Dillion Nathaniel & Yelah: Remixing Music Fashion

From Guitars to Controllers: How Dillon Nathaniel Fell In Love With Dance Music

In His Blood: How Dillon Nathaniel's Family Pushed Him to Pursue Dance Music

Dillon Nathaniel and Sacha Robotti's See The Light Tour Puts the Focus on Mental Health

Dillon Nathaniel, producer and DJ known for his distinctive approach to the genre, centered around innovative sonic manipulation. A graduate of the prestigious Icon Collective and a self-described gear enthusiast, Nathaniel has quickly made a name for himself as a technical whizz and a modern connoisseur of house music. 

His unique sound, characterized by strong low-end grooves and inventive design, has caught the attention of industry giants like A-Trak, AC Slater, Destructo, 

Nathaniel's work has also infiltrated mainstream airwaves, with his music being played on BBC Radio 1, Rinse FM, and Sirius. His tracks have found homes on various respected labels, including CONFESSION, South Of Saturn, Sink Or Swim, Night Bass, Repopulate Mars, Insomniac Records and many more.

Jump Around

Nathaniel's roots in music go deep. He started as an audio engineer and an avid gear enthusiast, discovering his love for music at a young age as a vocalist and guitar player. His father played a pivotal role in his music education, exposing him to dance music legends like 

 from the age of eight. A defining moment came when Nathaniel attended EDC at the tender age of 16, an experience that ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in dance music.

Nathaniel's talent for creating immersive atmospheres goes beyond his studio work and is also evident in his dynamic and energetic DJ sets where he has been seen sharing stages with notable artists like 

 and many more. He has showcased his skills across the country at notable festivals like 

, Groove Cruise, Lollapalooza and has his upcoming debut at Splash House.

EDC Las Vegas 2019 Live - Dillon Nathaniel by Dillon Nathaniel

2020 came around and Nathaniel released his merch line, WAREHOUSE MOVEMENT, which focuses on pushing the boundaries of club and street wear. The garments are 1 of 1, hand-made, eco-conscious and hand painted, making each item special and exclusive.

In 2022 he premiered his very own label, Obsession Records, marking a new chapter in his career. In 2023, he announced his first co-headline tour "See The Light" with Sacha Robotti coming to 23-different cities in North America and has released an arsenal of tracks on labels like Solotoko, Nervous Records, Sink Or Swim and Club Sweat.

As Dillon Nathaniel continues his quest, it is clear that he will remain a figure to watch, continuing to captivate audiences and create quality tracks

United States

Dillon Nathaniel

United Kingdom

Mason Maynard

Luna Mar

TOBEHONEST

Gray Area is pioneering the "Doubleheader" event series, drawing inspiration from back-to-back baseball games to showcase artists with similar styles but unique fan bases. By having one artist follow another and culminating in a collaborative back-to-back (B2B) set, Doubleheader aims to create a powerful platform for musical discovery and cross-pollination. Embracing the "B2B" spirit, the initiative seeks to introduce audiences to new sounds while strengthening the dance music ecosystem.

Doubleheader

The Room at Superior Ingredients

Doubleheader with Mason Maynard & Dillon Nathaniel

Walker & Royce

QRTR

The Brooklyn Mirage

Eskuche

SOHMI

Wheats

OCHO Episode 4

Germany

Claptone

South Africa

Nora En Pure

Bijou

Cloonee

Italy

Giolì & Assia

Croatia

Matroda

Gene Farris

GRUM

Kyle Walker

Canada

Nostalgix

Ranger Trucco

Speaker Honey

Truth x Lies

Celebrity Summit Cruise Ship

Groove Cruise Miami

France

Dombresky

LP Giobbi

Will Clarke

HoneyLuv

Cristoph

The National Hotel

MK Presents: Miami Music Week Pool Party 2022

Gorgon City

Spain

Miguel Bastida

Seb Zito

Gina Breeze

Netherlands

De Sluwe Vos

Darkzy

Harriet Jaxxon

Toyzz

James Juke

Sun-soaked rhythms, a slick command of warm slippery basslines, and interlocking grooves that bounce and softly tickle that spot in your heart that makes you want to move. Dillon Nathaniel has exhibited all of these throughout his career. He’s your favorite producer’s favorite producer. His repeat releases on venerated labels like Repopulate Mars, Glasgow Underground, Sola, Big Beat, and Insomniac have made him a sought-after sonic technician. Yet, more so, he's a passionate champion of dance music culture. Probably because his roots run so much deeper than his contemporaries, he started training for a career in dance music before he could even walk.

