Berlin DJ, producer, and label owner Boys Noize transformed Parisian ravers into an unruly and unstoppable force at Peacock Festival. His high-octane techno set intensified as day turned to night at the festival's Park stage.









Created in 2013 during the French electronic scene's revival, The Peacock Society has rapidly grown to become one of France's most important electronic music festivals, attracting over 25,000 ravers to each edition.







Alex Ridha, aka Boys Noize, made his DJ debut at 15. He's since taken his passion for house and techno across the globe, with major shows at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and headline slots at Berghain, Fuji Rock in Japan, and Justin Vernon's Eaux Claires Festival in the woods of Wisconsin.




Rolling Stone named Ridha as one of "The 25 DJs That Rule the Earth" in 2012, while Beatport crowned him "Best Electronic Act" three years in a row.









Ridha has created an uncompromising and enduring sound and vision as an artist and producer. Respected in the scene, banging from underground to mainstream, he's made a habit of breaking convention and surprising his listeners. He's remixed a vast array of artists like Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, David Lynch, Feist, and Nine Inch Nails. He's also collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Erol Alkan, and Jarvis Cocker. Ridha also worked on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Special," and the soundtrack for Oliver Stone's "Snowden," as well as group projects with piano extraordinaire Chilly Gonzales (Octave Minds), Skrillex (Dog Blood), and Mr. Oizo (Handbrakes).




In 2005, Ridha launched Boysnoize Records. Founded as a self-release platform that retains complete artistic freedom, the Berlin-based anarchist collective —and its sub-label, BNR Trax— became a home for multidirectional electronic music. The label is now responsible for more than 150 releases, including his albums Strictly Raw (2015), Out Of The Black (2012), Power (2009), Oi Oi Oi (2007), and Octave Minds (2014).




Experience one of Ridha's incredible sets in person at his future shows: FESTIVAL LE BON AIR 2023 in Marseille, MELT 2023 at Ferropolis, Defected Croatia in Tisno, and many more clubs and festivals worldwide.




































































































Techno Punk Boys Noize Unleashes a Hammering Set at Peacock Festival

Sometimes a name change is simply an artist growing out of an identity that no longer resonates with them. Often it is accompanied by a complete musical overhaul and a venture into a new genre. It's always a way to try something new.

We're once again revealing the (somewhat) little-known stories of your favorite DJs and the identities they left behind before you knew them. Some DJs listed here didn't stray too far from what they knew, while others embraced a radically new style. New musical direction or not, prepare to have your mind blown with some of these artists' past lives.




Charlotte de Witte

When Charlotte de Witte first came onto the scene, she was known as Raving George. She adopted that name because she wanted to dispel preconceived notions about female DJs and for her music and skills to speak for themselves. She truly embraced techno's aggressive and despondent side and established herself as a force with which to be reckoned. As Raving George, she played festivals like Tomorrowland, I Love Techno, Sunset Festival, Pukkelpop, Summer Festival, and Dour Festival. In 2015, she decided to retire the Raving George moniker and switch to her birth name as she began to experiment with a more barebones and emotive type of techno.

Eric Prydz

You know him now as Eric Prydz, with the famous Pryda snare, but did you know he was a founding member of the first unofficial lineup of Swedish House Mafia? Informally, Prydz, Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso found themselves DJing together a lot at The Rainbow Room in Stockholm in the 2000s. The quartet was dubbed Swedish House Mafia. But Prydz, a self-proclaimed "control-freak," chose to venture out on his own and has since adopted his own shortlist of monikers, Pryda and Cirez D.










Noizu

A quick look at the writing credits for Noizu's hit single "Summer 91" reveals the feel-good house producer's real name and a bit about his past. Previously known by his given name, Jacob Plant, the British dance producer and DJ got his big break in 2013 with releases on Ministry of Sound, Defected sublabel Speakerbox, Calvin Harris' Fly Records, and Steve Aoki's Dim Mak Records. He had several high-profile remixes for Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Benny Benassi, Iggy Azaelia, and Sub Focus. He even co-wrote a song with Rhianna for the soundtrack to the 2015 animated movie Home. Jacob's music earned him airtime on BBC1 Radio and billing at festivals like Lollapalooza and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.




