Julien Vertigo, DJ/Producer from the area of Nyon in Switzerland, has been an avid electronic music lover for years.
His unique and immersive touch takes his audience on an eclectic auditory experience based on floating experimental melodies full of emotion, combining organic grooves and surprising sounds, delivering a sense of authenticity to his musical journey oscillating between progressive and melodic techno.
As recently as 2020, his talent led to him being spotted by Tiësto via his famous Club Life Podcast, and more recently by none other than Joris Voorn, Eli & Fur (Anjunadeep), Øostil (Afterlife), Fideles (Afterlife) and Kevin de Vries (Afterlife), to name a few, who have also supported him at some of the biggest clubs and festivals on the planet.
Since 2022, Julien has gradually carved out a place for himself on the Swiss scene, having had the opportunity to perform at the D! Club (alongside Massano, Rebuke and Nora En Pure), Audio in Geneva and festivals such as Afterseason in Villars (alongisde Rodriguez Jr. & Konstantin Sibold). And let’s not forget his two appearances at Basel‘s famous Nordstern, including an exceptional closing set alongside Worakls.
His odyssey is constantly evolving as he challenges himself and pushes his limits, allowing his passion for music to fuel him.
Connect with Julien Vertigo on Instagram / Facebook / Soundcloud
Your new track “Hysteria” is an intense and immersive sonic journey. What inspired this release, and what emotions or ideas were you aiming to convey through it?
It all started with a simple recording in the metro in Kyoto, which then allowed me to develop the song around that. The fact that I was using sounds from the underground, which is a very crowded place in Japan, gave the track a touch of hysteria.
Your style is often described as a blend of floating melodies, organic grooves, and surprising sounds. How does a typical track of yours come to life — do you start from an emotion, a sound, or something else entirely?
There are absolutely no precise rules here. Sometimes I can start with a recorded sound, a kick, a bass, it’s really very random. It also depends on the mood of the day, whether it’s raining or sunny. Typically, I’d say that in winter I spontaneously produce more dramatic and introspective tracks, whereas in summer I tend to go in a more euphoric musical direction.
In 2020, Tiësto featured your music on his Club Life Podcast. How did that moment feel for you, and how has it influenced your journey since then?
Tiesto’s support has helped me enormously in gaining confidence in my musical project. Even if his style is different from mine, it’s still exceptional to receive recognition from such a legend of electronic music. The day I discovered that he’d playlisted one of my tracks, I have to admit I didn’t believe it straight away. It took me a few minutes to realise it and it’s still a beautiful memory. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him again for giving me the strength to push back my limits.
You’ve gained support from artists like Joris Voorn, Eli & Fur, Øostil, Fideles, and Kevin de Vries. Has any one of them had a particularly strong impact on your sound or artistic vision?
Without a doubt, yes! I’d say that Fideles and Joris Voorn have had a particular impact on inspiring me. The accuracy of Joris’s melodies has always fascinated me enormously, not forgetting the power of Fideles’s productions, tinged with hypnotic, soaring notes. Every day on my way to work, I take the time to listen to lots of different sounds, which often provide me with good inspiration.
From the D! Club to Nordstern and festivals like Afterseason, how important is the connection with the crowd during your sets? Does your approach change between an intimate club and a large festival stage?
Connecting with the audience is very important to me. When I play a set, I’m always looking at the people and their emotions so that I can have a certain complicity with them too. As for adapting my approach to the venue, I’d say yes, because at a festival you normally play earlier, which inevitably has an impact on the way you approach your set. And beyond the venue, I think the line-up also plays a role, because depending on the artists who play before or after you, that’s bound to have an impact on your set. From a personal point of view, I have a slight preference for more intimate venues where the artist is close to his audience, often making the emotions much stronger.
You’ve described your musical journey as a constantly evolving odyssey. Is there a new sonic direction or experimentation you’re currently exploring that we might hear in your upcoming releases?
Not necessarily, but what is certain is that I’m constantly looking for freshness in the sounds I produce. I don’t really identify with any particular style, I just take ideas as they come without really worrying about the rest. Lately, I’m often told that people are starting to recognise my personal touch, which is extremely gratifying, and that’s why I fight every day in the studio.
Coming from Nyon, how has the Swiss electronic scene shaped your artistic path? In your opinion, what does the local scene excel at — and what could it still improve compared to the international landscape?
The local scene has given me a huge boost up to now and I’m very grateful to all the people who have helped me grow over the last few years. To have had the opportunity to quickly play in places like Nordstern, D!, afterseason and audio in Geneva is something I never thought possible. What could be improved in Switzerland, that’s a very good question haha? Maybe take a bit more risk with line-ups and help artists discover new horizons. Of course, it’s never easy because whether it’s a club or a festival, they always have the stress of having to sell tickets. And people today have somewhat lost that thirst for going out and discovering, which is a real shame because there are so many talented artists who remain in the shadows. And with the phenomenon of social networking everything has become more superfluous, with music taking on less importance than before, but I remain convinced that it’s a cycle and that in the end talent will always remain one of the main criteria within this industry.
Thank you!
