From: Spain / Germany

DJ style: “House / bass house / future house.”

Best known for: “‘Dare me’, ‘WHO’, ‘Everybody Dance Now’.”
 

As year’s go, Plastik Funk has been having a pretty great one. The Spanish DJ and producer born Rafael Ximenez-Carrillo has played more shows than ever in 2023, starting things off on a high at a DJ Mag Presents party at Illuzion in Phuket, Vietnam in January. It’s been pretty non-stop ever since, as he’s brought his party-starting melange of EDM and future/bass house to high-profile clubs and festivals across the US, Europe, China and South-East Asia. 

Along the way, he’s found time to release a lot of new music too. In January, there was ‘Until The Bassline Drops’ in collaboration with Esox, which he chased quickly in February with his first solo release in a while, ‘How I Do It’ on Don Diablo’s Hexagon label. In March, he followed his Pointer Sisters-sampling 2020 collab with NERVO and Tim Morrison, ‘Dare Me’, with another funk-drenched gem, ‘Groove Tonight’, sampling Earth, Wind & Fire alongside Mr. Belt & Wezol. More music has come on imprints including Spinnin’ Records and Revealed Recordings, and in October, he launched his very own Funk You label at ADE. With big plans ahead, the Funk Family have a lot to look forward to in 2024. 

Hero of 2023: “Fred again..”
 

Favourite tune of 2023: “Notre Dame ‘Yumi’ (Tiesto remix)’.”
 

Best DJ set you’ve seen in 2023: “Roger Sanchez at Claptone’s night at Pacha.”

What was the most exciting tech development of 2023, and why? “Pioneer rekordbox update is absolutely amazing!”
 

Rising star DJ/producer of 2023: “Fred again.."

What gives you hope for 2024? “The amazing summer of 2023 we had. Some of the best shows of my career. So 2024 could get even bigger.”