Not too many kids in the 90s grew up with Carl Cox mixes blasting from the speakers of the family car. And when your earliest musical memory is of listening to the Mortal Kombat theme song on repeat, it’s clear dance music is in your blood. However, Nathaniel says his older brother had a greater impact on his listening habits and development as a musician in his youth.

“My brother was the first person that really introduced me and music because he was so big into playing the guitar. He taught me how to play the guitar when I was eight and I was really into like classic rock for a long time. So, I used to think the stuff my dad listened to [was] lame.”

Nathaniel drifted through the popular music of the early ’00s moving from rock to West Coast hip hop, a natural fit for the LA-born artist. He didn’t even have a passing interest in dance music or DJing until at 16 he came across a DJ controller his dad bought but never used.

Bolivian Sunrise

“It was just laying around and I was always interested in trying to learn every instrument that I can so I like picked it up one day.”

It was the first time he was interested in the music his dad was into. And as he learned this new instrument, a growing appreciation for dance music formed.


Mashing up his dad’s old school house and trance tracks with pop and hip hop, he started to understand the fundamentals of dance music. He had no idea what his dad's unlabeled relics of dance music history were, but his love for dance music was confirmed.

As he tinkered with the controller and a demo copy of Fruity Loops (yes the program before it FL) he found himself in a world of happy accidents and discovery. “Just pure joy of making weird sounds and throwing them together even though they don't make any sense," he explains.

At the time Nathaniel lived in Texas with his mother. He was defiant and unruly. After being kicked out of school, she was at her wit's end and sent him to live in LA with his dad.

The move ended up being a boon for the sixteen-year-old. And he got two life-altering gifts that year. A full copy of FL, and he went to his first rave.

“I was starting to get more into house music with all the DJing and producing stuff. And he was like, ‘you know, you're 16 this year, you're finally able to go to a rave.’ “ So, his dad brought him to EDC in 2010.

“It was like you're legitimately walking into a carnival. But with the nicest people ever, and the coolest music ever. I was like, there's no way this is real, it felt like a dream. Just to be there with my dad, but not only my dad, but my aunt, my uncle were there and like all of their friends. People that I've known my whole life. I felt safe.”

He was in the perfect environment to become a rave lifer. A new world of sound opened up to him. And as Deadmau5 performed Ghosts N Stuff he turned to his dad and said, “This is what I want to do dad. I want to be that person on the stage.“

Simple Minded

“I just had this epiphany," he says about the transformational moment. "This is calling to me. I really feel like these are my people.”

After high school, he made the practical decision to enroll in a sound engineering program and got an internship at Atlantic Records. Five months into his internship, he was no closer to working in a studio, but he was an expert at taking people's coffee orders.


“That was the first sign that I realized the kind of work that I was getting into was still that nine to five. It was suppressing the artist that I actually am. It was all of this work but for other people's music.”


The second sign was getting the okay from his grandmother who he was always close to.


"She always wanted me to get a degree and go to college. Right before my grandma passed away I was just saying [that] I don't know if I'm going to be happy doing this. And she kind of gave me the thumbs up." She told him, "Whatever it is that you want. Go do what you want to do.”


On the advice of a fellow DJ at an Orange County nightclub, he enrolled at Icon Collective, LA's premier electronic music school. And he began to form many of the relationships that would bring him full circle.

In 2019, a wind storm in Las Vegas shut down many of the larger stages at EDC Vegas on Saturday night. StereoBLOOM, the Insomniac Records stronghold, stayed rocking all night. Dillon prayed that the wind wouldn't dash his chance to close out the festival. And around 5 am he DJed at the event that started it all for him. As the darkness faded and the sun peaked over the horizon, he shared an emotional moment with his dad, who was on stage with him.


“Since day one. I was like, 'I'm going to play at EDC' and I wrote it on my mirror when I was 16,” he explains joyfully. “Working my way up to that and doing EDC 2019 was probably the most rewarding part of my entire career.”






