Arielle Free's meteoric rise in the dance music industry is an earnest one. From humble beginnings, the young Glaswegian has grafted for many years dedicating herself to her talent, constantly evolving. Fast forward to 2021 and Arielle has become a key figure in the music world, continuing to shape the musical landscape around her and every bit influential as she is undisputed. 

Levitate

In 2018, Arielle was brought in to cover Saturday's Dance Anthems, making a lasting impression which reinforced her claim to a highly coveted Radio 1 spot. It wasn’t long before she gained the favour of the BBC who promoted her to Early Breakfast host alongside becoming the daytime face of Radio 1 Dance in 2020. 

That same year, having already become one of the UK's leading broadcasting and presenting talents, Arielle burst onto the club scene with performances at Printworks, Creamfields, Parklife, Glastonbury, Lovebox & TRNSMT, not to mention her debut Ibiza gig for the Radio 1 Weekend alongside Camelphat, Kolsch, Annie Mac, Danny Howard & Solardo. 

Arielle ended the year on a high with her most significant set to date, closing the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party for a crowd of over ten thousand revellers. Now deep in the studio honing her craft, involving sessions with some surprising artists and producers, Arielle is slowly building a respectable batch of records that are sure to make an instant impact across the UK and beyond.

United Kingdom

Arielle Free

Danny Howard

Jansons

United States

John Summit

LP Giobbi

Spain

Eden Ibiza

Defected Presents Radio 1 Dance

Masters At Work

Louie Vega

Kenny Dope

Floorplan

Eliza Rose

Low Steppa

France

Amine Edge & DANCE

Alex Mills

Ushuaïa Ibiza

Defected Week 10

Defected

Germany

Claptone

Solardo

HUGEL

Amnesia Ibiza

The Masquerade by Claptone Week 6

Claptone Presents The Masquerade

DJ EZ

Hannah Wants

David Penn

Monki

Defected Week 2

Switzerland

Andrea Oliva

Patrick Topping

Pete Tong

LF SYSTEM

Dunmore Brothers

ANTS | BBC Radio 1 Dance Live

ANTS

Archie Hamilton

Dombresky

Dennis Cruz

Italy

Giolì & Assia

Yulia Niko

OCHO Episode 2

Australia

FISHER

Gorgon City

Armand Van Helden

Alisha

Ben Hemsley

Melvo Baptiste

Parsloes Park

Elrow Town London 2023

Sam Blacky

LOVRA

Luke Andy

Kaysin

Repopulate Mars

Superior Ingredients

Repopulate Mars New York

Eats Everything

Chase & Status

The Martinez Brothers

Jamie Jones

Jax Jones

Sam Divine

Sonny Fodera

Jaguar

Sarah Story

Camden Cox

528 Ibiza

BBC Radio 1 Dance Live

Folamour

Curaçao

Shermanology

South Africa

China Charmeleon

Defected Week 6

Hayden James

J. Worra

Defected Week 14

Mason Collective

Bastian Bux

Marco Faraone

Denmark

Manda Moor

Matthias Tanzmann

ELROW New Year's Day - Ibiza

Christian Nielsen

Township Rebellion

Belgium

Like Mike

Sweden

Swedish House Mafia

Israel

Tal Fussman

Justice

Marco Av

Get Real

Chloé Caillet

Ben Klock

Arielle Free runs on pure joy. As a touring DJ, she’s played colossal venues from Glastonbury to 

She's also a label owner and in the midst of adding producer credits to her work of pushing dance music to the masses.

Arielle Free's exclusive set for OCHO by Gray Area on Diplo’s Revolution - December 2021.

BBC Radio 1 presenter, producer, and DJ Arielle Free has risen to be an influential tastemaker in dance music. Often referred to as Scotland's answer to Annie Mac, she's diligently spent years creating her own space in dance music. Aside from being the daytime ambassador for Radio 1's iconic dance programming, her career as a DJ exploded in 2020 with performances at Printworks, Parklife, Glastonbury, and Creamfields.

