The 2014 single “Running Low,” a duet with American vocalist Beth Ditto, gave Netsky his first Belgian number-one hit. After signing with Epic Records he unveiled the third album, 3, in 2016. The noticeably pop-leaning project featured appearances by Emeli Sandé, Saint Raymond, Lowell, and the quirkily named Digital Farm Animals; it again topped the Belgian albums chart and reached the Top Ten of the U.K. and U.S. dance charts. Subsequent singles included the 2017 track “Here with You” alongside Lost Frequencies and 2018’s “Téquila Limonada” featuring A.CHAL. In 2019 Netsky joined forces with Aloe Blacc on the single “Snitch.” The following year saw the arrival of his fourth album, Second Nature—an expansive 18-track collection that included contributions from Becky Hill, Rudimental, and Hybrid Minds.