Sun-soaked rhythms, a slick command of warm slippery basslines, and interlocking grooves that bounce and softly tickle that spot in your heart that makes you want to move. Dillon Nathaniel has exhibited all of these throughout his career. He’s your favorite producer’s favorite producer. His repeat releases on venerated labels like Repopulate Mars, Glasgow Underground, Sola, Big Beat, and Insomniac have made him a sought-after sonic technician. Yet, more so, he's a passionate champion of dance music culture. Probably because his roots run so much deeper than his contemporaries, he started training for a career in dance music before he could even walk.



Not too many kids in the 90s grew up with Carl Cox mixes blasting from the speakers of the family car. And when your earliest musical memory is of listening to the Mortal Kombat theme song on repeat, it’s clear dance music is in your blood. However, Nathaniel says his older brother had a greater impact on his listening habits and development as a musician in his youth.

“My brother was the first person that really introduced me and music because he was so big into playing the guitar. He taught me how to play the guitar when I was eight and I was really into like classic rock for a long time. So, I used to think the stuff my dad listened to [was] lame.”

Nathaniel drifted through the popular music of the early ’00s moving from rock to West Coast hip hop, a natural fit for the LA-born artist. He didn’t even have a passing interest in dance music or DJing until at 16 he came across a DJ controller his dad bought but never used.



“It was just laying around and I was always interested in trying to learn every instrument that I can so I like picked it up one day.”

It was the first time he was interested in the music his dad was into. And as he learned this new instrument, a growing appreciation for dance music formed.


Mashing up his dad’s old school house and trance tracks with pop and hip hop, he started to understand the fundamentals of dance music. He had no idea what his dad's unlabeled relics of dance music history were, but his love for dance music was confirmed.

As he tinkered with the controller and a demo copy of Fruity Loops (yes the program before it FL) he found himself in a world of happy accidents and discovery. “Just pure joy of making weird sounds and throwing them together even though they don't make any sense," he explains.

At the time Nathaniel lived in Texas with his mother. He was defiant and unruly. After being kicked out of school, she was at her wit's end and sent him to live in LA with his dad.



The move ended up being a boon for the sixteen-year-old. And he got two life-altering gifts that year. A full copy of FL, and he went to his first rave.

“I was starting to get more into house music with all the DJing and producing stuff. And he was like, ‘you know, you're 16 this year, you're finally able to go to a rave.’ “ So, his dad brought him to EDC in 2010.

“It was like you're legitimately walking into a carnival. But with the nicest people ever, and the coolest music ever. I was like, there's no way this is real, it felt like a dream. Just to be there with my dad, but not only my dad, but my aunt, my uncle were there and like all of their friends. People that I've known my whole life. I felt safe.”

He was in the perfect environment to become a rave lifer. A new world of sound opened up to him. And as Deadmau5 performed Ghosts N Stuff he turned to his dad and said, “This is what I want to do dad. I want to be that person on the stage.“



“I just had this epiphany," he says about the transformational moment. "This is calling to me. I really feel like these are my people.”

After high school, he made the practical decision to enroll in a sound engineering program and got an internship at Atlantic Records. Five months into his internship, he was no closer to working in a studio, but he was an expert at taking people's coffee orders.


“That was the first sign that I realized the kind of work that I was getting into was still that nine to five. It was suppressing the artist that I actually am. It was all of this work but for other people's music.”


The second sign was getting the okay from his grandmother who he was always close to.


"She always wanted me to get a degree and go to college. Right before my grandma passed away I was just saying [that] I don't know if I'm going to be happy doing this. And she kind of gave me the thumbs up." She told him, "Whatever it is that you want. Go do what you want to do.”


On the advice of a fellow DJ at an Orange County nightclub, he enrolled at Icon Collective, LA's premier electronic music school. And he began to form many of the relationships that would bring him full circle.

In 2019, a wind storm in Las Vegas shut down many of the larger stages at EDC Vegas on Saturday night. StereoBLOOM, the Insomniac Records stronghold, stayed rocking all night. Dillon prayed that the wind wouldn't dash his chance to close out the festival. And around 5 am he DJed at the event that started it all for him. As the darkness faded and the sun peaked over the horizon, he shared an emotional moment with his dad, who was on stage with him.


“Since day one. I was like, 'I'm going to play at EDC' and I wrote it on my mirror when I was 16,” he explains joyfully. “Working my way up to that and doing EDC 2019 was probably the most rewarding part of my entire career.”

Dillon Nathaniel

Past events

Other artists