Jeff Mills

Since the '90s, Jeff Mills' name has been synonymous with Detroit techno as he was part of the second wave of DJs to put the genre on the map. He felt he had to be more progressive and experimental than his contemporaries. Mills began DJing in the '80s under the name, The Wizard and was known for beat juggling, scratching, and turntablist tricks. 

He co-founded the techno collective Underground Resistance in the late '80s with 'Mad' Mike Banks, of Parliament fame, and minimal techno pioneer Robert Hood. Together, they created music geared towards abstract militancy and raising awareness about political, social, and economic issues. Mills ended up leaving the group to go solo in the early '90s, thus using his given name to fully take the techno world by storm. 




DJ EZ


House and techno DJ Elvin Zedo is also known as UK garage turntablist DJ EZ. He first used Elvin Zedo (and DJ Easy O) back in 2004. The names allowed him to play house and techno without interfering with his progress in the garage and bass scenes. Throughout his DJ career, he's hosted various radio shows featuring UK garage anthems, classics, and bass, with his current show being the weekly NUVOLVE Radio. He recently revived the Zedo moniker as a way to return to his roots but plans to continue DJing under the name EX as well. He reintroduced this alias in the most DJ EZ way possible—by playing a 10-hour Boiler Room set.





Richie Hawtin

Richie Hawtin debuted in the '90s as part of the second wave of DJs bringing that Detroit techno sound. But did you know that in 1993, Hawtin hit the music scene hard with acid techno under his alias Plastikman? Plastikman's most famous release is "Spastik," a dance music classic. This track pushed the musical envelope in skill and production, experimenting with minimal techno. Hawtin uses both the Plastikman moniker and the Hawtin name interchangeably, so it's hard to say which is the former name and which is the current one, so keep your eyes (and ears) out for both. 










Boys Noize

Alexander Ridha, aka Boys Noize, is a Berlin-based producer, songwriter, and DJ known for his genre-defying techno punk beats. He's gained popularity by collaborating with Skrillex, Jean-Michel Jarre, Tiga, and Benga, remixing artists like Snoop Dogg, Daft Punk, Justice, and Depeche Mode and creating his label, Boysnoize Records, in 2005. 

Before becoming Boys Noize, though, he was part of the duo Kid Alex, alongside Andreas Meid. Together, they supported DJs like Felix da Housecat and DJ Hell and had their first significant success in 2003 with the track Young Love (Topless), later remixed and used in a Coca-Cola commercial. The duo continued performing together until 2007 when they broke up due to Ridha wanting to go solo, and thus Boys Noize was born. 






More DJs With Surprising Pasts

Alexander Ridha, professionally known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a Berlin-based electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. As an artist Alex has created a sound that is uncompromising and enduring - producing hit after hit that has gained him much respect in the scene. His work oscillates between underground to mainstream and his imprint, Boys Noize Records or BNR, operates in a similar fashion.

Alex set out to make his own label shortly after he began producing so that he could remain 100% independent. He was determined to keep his artistic freedom and has provided that same privilege to countless other artists by giving their works a home of multidirectional quality electronic music. This “non-conformist DIY anarchist collective” has seen hundreds of releases from talents such as Chilly Gonzalez, Spank Rock, Housemeister, Josh Wink, Peaches, and Strip Steve.

In the early stages of his career, he was commonly referred to as an electro-tech producer. However, looking over his discography it’s easy to see that his work ranges across several genres - making him a true jack of all trades. His music has merged various styles, with influences of hip-hop and disco roots as well as heavy noise and electro house sounds.

Ridha’s impressive reputation as a producer for pop and rap stars progressed gradually and naturally, landing him a ton of opportunities to work with a wide range of artists. He’s remixed the work of Daft Punk, David Lynch, Nine Inch Nails, and Depeche Mode, collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, A$AP Rocky, Bon Iver, Santigold, and Frank Ocean. And if that impressive list of names wasn’t enough to show the true milestones Alex has reached, Rolling Stone named him one of the “Top 10 DJs Who Rule the World”. He’s also been elected “Best Electronic Act” by Beatport three years in a row.

Boys Noize

Luca Rizzello

Carolina Quijano