Tracklist: 1001.tl/9nn2fl1
Associanu - This Is A Song About Dancing
Cats ‘n Dogs (ft Kiddy Smile) - Nasty
Dave Spoon - Steels
Fisher - Just Feels Tight
P2 - Tropical Chant
Chris Lorenzo - California
Sorely - Women Like You
Thomas Newson - Talking About
Maine - Make It Work
Jay De Les - Lose My Mind
Arlo - Bidet (not released)
M.Luc - I Vogue
Artemesia Matt Smallwood Remix - Bits n Pieces
Byron Stingily - Get Up Everybody
Ewan McVicar - Plain Outta Luck
Anish Kumar & Barry Can’t Swim - Blackpool Boulevard
Arielle Free, Mortimer (ft Joe Killington) - Soul Full
Unit 2, Kink - Sunshine (Kink Remix)
Danny Tenaglia, Celeda - Music Is the Answer

Gray Area's mission is to build a bigger house music community in North America by helping fans discover exciting house music artists, event brands and festivals that are new to them.

Connect with Gray Area: 
www.grayarea.co/
www.instagram.com/entergrayarea/
www.facebook.com/entergrayarea
twitter.com/enterGrayArea
www.twitch.tv/entergrayarea

Arielle Free - Exclusive Set for OCHO by Gray Area [12/2021] by Gray Area

As one of the leading radio presenters in the UK, Free currently lives out her dreams on 

. She’s up before dawn playing dance anthems for night owls, then smoothly transitions into getting the day started for other listeners. Free’s 4-7 am show is dedicated to “people who've worked through the night and need that last bit of energy,” she says.

Free’s key show segment is the Big Whopper, a term she coined for massive hits, tunes that have an inescapable impact. When a new track lands in Free’s inbox, she knows it’s a Big Whopper when “I know the words straightaway. The beat is all killer, no filler,” she explains. “Whether it's a massive big kick drum beat or a huge big vocal, it’s something that puts a smile on your face.” 

Soul Full (feat. Joe Killington)

“It's really nice for me to see when I go to do a show and people come up and be like,

‘I love listening to you in the morning!’ ” Free beams. “The beauty of being able to win an audience you don’t know yet is the best thing.”

Free’s story begins in Stirling, Scotland, northeast of Glasgow. There, she became streetwise, figured out how to take care of herself, and most importantly, learned the gift of gab. She practiced ballet throughout childhood and loved having the discipline. “My journey as a ballet dancer led into me being a broadcaster because it was always about the music.” 

Free discovered electronic music during the nu-rave phase in the UK – reminiscent of neon tops, legwarmers, and the sounds of Boyz Noize and the Klaxons. This led her to Hyde Park in 2007, where she witnessed 

live, and electro house took over her life. Until then, “I was a band girl through and through,” Free says, remembering years of listening to rock and R&B. 

“I always wanted to be involved and immersed in music. That energy I would have brought to being a rockstar, I just put behind the decks now.” Free is relentless in her efforts to make crowds move. “I’m here to put on a great show and make you have THE MOST fun,” she says. 

Today, her love endures for superstar stage productions. Free once changed a festival slot to be as early as possible to make it in time to a Spice Girls show. 

Free’s interest in presenting sparked when she listened to BBC Radio 1 and dreamt of being like her idol, Zane Lowe. Free’s hustle began in 2011, making content for music-based YouTube channels, eventually joining community radio stations, and building her own audience. 

Broadcaster Annie Mac was also an inspiration as she introduced countless new acts to Free’s ears. To her, it was incredible to see Mac be one of the few females to be billed, let alone headline festivals a decade ago. Now Free’s lucky to call Mac someone she can pick up the phone and call. Grateful for those who paved the way, Free plans to remain outspoken and keep paying it forward.  “Girls can do it just as good as boys.”  

. After years in this role, Free recounts endless stories ranging from epic wins, funny moments, to completely disastrous gigs. Despite self-doubt, she’s acquiring confidence and authority in her own voice. 

“I’m in a certain position of privilege in that I have a platform. DJs rely on me to play their music and big promoters rely on me talking about their festivals on the radio. But also a lot of people won’t book me because I will call them out,” if they’re not putting effort into uplifting diverse talent, she says. “And then I thought, rather than pointing out the ones that aren’t getting the females on the bill, let’s shout out the ones that are.” 

Free rejoices in each opportunity to flex her many skills. “I love a good dance behind the decks,” she laughs. “Every stage manager hates me because I’m the DJ who jumps on the decks to have a dance.” 

