DJ Snake
| DJ Snake | |
|---|---|
DJ Snake, press photo
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Sami Etienne Grigahcine |
| Born |
13 June 1986 Paris, France |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
William Sami Etienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known professionally as DJ Snake, is a French DJ and record producer.
DJ Snake is a Grammy-nominated producer and artist who debuted into the international scene with singles "Bird Machine" and "Turn Down for What" in 2013. "Bird Machine" is a collaboration with fellow French act Alesia. The single was picked up by Mad Decent, a Los Angeles-based record label run by Diplo, and released in February 2013. In June 2013, DJ Snake was invited by Diplo to do a live mix on his radio show, "Diplo & Friends", which airs on BBC Radio 1.
DJ Snake was announced to be working on a collaboration with Diplo, originally slated to debut in 2014; it eventually released in 2015 as the single "Lean On" in collaboration with MØ and Diplo's Major Lazer. On 30 April 2014, DJ Snake was labeled as an "Artist to Watch" by FoxWeekly. He and Dillon Francis were announced as alternating supporting artists for the summer Mothership Tour 2014 with Skrillex.
DJ Snake was born to Algerian parents in a Banlieue district outside Paris, which he describes as a ghetto. He cites French film La Haine as well as hip-hop artists KRS-One and Cypress Hill as early influences. In his youth, DJ Snake produced graffiti art, earning him the moniker "Snake" because he was able to consistently evade the police. Of his name, DJ Snake says "When I started DJing, everyone called me ‘Snake’ in my city first, I was like ‘DJ Snake, OK let’s go for it.’ The name sucks, but it’s too late now." He started DJ-ing at age 14, and later producing at 19 years old. In his early career, DJ Snake performed at clubs including in Paris. In 2005, he met his manager Steve Goncalves, who encouraged DJ Snake to begin creating his own music.
In 2011, DJ Snake produced for Lady Gaga’s album Born This Way. This earned him a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in February 2012. DJ Snake was co-producer for the song "Government Hooker", which was voted best song by Lady Gaga fans after the release of the album. This song was supposed to be released as a single before Interscope Records decided to stop the marketing of the album after its release. He remixed Kanye West's "New Slaves", AlunaGeorge's "You Know You Like It", Duck Sauce’s "It's You" and Major Lazer's "Bubble Butt". Junior Senior sampled Michael Jackson for their track "Move Your Feet". DJ Snake remixed the song in 2013. In 2013, DJ Snake produced three songs with Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair on Lady Gaga’s album ARTPOP including "Applause", "Sexxx Dreams", and "Do What U Want".
...
Wikipedia