Recently, Free poured her heart into her first ever original release. “

” with Mortimer and Joe Killington is dropping via Defected’s D4Dance label. “It’s me in a track,” she says, teasing gorgeous vocals with a house and disco edge.

Free’s goal is to use her platform to support other producers and DJs. Her ambitions continue to grow through her label and event series, Free Your Mind. Ultimately, Free wants to build “a home for uplifting house music.” 

Arielle Free runs on pure joy. As a touring DJ, she’s played colossal venues from Glastonbury to Creamfields to London’s Printworks.



She's also a label owner and in the midst of adding producer credits to her work of pushing dance music to the masses.

As one of the leading radio presenters in the UK, Free currently lives out her dreams on BBC Radio 1. She’s up before dawn playing dance anthems for night owls, then smoothly transitions into getting the day started for other listeners. Free’s 4-7 am show is dedicated to “people who've worked through the night and need that last bit of energy,” she says.

Free’s key show segment is the Big Whopper, a term she coined for massive hits, tunes that have an inescapable impact. When a new track lands in Free’s inbox, she knows it’s a Big Whopper when “I know the words straightaway. The beat is all killer, no filler,” she explains. “Whether it's a massive big kick drum beat or a huge big vocal, it’s something that puts a smile on your face.” 

“It's really nice for me to see when I go to do a show and people come up and be like, ‘I love listening to you in the morning!’ ” Free beams. “The beauty of being able to win an audience you don’t know yet is the best thing.”

Free’s story begins in Stirling, Scotland, northeast of Glasgow. There, she became streetwise, figured out how to take care of herself, and most importantly, learned the gift of gab. She practiced ballet throughout childhood and loved having the discipline. “My journey as a ballet dancer led into me being a broadcaster because it was always about the music.” 

Free discovered electronic music during the nu-rave phase in the UK – reminiscent of neon tops, legwarmers, and the sounds of Boyz Noize and the Klaxons. This led her to Hyde Park in 2007, where she witnessed Daft Punk live, and electro house took over her life. Until then, “I was a band girl through and through,” Free says, remembering years of listening to rock and R&B. 

“I always wanted to be involved and immersed in music. That energy I would have brought to being a rockstar, I just put behind the decks now.” Free is relentless in her efforts to make crowds move. “I’m here to put on a great show and make you have THE MOST fun,” she says. 

Today, her love endures for superstar stage productions. Free once changed a festival slot to be as early as possible to make it in time to a Spice Girls show. 

Free’s interest in presenting sparked when she listened to BBC Radio 1 and dreamt of being like her idol, Zane Lowe. Free’s hustle began in 2011, making content for music-based YouTube channels, eventually joining community radio stations, and building her own audience. 

Broadcaster Annie Mac was also an inspiration as she introduced countless new acts to Free’s ears. To her, it was incredible to see Mac be one of the few females to be billed, let alone headline festivals a decade ago. Now Free’s lucky to call Mac someone she can pick up the phone and call. Grateful for those who paved the way, Free plans to remain outspoken and keep paying it forward.  “Girls can do it just as good as boys.”  

Free got her start as a DJ for Ministry of Sound. After years in this role, Free recounts endless stories ranging from epic wins, funny moments, to completely disastrous gigs. Despite self-doubt, she’s acquiring confidence and authority in her own voice. 

“I’m in a certain position of privilege in that I have a platform. DJs rely on me to play their music and big promoters rely on me talking about their festivals on the radio. But also a lot of people won’t book me because I will call them out,” if they’re not putting effort into uplifting diverse talent, she says. “And then I thought, rather than pointing out the ones that aren’t getting the females on the bill, let’s shout out the ones that are.” 

Free rejoices in each opportunity to flex her many skills. “I love a good dance behind the decks,” she laughs. “Every stage manager hates me because I’m the DJ who jumps on the decks to have a dance.” 

Recently, Free poured her heart into her first ever original release. “Soul Full” with Mortimer and Joe Killington is dropping via Defected’s D4Dance label. “It’s me in a track,” she says, teasing gorgeous vocals with a house and disco edge.

Free’s goal is to use her platform to support other producers and DJs. Her ambitions continue to grow through her label and event series, Free Your Mind. Ultimately, Free wants to build “a home for uplifting house music.” 



Interview by RYDEN

Arielle Free

Upcoming events

Past events

Other artists